Reimagine the Curb

Recommendations for the Adams Administration

The Adams administration has an incredible opportunity to transform New York City’s streetscape. As a coalition representing businesses, delivery workers, pedestrians, bicyclists, environmental groups, safe streets advocates, public transit riders, and more, we know that there are many demands on the curb and that balance is needed. Up until now, these needs have been addressed on an ad hoc basis with many disastrous unintended consequences. We’re confident that the Adams administration will address these issues head on with bold, innovative solutions. We appreciate the Administration’s attention to the development of a better transportation system for all New Yorkers - including your proposals to address critical safety issues with plans to implement 300 miles of protected bike lanes in New York City and advocating for local control over speed camera enforcement - and look forward to working with you on these common priorities.

The Problem

Curbside space in New York City is currently not managed effectively or holistically, leading to chaos at the curb. Many competing uses must be balanced against each other, but currently there is no balance at all. Current issues at the curb include:

  • Online shopping and on-demand delivery have dramatically increased the need for commercial loading zones (Package deliveries are up to 2.3 million a day, up from 1.8 million before the pandemic)

  • Where commercial loading zones exist, they are often filled with non-commercial vehicles and there is insufficient enforcement

  • Buses get stuck in traffic and even when bus lanes exist, they are often blocked by illegally parked cars or other impediments

  • “Protected” bike lanes are often merely paint and perhaps plastic bollards, putting bicyclists - including hard-working delivery workers - in danger every time they ride (due to, among other things, cars and trucks illegally parked in bike lanes forcing bicyclists into traffic and vehicles impeding bike lanes)

  • In 2021, traffic fatalities increased to their highest level since 2014, with some fatalities and injuries caused by conflicts at the curb (e.g., double parking impedes sight lines, blocked bike lanes force bicyclists into traffic, etc.); 2022 has started off even worse with the highest fatalities for Q1 since 2013.

  • NYC is undergoing a bike boom, with an increase of 33% at key counter locations since 2019, highlighting the need for more bike lanes, bike share stations, ebike charging, and secure bike storage.

  • In many cities around the world, trash collection and pick-up happens in the curbside lane; NYC is far behind the rest of the world, forcing pedestrians to walk on sidewalks jammed with bags of trash.

  • Open Restaurants saved restaurants during the pandemic, unleashed a new demand for outdoor dining, and clearly demonstrated that the curbside space is valuable and should be priced accordingly.

  • City-issued parking placards encourage private vehicle use and irresponsible parking, and fake placards have proliferated with no enforcement, leading to chaos at the curb.

  • Many people do not move their cars for street cleaning, leading to increased amounts of garbage on our streets and contributing to clogged storm drains which cause deadly flooding.

  • There are currently over 3,000,000 free on-street parking spots in NYC, despite the fact that the majority of New Yorkers do not own cars.



The Solution: A New Curb Framework

The DOT should actively manage the curb with a holistic planning approach that prioritizes allocating curb space to those uses that provide the greatest amount of access and serve the highest number of people. While the NYC Streets Plan recognizes the need for Curbside Management and the need to Reform Parking, there is little detail on what this might look like. Solutions that should be implemented as soon as possible include:

Commerce:

  • Expand commercial loading zones and the Neighborhood Loading Zone program so that there are enough loading zones in both commercial and residential neighborhoods.

  • Increase enforcement of loading zones so that commercial trucks can actually use them, rather than being forced to double park.

  • Continue the Open Restaurants program with fees that value the public space but do not place an onerous burden on restaurants and other small businesses.

  • Establish dedicated short-term pick-up and drop-off zones for on-demand food and goods delivery in priority areas.

Mobility:

  • Speed up buses with physically separated bus lanes. 

  • Truly protect bicyclists and other micromobility users - including delivery workers - with physically protected bike lanes.

  • Increase enforcement of blocked bike lanes and bus lanes, and continue enforcement of double parking.

  • Install secure bike parking to help facilitate mode shift.

  • Reallocate space for active transportation. 

Safety:

  • Continue to push the state for local control of camera-based enforcement and the ability to lower speed limits.

  • Improve safety with daylighting and neckdowns at intersections and other traffic calming measures.

  • Create dedicated zones for passenger pick-up and drop-off, including for Access-A-Ride.

Sanitation:

  • Get the trash off our sidewalks with curbside trash corrals and containerization - expand the new pilot program citywide.

  • Increase enforcement around street cleaning so that the streets are actually cleaned on street-sweeping days.

Management:

  • Create a hierarchy of uses of the curb, with transportation, deliveries and sanitation. being the highest priority and free, long-term storage of private vehicles being the lowest priority in most areas.

  • Expand sidewalks, plazas, parklets, and other public space.

  • Price the curb appropriately with more metered parking (variable pricing and escalating pricing) to encourage parking turnover.

  • Eliminate or severely reduce the number of parking placards issued and strictly enforce compliance.



We urge the Adams administration, including DOT, DSNY and other agencies, to lead on these issues to help usher in New York City’s recovery and our long-term success and would welcome the opportunity to partner with you to advance policies to improve the safety, efficiency, equity, and sustainability of New York City’s transportation network.



Signatories:

 
 

Open Plans

UPS

Citi Bike

The Trucking Association of New York

Lime

DoorDash

CHEKPEDS

Bike New York

StreetsPAC

Transportation Alternatives

Riders Alliance 

Los Deliveristas Unidos