By Gus Saltonstall
New York City’s first microhub for delivery trucks launched Tuesday on the Upper West Side.
The hub, located on Amsterdam Avenue between West 85th and 86th streets, provides dedicated space along the curb where delivery trucks can unload cargo and transfer it to smaller and more sustainable methods of delivery, which includes cargo bikes and handcarts, for the final leg of its journey.
The microhub zone is somewhere between 80 and 100 feet in length and includes a safety barrier on the road side.
Here’s what it looks like.
And here is an example of the cargo bikes set to be used to move goods from the microhub to their final destination.
The microhub at West 85th Street and Amsterdam unveiled on Tuesday, in celebration of Earth Day, is the first of three that will be created on the Upper West Side as part of the Smart Curbs program that stretches from West 72nd to 86th streets. The other two locations will be at Amsterdam Avenue and West 73rd Street and Broadway and West 77th Street. There is not a specific timeline for when these two other UWS microhubs will open.
The New York City Department of Transportation plans to eventually designate 36 microhub locations across the five boroughs during the pilot program. Each location will have an official private sector partner for the space. The private partner for the West 85th Street and Amsterdam Avenue microhub is Net Zero Logistics.
In attendance for the Tuesday ribbon cuttings were DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, Rep. Jerry Nadler, City Councilmember Gale Brewer, and members of the Upper West Side Community Board 7.
“Every day, thousands of delivery trucks clog our streets from Midtown to Upper West Side, creating gridlock, pollution, and safety hazards delivering packages and small goods ordered online,” Nadler said at the opening. “Microhubs offer a better way forward.”
According to the city’s DOT, one in five New Yorkers now receives packages four or more days each week, and 90 percent of those goods are delivered by trucks.
Speakers emphasized the goal of the loading zones as a way to limit the congestion caused by double-parked trucks throughout the neighborhood. Some did express worry, though, that the dedicated delivery zones would encourage people to order even more goods online.
“It incentivizes people not to go to their stores,” Upper West Side resident Alina Rodriguez-Arenal told West Side Rag as she passed by the news conference on Tuesday. “To me, there’s less friction for ordering and it incentivizes people not to go out. This new curb space is for people who can afford to order delivery.”
Brewer spoke in support of the new Upper West Side microhubs. “It’s so very exciting to have the first microhub in our district,” she said, while also urging people to continue shopping in-person at local stores.
You can read more about the microhubs — HERE.
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How is this different from some spots that have been designated truck only during business hours. For example, I think there is one at the SW corner of WEA just below 85th Street?
I’m still trying to digest this concept. No matter how much people complain, the new dependence on deliveries is not going away, so we might as well make the best of it. But is this the best way to do it? And are these pretty busy locations the best place to do it? Not clear.
Walked past one of these the other day and absolutely loved it. What we really need to be able to do though is convert some of these beige painted sections of road into actual raised and protected parts of the sidewalk. It is still ridiculous that sidewalk extensions on 79th St and Riverside are painted. They used to have plastic barrier poles but they disappeared after being hit by too many cars.
These companies have a lot of money. There is plenty of vacant retail space you could use as a microhub, there is plenty of vacant retail space to use as e-commerce storage space. The weed shops were really the ones holding up the commercial real estate market on the UWS.
But then people would complain about the deliveries taking over the sidewalk space, wouldn’t they?
That group of clowns is everything wrong with NYC
Didn’t you say the same thing when a different group showed up to cut the ribbon on bike lanes?
We see you.
Sounds like this is more support for corporate e-commerce?
Yes?
The City has helped restaurant (notably with street dining during Covid and then made permanent.)
Now the City is helping e-commerce companies.
Yet no help for local retail and small businesses?
Especially as local retail faces challenges with high rent, e-commerce, theft….
I’m thinking that most of the restaurants on the UWS count as small businesses, no?
Wow.
Among other things, seems really unfair to put this in front of a longtime local retail shop the Down and Quilt Shop.
DOT could have put in front of a restaurant?
Like in front of Jacobs Pickles….
That was my very first thought! They’re a wonderful small independent shop and they managed to stay afloat through Covid. Why do this on such a peaceful block?!
Just let them do this in front of fire hydrants provided they move if there’s a fire.
That’s an inane idea. Please don’t try again. Someone might actually die from this sort of “creativity.”
It’s actually legal to stand in front of a hydrant between sunrise and sunset provided a driver remains in the vehicle to move it in case of emergency. I’d personally rather take that risk than risk my kid not being seen by a driver because a truck is double parked blocking view of a crosswalk
That’s some impossible hypothetical. An Amazon driver won’t just be sitting there. They’re more likely to be deep in a building a block away delivering packages, not hearing anything about the impending disaster until it’s too late.
As for double-parking – that’s precisely the point of this new endeavor.
A lot of these trucks are for Amazon Prime. Now let’s work to get Amazon and Bezos to pay their fair share of taxes and provide benefits for these employees delivering all of those packages.
In many cases these trucks are parked in front of, or near, bricks and mortar businesses that compete with Amazon. These businesses have to pay taxes and insurance and rent and even benefits that Amazon does not. Never mind double parking in the street and blocking traffic and pedestrian vision.
Why has this been normalized?
Support you local businesses people. You live in Manhattan and most everything is within walking distance for those who are able to.
Would also be good of Amazon delivery guys weren’t sparking up while on the job.
why? how does that effect you?
Stoners are more likely to cluelessly block the sidewalk, so akin to many stroller pushers.
And then, stoners are less likely to deliver packages undamaged and sans error.
Do you see UPS delivery guys sparking up? Oh, right, some are driving, and that would be illegal, Except, I’ve noted plenty of drivers in general (not UPS) sparking up.
I don’t care if the Amazon sidewalk blockers spark up on their own time, but what world are you living in?
Think the NYPD will enforce whatever rules apply to these special spaces? Don’t bet on it.
Let’s see how long it takes for junkies who steal packages use those bikes to steal even more packages. Now they can steal 5-10 packages at a time and just ride the bike until they sell your package. SMH. So many other things they could put money into.
I work on the UES and someone stole a cart of Amazon packages, ripped them open and left them at the bus stop, and then took off on the bus. Those bikes will definitely become the new preferred mode of escape. ; )
How embarrassing to have your package stolen and then deemed not good enough for a thief
There’s no mention as to whether delivery trucks will be required to use these spaces. Don’t see how 3 little parking spots will make any difference. Just look at FreshDirect, they park their trucks all day long with their engines idling to do their deliveries.
Horrible idea and horrible spot for it.
Wow – painted roadway. Amazing innovation.
I’m sure none of those bike carts will be darting through traffic going in the wrong direction and through red lights. And none will end up on the sidewalk.
What goes on in front of Fairway all day every day is ridiculous. Can’t believe the City allow that chaos to go unabated. Double and triple parked cars because Fairway has taken over the curb lane.
Major delivery corporations get another bump from the government while local shops struggle. Sidewalks aren’t crowed enough and now deliver trikes will take up more spaces. Soon these hubs will need utility services and no doubt the City will provide.
Politicians love to cut ribbons.
Yet another fine waste of effort and resources from our “representatives”
This will not solve any congestion issues at all. It will just add to the cluster f**k we already have on all the major UW streets. You think that Brewer and Nadler will be bragging about this in their newsletters?
I really don’t understand a) why trucks don’t use the DEDICATED truck delivery parking that’s all along these streets as well as Columbus for several hours each morning, and b) how this is any different than those spots? We clearly need a solution, but as with most things it seems to hinge on NYPD doing their job which they just refuse to do for some reason. Clear out and ticket people parking in loading zones, clear out and ticket trucks parking in lanes of traffic instead of those loading zones. AT least in the morning when traffic is the worst! We still need a solution for delivery services later in the day, which ig is the logic behind these microhubs, but that’s at least covering the worst of it all.
Ticketing is not effective; towing is.
Not sure how this would “incentivize people” to buy more on line. When I order something from Amazon, the fact that there’s a micro-hub is not making it any easier or harder from my perspective. And most people will have no idea how the delivery is made.
I think this is a good idea if it clears up otherwise clogged space. Though my immediate reaction was to worry about the Down & Quilt Shop. Just want to put in a plug for them: they’re a great shop, good quality products, lovely proprietors, great service.
The companies should be paying for this space or rent out building space. Why is the city supporting these billion dollar companies?
Companies should be paying for these spaces just like all the people that store their cars along the street pay?
If you want more space, stop buying HUGE designer dogs. They occupy so much sidewalk space. You’d think people would be mature enough to talk to people instead of dogs! Leave the dogs for old people who have nobody to speak to. The rest of you/us, talk to humans who need human contact.
What about the ice cream trucks, idling their engines all day, taking up so much space, peddling sugar and food dye to kids. Like there aren’t STORES in NYC where people can buy ice cream, if necessary, and most likely HEALTHIER!
Now let’s add a few sidewalk sheds, a few vendors without permits, some scooters and the 2025 NYC street scape will be good to go.
Great. Now even more cargo bikes riding the wrong way in bike lanes, passing red light and endangering pedestrians. More opportunities for the police to ignore their duty to enforce the traffic laws govrening bicycles
Who figured out this bad idea???? It’s impossible enough to cross Amsterdam with the bike lane–no license required, no insurance, no problem going in wrong direction–and if you get hit by one of those guys ,you’re DEAD!!! So now you have trucks parked taking up space, with more bike traffic.
Sounds like another Hochul blunder.
These are horrific eyesores? Who thought it would be a good idea to make a truck parking with dozens and dozens of men loitering around?
Nothing to do with safety – this is just a very poor use of prime real estate.
These should be put along the Hudson river and the east river where there is TONS of empty space unused – Instead, they put it right in the middle of neighborhood, shopping corridors, and where all the school children are running around?
Who actually comes up with all this stuff?
Another way to drive the remaining retail stores out of the neighborhood. These politicos will soon.bring back the numbers joints to fill.empty storefronts like the glorious reign of Ed Koch and the brave Marine David Dinkins
I get why Gale can afford to be there, but how the hell is this making it onto Nadlers schedule? Is he truly this impotent that ribbon cuttings for a subsidized parking spot makes the cut? Time for new representatives more focused on improving affordability for young people.
I saw an Amazon bike-driven cart delivering locally on Columbus in the West 80’s yesterday and was wondering if this had finally happened. Congratulations! And then I noticed that the Fresh Direct trucks are not hogging Sherman Square today. I hope that is because of the microhubs and that it is permanent! Please may it be so–and thank you to all our political leaders for seeing this through!