Efficient loading and unloading operations via a booking system

•The introduction of a booking system for the management of the L/U areas is studied.•Distributors book in sequence according to their preferences and routing constraints.•New bookings are subject to the bookings that have already been placed.•A comparison with the current situation where vehicles double park is provided.•Considerations on the acceptance of the system are presented. Urban distribution of parcels and goods usually requires vehicles to temporarily stop at roadside to allow for the driver to perform the last leg of the delivery by foot. The stops take place in designated areas, called loading/unloading (L/U) areas, composed of one or more parking spots. In this paper the introduction of a booking system for the management of the L/U areas in a city center is studied as a way to eliminate, or at least substantially reduce, double parking. A booking management system and the related routing problem are presented. In this system, distributors book in sequence according to their preferences and routing constraints, but subject to the bookings that have already been placed. The solution provided by the booking system is discussed and compared with the current use of the L/U areas, where the distributors do not consider the availability of a parking spot and resort to double parking if none is available.