How a Loading Zone Can Facilitate Personal Mobility Services and Promote Safety

RMI and the Austin Transportation Department conducted a 45-day pilot at West 6th Street and Nueces Street, converting four parking spaces into a loading zone to facilitate ride-hailing services and reduce personal vehicle use. The pilot demonstrated that designated loading zones improve pedestrian safety by reducing the need for passengers to board or exit vehicles in travel lanes. However, the study identified challenges in user awareness, the need for better signage, and the potential for 'evening loading zones' to balance mobility needs with parking revenue.

• The loading zone improved safety by providing a designated curbside area for pick-ups and drop-offs, contrasting with the dangerous practice of passengers boarding or exiting in the middle of travel lanes.
• Converting metered parking to a loading zone successfully shifted the duration of curb sessions from long-term parking (over 30 minutes) to short-term loading (under 5 minutes).
• Low user awareness hindered the pilot's effectiveness, with 76% of end-of-demonstration survey respondents unaware of the zone's existence due to limited signage and the covering of a nearby pay station.
• The study suggests that 'evening loading zones'—where parking spaces are designated as loading zones only during peak evening hours—could increase ride-hail usage while preserving city parking revenue.

APA

RMI (2018). How a Loading Zone Can Facilitate Personal Mobility Services and Promote Safety. https://rmi.org/resources/personal-mobility-and-safety/

Chicago

RMI. How a Loading Zone Can Facilitate Personal Mobility Services and Promote Safety. 2018. https://rmi.org/resources/personal-mobility-and-safety/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=How a Loading Zone Can Facilitate Personal Mobility Services and Promote Safety |date=1 October 2018 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/personal-mobility-and-safety/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2018how, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{How a Loading Zone Can Facilitate Personal Mobility Services and Promote Safety}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/personal-mobility-and-safety/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }