Speed camera delivery in the Netherlands: easy or irritating?
The number of speed cameras – and the number of speed cameras – continues to increase at a rapid pace. Major players such as Jumbo and Albert Heijn are seeing their decline and are therefore collaborating with delivery services such as Gorillas and Deliveroo.
It seems to be a form of economy that cannot be ignored. And consumers want it too, because the number of users has doubled in the past six months. In order to slow down this rapid rise, Amsterdam recently investigated how to put a stop to the arrival of new dark stores. A sustainable, but not slim action, thinks journalist Michel Kregel, co-author of the book Circles of Retail. “I understand from the nuisance situation that Amsterdam is currently dealing with,” he says. ‘But men could also have come up with a different solution in consultation with the delivery. And that is typical of Amsterdam, which is always very fast. But I also think that Amsterdam is not a representative example for other municipalities.’
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The criticism in the rural capital is also taken up by the provincial capital: Haarlem. ‘We now have the three well-known flash suppliers spread over four locations in the city,’ says Robbert Berkhout, alderman for Economy in Haarlem. ‘That look doesn’t look right. You are also bothered by the display of bicycles on the sidewalk and road safety is at stake.’
Transparency
But it is precisely that appearance where a major improvement can be made. For example, flash delivery company Getir has decided not to build any new dark stores. ‘The stickers on the windows make it all feel closed and as if we have something to hide’, says general manager Florian Bruntsing of Getir Nederland. ‘We have learned from that feedback. So all new stores that we open will have a transparent character. Get rid of the stickers.’
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Bruntsing even wants to go a step further: Getir Art Stores. “The term darkstore doesn’t really do justice to what we’re doing, so we’re going to make it art stores. We have started pilots in Rotterdam and Arnhem with local creatives and artists to display their art in our shop windows. So we are exchanging the stickers for the art, and in doing so we contribute to making the neighborhood happier.’
Look outside
Kregel agrees with Getir’s initiative. It will definitely make a difference in appearance. The look outside, where it became a bit eerie at the beginning when you look at these types of buildings, makes it a lot friendlier for the neighborhood. but is included is an area where this sector is making progress.’
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Alderman Berkhout also sees the benefit of a transparent ‘art store’. ‘It is positive to hear that they are developing quickly and want to accommodate passengers. They also have an interest in this, given the preparatory decisions in other cities. I also hope for such an attitude in Haarlem.’
road safety
But, Berkhout also points out. It doesn’t solve anything related to road safety. ‘The bicycle behavior of the deliverers is to blame for this,’ he says. ‘Last week I spoke here about the neighborhood councils of Haarlem in the center. Someone there suggested that the bicycle deliverers all get a number, so that you can report both the latter and create a preventive for deliverers themselves.
Kregel also thinks that speed cameras will no longer disappear from the streets. “It’s definitely a keeper. This is a development that is still underway in the supermarket segment, but it is already underway in other sectors. In other large cities such as London you can have a dress with shoes delivered within twenty minutes at a clothing store. That development is only going on more than it is getting into a retreat.’
moral question
But, isn’t it a chronic lazier, the convenience of speed cameras? ‘We have already become lazy,’ continues Kregel. “It’s kind of the chicken-or-the-egg story. It is clear that there is desire. It is also very clear that the market is responding, but it is also clear that there is also nuisance. It is logical, in the short term, that solutions must be found for the pollution on the street from all deliverers on the street. But we see internationally that this movement has already progressed much further and is being marketed much more widely.’