New signs prohibit parking during the day on sections of West End Avenue.
To the surprise of some residents, parking spots on West End Avenue between 79th and 96th Street were turned into loading zones for taxis and delivery trucks over the past week and a half. The spots now prohibit parking from 8 am. until 6 p.m. to make room for truck parking and drop-offs by cabs and ride-hailing vehicles like Ubers and Lyfts.
The city Department of Transportation tells us that the change is part of a citywide program to “more efficiently utilize curb space and reduce the number of double parked cars.”
“The new parking regulations along portions of West End Avenue are part of a citywide residential loading zone program. The loading zones will work to provide curb space during daytime and evening hours to allow for the pick-up and drop-off of passengers as well as loading and unloading of goods – helping to more efficiently utilize curb space and reduce the number of double parked cars. DOT notified all affected Community Boards and elected officials before implementation and we will evaluate the effectiveness of the program over the next year.”
Commercial vehicle drivers are prohibited from traveling on West End, but can drive on the avenue to make drop-offs.
David Goldstick, who sent the photo above, said he was surprised by the sudden appearance of the signs, and the fact that the signs don’t indicate that they are loading zones.
“I spoke to a traffic cop on West End Ave he too was surprised to find the signs,” he wrote. “The DMV website that has a map of street signs in NYC does not show the signs on the map.”
What they are is reserved parking space for people with $50,000 SUVs who do 2 nights/week in a volunteer ambulance in return for a license plate that lets them park in No Parking zones.
Where was the advance notice that this change was coming? I do not recall reading anything on WestSideRag.com – am I correct ?
Are there any non-religious volunteer ambulance corps in the city?
Sounds like a pretty good deal for the community. You volunteer much?
I’m tired of the belly aching about $50,000 cars of any kind. I drive my Sonata back and forth to New Jersey at least 3 days a week to work at a Non-Profit group that provides free tutoring for children who otherwise can’t afford individualized school support. Our tutors are ALL VOLUNTEERS. I need to be able to park in my NY neighborhood. I can’t afford a garage. I need the car to pick supplies so that Succeed2Gether.org can feed these kids, also a need. I’m not thrilled that these spots were taken away all of a sudden and without ANY warning. Not all of us are of independent means.
Alan M
It is great to hear about your volunteer work.
All of us should be appreciative of this effort.
take the NJ Path for your volunteer job. Volunteer in New York City instead of New Jersey. I am for no parking spots, let city streets be for city services.
This is why we prefer to drive our cars around instead of being stuck in public transportation with miserable people like you. Go sweat in your filthy subway.
UWSHebrew:
One could also make the argument that use of space for “delivery” trucks is not a city service.
Actually the growth in ecommerce (or instant gratification delivery) means lots more vehicles around. The more affluent are big users of ecommerce, Amazon, Fresh Direct, etc. Plus Uber.
So in fact, “our” streets end up being used for personal consumption purposes – delivery of stuff to people, Uber etc. This is just trading one vehicle type (cars) for another (trucks, Uber).
What would be beneficial to the neighborhood – if able-bodied folks walked to a store buy diapers, toilet paper and dog food….
The private garage industry rep has spoken.
Thank you
Well, some of us have a NYC disabled parking permit who might find the restriction useful. It does not say loading zone. It’s merely a no parking during the day change, which is kind of odd. The trucks on WEA are all UPS and FedEx and USPS. And they double park anyway, even if there’s curb space.
Agree. Says a seriously handicapped person.
Parking lot lobby?
There are so many problems with this plan! It will bring commercial vehicles, including large trucks to clog up West End Avenue. We can hardly get by now, what with two and three lanes of school buses, white lines painted everywhere, confusing drivers, Citybikes, bike lanes, it has become a horrid mess. This does not benefit anyone, because traffic will be worse, people will not come to Manhattan to frequent shops. So far, owning vehicles is not forbidden in this City, so why torture those of us who drive because we need to or even G-d forbid, want to? There are several streets who have no parking in favor of Limousines!! I have never seen one. Off the top, there is one on 55th Street (south side) between Broadway and 8th Avenue. Never, not day not night, have I seen a limousine there. Also, on RSD Boulevard near 64th St, I think. Not one limousine. While people who have cars are forced off the roads, can’t park. But the wealthy? No problem. They can pay the 1000
a month, if they can find a garage. I feel so helpless with these horrid changes. Thank you.
Just noticed the big tractor trailer trucks parked on WEA between 103 and 102 yesterday. They are a huge safety hazard for pedestrians. They not only obscure on-coming traffic But also make it hard to see turning vehicles. Also, they leave their engines idling contributing to air and noise pollution. Our City Council reps and Community Board need to reverse this DMV move immediately.
If you see a commercial truck idling, then report it and get a reward!
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dep/environment/idling-citizens-air-complaint-program.page
SO only rich people along West End Ave use Uber/Lyft? And is there really that much commercial double parking on West End Ave (the only street in that area with almost no mercantilism)? If they were truly trying to solve that issue in the neighborhood we’d see these signs pop up along Broadway.
Glad to see this. We need to make more parking spots into loading zones citywide. If you have the gall to complain about losing “free parking,” you can afford to pay for it.
How is this going to help traffic on West End Avenue southbound in the right lane? his is the lane that goes directly to the West Side Highway. I live on West End Avenue, southwest corner at 96th Street. I cannot pick up a cab between 96th and 97th on West End because cabs are not allowed to stop there. Cars go whizzing by to the highway exhibiting unbelievable road rage. I read somewhere, I believe it might have been Councilmember Rosenthal’s office, that this corner was the most dangerous in the council district.
Remember the accident NINE DAYS AGO at 98th & WEA where one pedestrian was killed and another gravely injured?
ridiculous idea how about the side streets instead. They have taken away so many parking spots for no reason on corners for construction that is no longer happening that it is awful
Good. More loading zones and areas for cabs and access a ride vehicles. You want a car, go live in the burbs. I’m for eliminating all parking spots.
Anyone know of a parking garage between 79 and 89 that charges less than $800/month for monthly parking? With this change in the parking rules, I bet the answer is a big fat no but please if this exists, do tell.
My husband and I learned this news the hard way, with a parking ticket! And the new sign was blocked by the building’s awning… on West End Avenue and 89th Street!
Why, Why
This was tried above 96th street and on other sections a number of years ago. They took out two spots every two blocks with the idea that UPS etc would park there to make their deliveries on the nearby blocks. It was a miserable failure and was scrapped after a short time. They were not used much at all. Delivery and/or workman’s vehicles continued to double park. Before you blame the 24 & 20 about enforcement they ticketed like crazy and the companies just considered it the cost of doing biz.
This is a DOT feel good move, I guess they and our local self appointed community leaders seem to think we all have short memories
They’ve added an additional travel lane for cars. They’re making West End Avenue a boulevard and are doing this to speed the flow of traffic.
Great use of the space! Turn free parking for a few people into loading zones for the trucks we all benefit from, and reduced traffic for all.
The city really really really needs to implement resident parking in the UWS. They just keep cutting spaces with nothing to help offset the cuts.
Yes, that’s really the issue. But all my council member tweets about is Trump. He should be tweeting about how he’s moving the permit bill forward.
This is a great start! Double parking is absolutely absurd in this neighborhood, this needs to be done on all the major two way cross streets (86th, 96th, etc..)
One of the problems the vaunted re-design of WEA was supposed to solve was deliveries and drop offs because there was now the wide zebra stripe center that would allow cars to easily go around.
What this makes lear is that CB7 and the DOT lie about every proposal they make. There is always an alternative motive. It is time to organize and stop them.
I agree it’s time to organize and stop
them. They do not “know better.” In fact, they are somewhat delusional at this point, certainly mindless, and clearly unaware of consequences, such as exhausted drivers circling blocks competing for fewer and fewer parking spaces, likely leading to serious accidents with pedestrians and bicyclists.
My solution is to vote Republican in all local elections. Nationally, they are hateful. But if enough
of us make it known that we will vote this way locally, tge know all Democrats who are behind the loss of parking spaces to further their careers will get the message.
I see no other effective legal response.
Because of the change to the lanes on West End Avenue, driving and parking on West End Avenue has become more of a problem. The more DOT tries to remedy what they see as issues, the more it becomes messed up for the neighborhood.
Personally I think the lane changes to West End Ave have been great. Traffic now flows smoothly the entire length of the avenue, nobody gets stuck behind left-turners, and there is room to get around taxis picking up and dropping off. Very civilized.
UPS and most delivery service drivers will continue to park where they want because they’re not personally responsible for the tickets and their bosses accept them as the price of doing business. They’ll still double park at the spot most convenient for them.
FINALLY! GREAT NEWSS INDEED! The amount of times I’ve almost been hit trying to see on-coming traffic because of a double parked UPS or delivery van is too many to count (and those with strollers doing the same thing which is dangerous for the child).
Do you really think that there will be no double parked trucks? You must not be a real New York, SMH. Trucks don’t want to be blocked when delivering that is why most of the time they double park. If they park another truck will park next to them and now they may have to wait until the driver get back into his/her truck to move out of the way.
It makes sense to reserve a spot or two for delivery vehicles…but an entire city block? Who makes these decisions? Was there community input or discussion?
So now we have the city giving preferential with everyone’s space to commercial vehicles. Yet again, the average car owner loses out yet pays for the use of streets with their gas and income taxes.
So glad that Fresh Direct now has some more free distribution centers
Here is an idea (I think someone else stated this before me) – there are a ton of empty storefronts on the UWS. Make UPS, FedEx, etc. use this as local distribution centers and have their delivery people deliver from these stores rather than do door-to-door deliveries. Admittedly, this could be hard for larger packages, but it would reduce the number of delivery trucks idling in front of residential buildings and would make use of some of those storefronts.
Tired of losing parking spots to bicycles and nutty DOT
plans? Attend your next community board meeting. They won’t listen or care.
Vote Republican in local elections.
Painful, but necessary.
This move is part of the city’s plan to reduce the amount of cars kept in the city and to reduce the amount of cars driving into the city.
Parking rules have changed all of the city, driving lanes are being reduced, on fact one one of CPW has become a bike lanes eliminating parking completely. So get used to it
Another reason that I no longer frequent the shops, restaurants and culutural institutions of the upper west side. This lunatic city administration is discouraging us outerborough residents from patronizing these establishments. In fact with the increased real estate taxes, high cost of living, and detreriorating quality of life the lunatic administration is encouraging us to abandon this once great city.
So then how did people from the outer boroughs get in to the city in the 1950s for instance before cars were so prevalent? When we did go in which was rare we took the LIRR. When we got a car we went East further out on LI. The Bronx had the subways.
“Getting into the City” and getting into the UWS are not interchangeable concepts.
Plenty of outer borough and suburban people woh drive to the UWS take transit when going to midtown and downtown destinations.
With good reason.
Ever heard of the subway or LIRR Mister Outerborough?
Climate change is happening all over the world.
Migrants are kept in cages at our southern border.
Laws are not enforced uniformly across the county.
“So get used to it.”
I am hoping you will see how arrogant and dismissive your remark “Get used to it” is in the context of any serious discussion. We are having a reasoned debate as to whether these changes in parking rules are of any real benefit to the individuals who live around here and who own cars and can’t afford private garages.
For your information, I’m a retired public high school
teacher who has a special needs child who lives in a group home about 70 miles away. I use my car to visit him on the weekends. I NEVER drive the car south of the UWS. I park it on the street, that’s it. I doubt very many, if any, of the people who live and park up
here ever drive downtown.
All the best, and thanks for listening.
Steve
Steve, your comment hits home for me.
No UWSider in her right mind ever drives south except perhaps to the Lincoln tunnel.
CB7 is operating in an alternate universe. Always changing things with no idea of the damage they do and the inconveniences they cause.
Wondering if anyone has info about Amsterdam Avenue south of 69th Street…..?
Less than 2 weeks ago, with no visible notice or explanation, Amsterdam Avenue south of 69th Street was “redone” – narrowing lanes and adding a bike lane on the west side of the street, another fairly wide lane with no clear purpose, and a parking lane.
What’s up here? And with no notice, no explanation, lack of signage and overall confusion about lanes and functions?
our leaders need to get rid of all parking in all boroughs and install seating so we can sit and look at our phones
😆
The elimination of parking spaces on WEA along with the new bike lane on CPW is an ongoing destructive effort by city leaders. Polly Trottenberg plays with the lives of all residents while other city agencies are shutting down restaurants and other local establishments. With new empty spaces we are finding many more street dwellers who are not being serviced by the city. I believe DeBlasio intentionally is planning the destruction of the UWS.
Their is absolutely no reality here. Have you people just landed from Mars. Have you ever seen a cab or car service or a delivery truck not stop right in front of a pick up or delivery even when there is a curb space just steps away. Do you think a ups driver will stop in the middle of a block to deliver a package at the end of the block. Look at the situation now. Tons of space at the curb and the delivery trucks are all double parked.
This is just another way of reducing parking spaces, because people with cars have absolutely no rights in this city. We are second citizens. I am surprised that the local community board does not line us up and shoot us all down to eliminate all car ownership on the upper west side.
I am really tired of hearing about the $50,000 SUV’S. I drive an 11 year old Mercury with close to 100,000 miles on it.
I use it 5 days a week for work. Their is no way I can afford the cost of a garage in the neighborhood.
This all reminds me of the way people thought in the Soviet Union “ my neighbor has a cow, I don’t want a cow but take his cow away so we are all equal!
By the way how is the weather on Mars?
Free parking is not a human right.
If city parking spaces were overtaken by a city park – I understand. In this case the community argues which one is more useful to them.
In this case private companies ( which I use and love btw) use city property. As much as I love them, it will be the same as giving some shops that some of us love the use of the public space or building a golf course in Central Park.
And I’m not a big proponent of public parking spaces and don’t don’t own a car.
Ubers and Lyft do not have the courtesy to pull over to the curb when picking up or dropping off passenger. This causes more traffic problems than imaginable, and they probably won’t pull over now even with newly designated spaces. They should be fined for this “violations!”
Where are the cars that were parked on WEA now going to go ? North of 96 and south of 79, bringing even more difficulty in finding a legal spot and increasing congestion on those areas. This hurts everyone who has a car on the UWS and can’t afford a garage. Many of us need our cars to get to work outside of NYC. What do we do now, with no place to park and no money to pay for a garage ?
What truck loading? By rule there’s no commercial business there. Utter nonsense.
Oh for gods sake, these comments. Does the whole city need to be your free personal parking lot? Are those of us who don’t use cars entitled to any space anywhere? There are millions of cars in this city, taking space from everyone else and making the city incredibly dangerous for kids and disabled people and anyone who wants to walk around and not get hit by a speeding car — and miraculously, every single one seems to be owned by a not-rich person who can afford a car but definitely not a parking space and uses that car to save kittens in his spare time. The person with the audacity to complain about parking space being removed from corners — you do know that reduces pedestrian injury and death right? You just don’t really care because it moderately inconveniences you?