Pedestrianization of Avenue du Mont-Royal: Is overcoming procurement issues by bicycle possible?

For several years, Avenue du Mont-Royal has been pedestrianized from the end of May to the beginning of September. Although patronage is increasing for most businesses (especially restaurants), this creates significant supply challenges.

• Congestion
• Confusion of delivery people about authorizations and prohibitions
• Delivery areas requiring a longer walking distance
• Difficulty meeting strict delivery times (before 11 AM)

An independent delivery driver using a gasoline vehicle reports that pedestrianization extends his route by 15%, a cost not covered by the customer. Some delivery drivers now refuse to operate on the avenue during summer, leading to heightened tensions in alleys clogged with trucks.

Coop Carbone and the Société de Développement de l’Avenue du Mont-Royal (SDAMR) are collaborating to offer a modal shift pilot project to merchants to help address supply issues during the summer season.

Project Objectives and Progress

To significantly reduce traffic around the avenue and provide solutions to delivery personnel and merchants, a last-mile service is proposed. This service, operated from the urban logistics space managed by Coop Carbone, Colibri Iberville, facilitates the transshipment of goods, which are then delivered by cargo bikes to businesses on the avenue.

Operational Objective: Demonstrate the feasibility of this transshipment and measure its effectiveness.

This system is designed to save time and money for both delivery drivers and merchants, who face more supply constraints during pedestrianization. These savings need to be measured to determine a fair price for the last-mile service offered.

Economic Objective: Estimate the cost distribution generated by this outsourced last-mile service and explore an innovative business model if it proves sustainable.

Project Principle

• Logistics service available to merchant suppliers
• Available Monday to Friday at Colibri Iberville
• Goods received from 8 AM to 4 PM, sorted and consolidated on-site at Colibri
• Goods delivered from 9 AM to 5 PM by bike with trailer to the end customer
• Types of goods accepted:
  • Pallet: maximum 2 per merchant
  • Parcels < 70 lb
  • No fresh produce

Expected Results

At the end of the pedestrianization season, Coop Carbone and SDAMR will gather qualitative and quantitative data to assess the effectiveness of the system and the potential for a self-sustaining business model in the future. The analysis will primarily consider measurable savings in time and fuel, which could contribute to funding the service.

Expected outcomes include:

• The efficiency of a last-mile service for business supply – operational gains compared to truck delivery.
• Reduction in GHG emissions associated with the transshipment system for a last mile by bike.
• Stakeholder support for the system: is merchant satisfaction high?
• Calculating a fair price for the delivery service and proposing a cost distribution based on measured savings.

This project is made possible thanks to the financial support of PME MTL Centre-ville and Desjardins Caisse d’économie solidaire.