Can someone explain how 300 or 500 or 1000 (or more) of these tiny things clogging the traffic is better than 30 trucks?
1
The root cause is rampant consumerism and not shopping locally and being physically lazy.
3
Crazy that we can't have (a) more curbside commercial loading areas and (b) more protected bike lanes and bicycle / pedestrian infrastructure at the same time.
Why we have so much free private vehicle storage on the most valuable urban land in the world (AKA status quo street parking) blows my mind.
1
Interesting piece, but it is remarkable that there is nothing in the story that describes how the cargo bikes operate. Are they powered solely by pedaling, or do they have electric motors as well? What is their maximum speed? How wide are they? These questions are all relevant to deciding where they can safely be operated and particularly they should be using bike lanes and sidewalks.
2
Yet another indication that for New York income-based stratification has taken society back into the 19th century. Imagine the scornful looks that some East Side princess will give one of these wallahs if she's held up in her imperial progress, as if he or she were lower than dirt. Another brick in the classist wall and nothing to celebrate.
2
Even in my hilly, cold town cargo bikes are making an impact. These bikes are evolving into something that can be used for much more than hauling cargo, including riding "school buses."
In Copenhagen, rush hour is quiet and orderly, with most commuters using various forms of bikes, including cargo bikes with 2 or 3 kids in a large seating area in front or in back going to school, or bringing their work necessities. These bikes work, and many thousands of people use bikes every work day of the year.
The United States is behind northern Europe, but in the age of climate change it is time to catch up.
5
Thank you for bringing attention to this issue. How about setting up a system to reduce / eliminate all of the packaging and boxes that are used. Could a system like the one you see at Walgreens or CVS be developed by fed ex, UPS and USPS? Use a standard 3 or 4 sizes of reusable plastic crates to deliver goods in. The crate could also be locked (maybe by chip that only opens with a smartphone or combo that the seller providers the buyer). After the goods are received the crate goes back to the provider. The trucks that deliver now go back empty. Each of the major companies could have a different color so return is easy. This hard plastic container (made from recycled plastic) would reduce damages, be reusable, prevent theft because it locks, and due to the standard sizes it should stack well and create some efficiencies when Lodi g trucks and bikes. How about floating that idea to the big 3 delivery companies. Maybe pilot it is some cities or zip codes to start. We must do something! We can no longer ignore the wasteful packaging associated with our new way of consuming goods.
4
How about people shop locally. Buy from your community and buy less
4
Almost since the introduction of the automobile, New York has been trying to figure out how to get around traffic jams.
For a few years during the 1920s there were even attempts to use motorcycles as ambulances with the stretchers strapped to the side car.
1
We’ve had them for years in Denmark. Glad the US is catching up with the rest of the world.
5
That's going to cut into the City's fines revenue. Now, a team of parking violations employees walk up and down midtown slapping $125 tickets on FedEX, UPS, etc., that add up to an annual take of over $500 million. They all pass these costs on to their delivery charges.
What's a mayor to do?
3
That is a very important aspect when looking at the carbon footprint and greener methods of logistics for the inner city. This is expected by Amazon and other blue chip corps to rapidly be effective with its localized offering. It is interesting, as we monitor green initiatives and circular economy is what smaller groups like Haultail On Demand is doing in the gig-economy and making an impact inline to this. Their site shows “matching loads” to the “best form of transportation” based on vicinity. More interesting is the privatized element of shipping based on the last mile, combined with the offering of junk / debris removal. So they ship in direction of getting goods to individuals with live tracking and then also pick up items. Are cities now getting smarter? Or just the apps and technologists driving them? Funniest thing I found when further exploring them, they even offer a Yak??? To deliver items? I wrote to learn more of what that meant, and its based on what is best to the area its servicing. Guess we will not be seeing any Yaks of haultail roaming the Avenues of the Stars, nor anywhere else from 60th Street to the Battery. So for that area on foot, scooter deliveries, electric cargo mopeds and pedal cargo bikes. Best said if you have all those things together, then ultimately the cause and effect should be easy to see and environmentally more conscious.
1
AI and photographic scanning technologies have advanced to the point where all municipalities should implement automated ticketing for all illegal parking. If I can get a ticket for driving to fast, a completely automated process, then there could be a system for parking. In NYC, one example, there should also be vastly more curbside space dedicated to the commercial sector. Far, far too much for private use automobiles (if we can even call these giant SUVs automobiles.
38
I am 77 and consider my electric bike a wheel chair. I should be allowed on side walks.
1
I think this could work for delivering small packages, especially in crowded cities like SF and NYC. They probably would still need trucks for larger, heavier packages. But if each delivery company can remove some of their trucks from the road and use some cargo bikes instead, that's a great idea.
I am a little hesitant about allowing cargo bikes to park on sidewalks because it can block pedestrians, particularly those with limited mobility. Maybe use them on the wide sidewalks like Embarcadero and Market in SF...
4
With all the talk about delivery methods, how about delivering safer city surfaces FOR PEDESTRIANS?? There are waaaay more pedestrians than trucks or cars or bikes or electric bikes in the city. Yet, each of these new delivery/transport schemes puts pedestrians in peril. Sidewalks should be safe for WALKING, not having to weave around new obstacles (Fresh Direct, for example, already sets up distribution “areas” on sidewalks on the Upper East Side without impunity), dodge bikers, electric scooters, nonelectric ones, (especially the 3-6 year old set). Not a day goes by that I am not politely ask an electric bike, electric scooter rider or pedal biker to please ride in the street. (I won’t go into the colorful assortment of comments that elicits!?) it is exhausting to navigate a walk around the block! Pedestrians should be front and center in NYC as an integral part of plans trying to solve the traffic situation. And for goodness sake, please, at the very least, leave us the sidewalks!!
11
If they are electric-powered, they do not belong in bike lanes and should be subject to all the same rules as a car. I am fine with foot-powered cargo bikes, but these things go 20mph or faster and seem to not fall under any regulatory category. On that same note, I would not be surprised if the companies up the speed on the DL to 25 or even 30.
A pedestrian might be killed if a cyclist hits him/her. But these things will certainly kill somebody on impact.
7
@Nate
Pretty sure these are manually pedaled and not electric. I think midtown Manhattan and lower is pretty flat. SF has a lot of steep hills, which could require electric assist.
1
Adding more and different vehicles to NYC’s already jammed streets, bike lanes, sidewalks and parking spots is a good idea only if trucks and cars are reduced in numbers.
And in all those other cities around the world, what are the accident/injury/death rates of the drivers of cargo bikes? The UPS driver in the photo accompanying the article is wearing a helmet, but the vehicle lacks a seat belt and air bag, so the driver is highly vulnerable. (The drivers shown in Berlin are not even wearing helmets.)
And will Amazon/UPS be hiring these drivers as employees? I don’t think so—they’ll likely be retained as independent contractors, and thus responsible for providing their own health, personal and liability insurance as with other gig workers.
What could go wrong?
24
@Mon Ray While I'm sure that your concerns for the safety of bicyclists is fully sincere ;-), you are correct in that these should come with a reduction in the number of trucks - not in addition to. I would think that the rationale is that these will not only take up less space, be less polluting, and be more convenient - but that they will reduce costs and thus discourage delivery companies from keeping so many trucks on city streets. Let's encourage positive innovation and drop the fake sympathizing?
23
@Mon Ray
UPS is a union company, so I would bet the drivers would get the same as truck drivers.
10
@Mon Ray
I like pictures of Hong Kong and Bejing streets filled with bicycles. I live in the I-5 corridor from Seattle through Joint Base Lewis McCord (JBLM). The freeway is a parking lot. There are horrendous accidents every day--overturned, burning semis which cars pile into, multiple car pile-ups and more. The freeway is a "Nightmare on Elm Street". Yes, we have lots of rain here, but our air quality, fuel consumption, health, congestion, noise, and mental health would all improve if we would switch to electric vehicles.
7
As a regular bicycle rider/commuter in NYC, I have found the growing fleet of electric cargo bikes to be menacing. These "tractor trailer" electric bikes zoom along bike lanes at over 20 mph, far faster than most pedaling cyclists (and faster than vehicle traffic). At the least, they are intimidating to other cyclists (and pedestrians) - at worst, these overladen, overpowered cargo bikes are an accident waiting to happen.
37
You mean... like delivery trucks?
10
@Brian Van yes, but delivery trucks don't (or rather are not supposed to) operate in bike lanes.
I would be scared, too, if I were unwise enough to ride a bike on NYC streets in the first place.
3
@Marc Trucks. Trucks are the thing you should be worried about. Trucks are the things that regularly kill and maim cyclists and pedestrians. This is literally an effort to have less trucks on the road. You are literally arguing to make streets more dangerous.
13
OK. So just his morning on the UWS when walking the dog for 15 minutes three adult men on motorized delivery bikes (about 300 pounds total- those things are heavy) thought it was OK it share the sidewalk with pedestrians near a public school on West End Avenue (which has way less traffic than most city avenues and should not be dangerous on, what is essentially, a motorcycle). Not to mention the two guys going the wrong way in the bike lane on Amsterdam through a red light that I had to dodge. I have never, and mean never, seen a cop of traffic agent give out a ticket to one of these guys who were not involved in an injury-causing accident. In fact, I witnessed a few months ago a motorized delivery man knock over and injury an elderly woman on 69th St within feet of two traffic agents who didn't even call 911, bystanders did. So, I predict, workers hard pressed for time will, at best, muck things up even more for pedestrians, at worst will cause injuries. Regardless, it will not be an improvement.
25
@steven Wow. With behavior like that, there must be dozens of dead pedestrians from delivery drivers. What's that you say? Not dozens? Well a handful at least right. No? Not a handful? Not even one? Wow.
It's almost like the cars and trucks that you are seemingly completely oblivious to are the problem. If you were interested in making streets safer, you'd be strenuously arguing for more bikes, and less cars and trucks. You'd be over the moon that there's potentially a reduction in cargo trucks with more cargo bikes. But no, you're spending your time saying that bikes are the problem.
5
@Mike Is that how argue? Say someone said something they absolutely didn't say and then negate it? I never said bikes were the problem, I implied by example that commercial delivery people on motorized bikes who ride on the sidewalk and go the wrong way in bike lanes are a problem. You don't see many cars and motorcycles riding on sidewalks and going the wrong way on one way streets because you go to jail if you do that hit someone, but I see no enforcement effort for similar behavior for motorized bikes. Period. And BTW, I don't know if the old lady who got her planted face in the sidewalk lived, but she sure wasn't happy about being knocked down. Someone that age could easily die from a hard fall. Show some compassion.
9
Sound great at first, but there are details to consider. Will these bikes park in bike lanes (much as Amazon's trucks have tended to do) or otherwise create a hazard for bikes? Will their operators ride against traffic in bike lanes (much as so many food delivery people have tended to do), creating a particularly large hazard to bikes because of their extra their width? How fast will these bikes go and will their speed (slow or fast) create conflicts with regular bikes in the bike lanes? Will the riders reliably observe red lights and stop signs?
5
Fine, but these things need to be licensed and insured. There needs to be some sense of responsibility.
2
My wife and I live in Park Slope in Brooklyn. We are retired and are carless. We depend on local car services, Uber, yellow cabs, Zip Car, and to a lesser degree because of the need to use stairs, the subways and buses, for getting around the city and the local area. When we walk anywhere in the city all we see are streets filled with parked cars. Parked cars are everywhere, everywhere, and every street pretty much all the time has one or more double-parked cars. We have reached a saturation point with all the private cars taking up all the public space.
I propose that New York City begin levying fees for any private car that wants (or to a lesser degree needs) to use city space to park a private vehicle of any kind, including motorcycles. The fee should be substantial enough that when a resident of NYC starts thinking about buying a car they will need to factor in the cost of parking. The fees could be zoned so that parking anywhere in, say, midtown Manhattan would require the most expensive fee.
Why should the city give all that free space away?
15
@Brookboy Okay, so just to say... I am soon to be retired, I live in Hell's Kitchen and work on the other side of the Hudson in a town with no mass transit. My retired husband and I take the trains all the time when we are in the city. I also pay to garage my car, so I am not among all those cars parked on the road. However, I do not see it at giving space away for free, to be able to park on the street. As I see it we are paying city taxes. Those taxes should allow us to, among other things, park on the street a couple times a year for free or with a meter, not be charged congestion pricing... hey we are already paying for infrastructure care and maintenance, why should I be taxed multiple times. Perhaps the city should start to charge the cyclists to use the spaces they chain there bicycles... a new source of revenue.
4
@I'm With Apple ! Yes but everyone pays taxes, whether they use the public street for private car storage or not.
The street need to be available for all users, not completely saturated by one type of user that bullies the rest off of it.
9
@Zach Do you live in nyc or orlando? I live in the city, my sister, two of her married children and my parents live in Orlando. I'm not talking about Disney parking or the hundreds of empty streets, or even the ample parking lots surrounding the all the markets. They pay taxes and still have free parking.Yes the downtown area has a bit of a challenge, but it "ain't" NY.
Brookboy was talking about the city levying a special yearly tax, a permit of sorts to park in the streets. I already pay taxes, and I garage my car for a monthly fee. So I should pay a hefty "extra tax" in the for of a permit to park on the streets 2 or 3 times a year... that concept is absurd.
You seem to be talking about use of the street aka roadways. I get you on that and the city needs to work that one out and Corey Johnson,Speaker of the New York City Council, is certainly connected and concerned. However, atm cars, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles are all able to avail themselves of free parking, so therefore available to all types of users, but I must say I have never seen a bicycle parked in the street, they chain themselves to posts and fences etc.. and block the sidewalk. Seems to me they are the bullies.
I think you are confusing the issues.
1
To get perspective on just how bad the situation is in NYC, USPS parks on the sidewalk in addition to double parking their box trucks. This is in a primarily residential neighborhood of Brooklyn. This is a high pedestrian traffic area. There is little recourse on the local community level because they’re a federal agency. Everyone needs mail but these problems do need serious consideration. NYC is the 10th most polluted city in the US.
1
@South Of Albany: "NYC is the 10th most polluted city in the US." Please provide a citation or link to back up that claim.
@South Of Albany
Contact Cory Johnson. He the one pushing for a bike culture while minimizing the risks.
Yet another way for pedestrians to get mowed down so NYers can get more cheap stuff from China.
14
@Chas Miller Check the stats on how many NYC pedestrians are killed by bikers every year (typically zero or one) vs. how many are killed by motor vehicles (typically >150).
2
@Chas Miller Are you talking about trucks? The thing that actually kills New Yorkers? The thing that this program will reduce?
1
I’ve suggested before that centralized drop-off and pick up locations should be instituted in crowded areas of the city. It would reduce pollution, reduce congestion, create a market for commercial space, and eliminate the “stolen package” problem. If you absolutely have to have something delivered directly to you, then there should be a “surcharge” that goes to the city coffers that helps offset some of the traffic control problems.
6
Maybe the city will also do something about the proliferating fleets of Suburbans, Escalades, and other huge SUV black cars. They should at least be charged a license surcharge based on the greater amount of space they take up and their far greater emissions.
20
@David Bruce Not to mention the far greater risk of injury or death SUVs pose to all other road users.
SUV drivers think they are "safer," at the expense of everyone else's safety.
4
I clearly remember during the 1970s when the parking mess on the streets of Manhattan were done by Russian politicians parking illegally and were never towed but they received tickets they never paid.
Now it is a new breed including Amazon that NYC has to deal with. Maybe cargo bikes will offer some relief for this delivery and parking mess.
1
How soon can we expect the next logical step? Direct delivery from food supplier to mouth for a populace that never has to leave home for anything at all.
1
When will NYC make throttle assist bikes legal? This article makes no mention of the thousands (mostly immigrants) delivering food for apps like seamless and for restaurants and doing it with throttle assist bikes, which are less expensive than pedal assist bikes.
3
Ban private vehicles from the city, problem solved. There is no reason a huge SUV from jersey should be taking up space on a NYC street. Either take public transit or stay in jersey.
6
@Paulie "ban private cars" some of us live in the city, Hell's Kitchen to be exact, and work on the other side of the Hudson at places mass transit does not exist. So are you now saying you or the city has the right to dictate where I may live and where I may work? Problem is not solved btw
1
Yeah and those NYC garbage trucks and buses should stop driving through NJ...
Hope they obey stop signs and traffic lights better than the bikers do.
11
@Montgomery Maxton I wish I could recommend this many times, bikers disregard for lights and one way streets is a pet peeve of mine.
5
More of what we need. Use proven inexpensive solutions implemented widely. Too many people waiting for the government to act while they ignore solutions they could undertake themselves. Ride a bike or walk. Turn the AC off, dry your clothing on a line. So many things we all can do to help our planet and make our cities more livable.
3
These are brilliant. Nothing new to the planet; however it is new to New York City (Manhattan). Working in lower Manhattan for well over 25 years, I rode my bicycle to my office approximately half that time. I also lived in the city approximately one half the time, as well. This became a challenge for me once I moved to Flushing (and Bay Terrace), Queens. In fact, I could only ride it one way, so I would alternate: Into the city on a Monday, back home in Queens on a Wednesday, back in on a Friday, etc. *Please note: I was especially grateful to have a bicycle available on 9/11. After watching everything from the roof of my office, I rode it home. Along with the tens of thousands of people walking, riding over the Williamsburg bridge, and passing an elderly couple dressed in formal attire. The lady was sitting (out of breath). I had a couple of bottles of water, so I (of course) gave her one. The man wept. Like so many other things that day, I will never forget it. Regardless, I have digressed very much. Again, I really think these are terrific. Most people who are personally unfamiliar with Manhattan (not watching "NYPD Blue" or "Law & Order"), there are thousands of people who already ride bicycles. One of the most frustrating things is one has no way to ride a bike from Jersey City, NJ to Manhattan during rush hours (6:30 AM to 9:30 AM, and 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. During other times, only two bikes are allowed in a subway car (not the first car). So, I'm all for these bikes.
4
I am a NYC pedestrian. I have jumped out of the way of no name
speeding food delivery bicycles who obey no traffic rules. The injuries to pedestrians by bicyclists is going up. There does not seem to be any insurance requirement rules that will pay for injuries or death to a pedestrian caused by recreational or commercial bicyclists. There are NYC rules on bicycles but nothing that protects pedestrians. The article makes me question idea that cargo bikes will be allowed to park on wider sidewalks which to me means that they will be driving onto side walks. What are the penalties for injury to pedestrians by drivers of commercial cargo bikes? Other questions: Will the driver of the cargo bike be employed by Amazon? Does Amazon own the cargo bike? Does Amazon cover the insurance responsibility for the driver and bike? These are commercial vehicles and need to be inspected : brakes, steering, tires? Is the cargo bike driver commercially licensed? Does the driver obey all traffic rules? Speeding, running red lights, not yielding to pedestrians Distracted driving, DUI.
Bicycle and commercial bicycles must be required to have liability insurance like car and truck drivers .
15
@Calico Well, the problem isn't the bikes, it is that the streets where the bikes should be are full of cars and trucks. That's the problem.
4
Trucks are not the cause of pedestrians being hit when bikers fail to follow traffic rules. There are no consequences when they do. It’s become a free for all driven by our greed for cheap and quick.
6
@Robert Danley the problem IS with the bikers they have complete disrespect for the traffic lights, one way street signs, they ride on sidewalks, and take no responsibility for their actions. They should be required to take classes, pass tests, and show proficiency before being given a license. They should also be required to wear safety gear and carry insurance. Living in Hell's Kitchen I am almost run over by cyclist 3 to 4 times a week. They are reckless. In the past 4 years I have almost been run over by a taxi once. I was once waling with my 6 year old niece, holding her hand as I crossed 10th avenue... she was run over by a cyclist, who just picked up their bicycle and kept right on going, lucky her injuries were not fatal. More people I know are afraid of the cyclists than the cars, they are the real danger to pedestrians, but then they take no responsibility for their actions.
9
How about not participating on delivery culture. You live in a city - go out and use it. Go to the store. Don't succumb to the dopamine high you get from ordering online. Bikes are better than cars and trucks but there is still all that packaging.
7
You mean I need to walk 6 blocks to the store for cat litter?
Only to find out they still don’t have any? For, like, 4 months? “It didn’t come in the truck again.”
(Yes, the stores take deliveries too. Yes, those deliveries are sprawled all over the road and the sidewalk for hours sometimes. And yes, the above example happened and I now get cat litter from a new Target 1/2 mile away)
5
@Brian Van
WHAaaaaa? No cat litter? You obviously mean the specific cat litter for your specific cat. Because last time I checked, cat litter is not a hard to come by item. But it is heavy and that's the reason you're not lugging it
It just seems like a step toward the realization that cities would be more desirable, cleaner, safer and healthier to live in if there were some type of in-place transportation that shuttled goods as well as people and eliminated the need for cars/trucks/motor vehicles of any type downtown.
5
If they work in Seattle, they'll work better in NYC.
2
@Ira Gershenhorn: Why do you say that?
1
@L
I'm guessing because Manhattan is flatter than Seattle. Seattle has hills!
2
A Modest Proposal:
Limit luxury development
Heavily tax second homes/pied a terre for the wealthy
Tax ecommerce/instant gratification delivery
1
@SLM: E-commerce IS already taxed - are you unaware of that?
Anything & everything I purchase online has the full NY 8.875% tax applied to it.
2
I’m all for this but don’t think the bike lanes are where these cargo bikes should ride. The bike lanes aren’t wide enough even now to allow electric scooters, electric bikes and regular bikes. I cycle and the people on anything electric whip around me at such fast speeds that it doesn’t feel safe at all. I can’t even hear them before they’re right beside me. The city needs to widen the bike lanes or have streets where only bikes are allowed. That kind of infrastructure seems like it could take years. So for the time being, electric cargo bikes should ride in the car lanes.
3
@Em Kaye Good point. But better yet, call the electric bikes what they really are: motorcycles, and make them ride in the same lanes as other motorcycles. Preserve the "bike lanes" for non-motorized vehicles, as the law requires.
12
Given the size, the posts, parked bikes, street signs, etc. I don't see how a bike of this size could use a bike lane, so it would probably be in the street so I don't see how it would solve congestion at all. I guess it's "advantage" is it can be parked on the sidewalk to inconvenience and create a potential hazard for pedestrians.
5
My work, involving multi-use, human-powered and electric-assisted vehicles, that can carry people, including those in wheelchairs, and cargo, is what is needed, as far as I am concerned. Operators must enjoy the same protection against the elements as passengers. Giving us a glimpse of 19th century South Asian transport peonage has its charms but they are limited. Providing safe, healthful and dignified tools to be used by those who do this sometimes hazardous, often trying. difficult and under-compensated labor, is long overdue. The ordinarily poisonous and threatening streets have lowered expectations to such an extent, that we are shocked to discover that a marriage between a bike and a box can produce a happy synthesis as its offspring.
2
Happened to see two in Manhattan recently.
BTW both cargo bikes went through red lights (as most NYC cyclists do)....
8
An electric contraption the size of a small automobile that is loaded with hundreds of pounds of packages is not a "bicycle". It is a small delivery truck. With the rise of vast numbers of electric vehicles, we need to separate them from true human-powered vehicles.
An obvious concern is that this will only cause more large trucks to park in the street, often blocking bicycle lanes and forcing bicyclists into traffic.
10
@JS Keep them out of the bike lanes and sidewalks. An e-bike is an electric motorcycle - not a bicycle. Replacing delivery vans with them is a great idea, but not at the expense of ruining the bike lanes.
3
If cargo bikes park in bike lanes while making deliveries, that basically renders bike lanes unusable by other bike riders, just the same as if a car or truck were parked in the bike lane.
And are those cargo bikes & their riders showing a license plate and do they have insurance for when (not if) they hit a pedestrian? Who is legally responsible for those bikes & their riders? De Blasio hates considering these small details, which is why most of his "initiatives" are half-baked.
How about electric UPS and FedEx trucks instead?
12
They seem easy to steal. Has that been an issue in cities where they've been in use for a while?
5
90 percent of permitted bikes are registered to Amazon. Somehow this doesn't strike me as a good thing. Whether the program expands or not, this is the ratio to watch. What percentage of bikes are controlled by a single operator? My guess is you'll never see that ratio come down. Amazon owns New York bike cargo now. Just like UPS owns Dublin.
On the upside, the corporate influence puts tremendous pressure on city planners to develop bike infrastructure. Presumably at the expense of drivers. However, on the downside, you're inviting Amazon to monopolize a critical portion of New York infrastructure. You chased out their headquarters but you'll allow them to dominate urban delivery? New York, I'm slightly confused.
3
Yea for cargo bikes. This is a step in the right direction--they are electric bikes. This is a wonderful innovation because it will cut carbon pollution and noise pollution.
23
@Svendska8 Just like a Tesla is a car - and not an e-car - a two wheeled conveyance with an electric motor is an electric motorcycle. They don't belong in bike lanes or places reserved for NON-motorized traffic. I am all for delivery bikes, but motorized ones moving fast with heavy loads aren't compatible with human powered bikes.
10
@Svendska8
But how about those screams and shrieks from all those maimed pedestrians?
As a long-time taxi driver in NYC who is accustomed to disapproving of anything the DOT proposes, I must say this looks like a great idea. Just make sure these cargo bikes have lights on their fronts, backs, and sides that are bright enough to be seen by oncoming vehicles but not too bright to blind other drivers.
42
@Old Yeller
Street parking should be removed in NYC. If you own a car or bring a car into the city, you have to park in a garage. Only cabs and limos and buses and bikes should be allowed in NYC. That includes cargo bikes. At least that leaves more room for trucks.
4
@Mimi
Limo's????
yeah that's egalitarian ( read HEAVY sarcasm)
2
I'm all for cargo bikes using the vastly underutilized bike lanes, and they would be nimbler than large trucks. But mathematically speaking, wouldn't there have to be many of these for each truck? How does that reduce congestion? And what would be the impact on delivery charges of paying many more drivers? At best, this seems like a mixed blessing.
4
Anyone who has spent any time in midtown on a bicycle or any vehicle knows what a nightmare the pedicabs are. Of course, it’s not the fault of the pedicabs but their disrespectful drivers. They clog streets, intersections and bike lanes and threaten to undo all the accomplishments of the hard work the city is doing to make biking in the city safer. I don’t have any reason to believe that delivery bicycle drivers will be any more well behaved. I’m not a big fan of the rented box trucks making Amazon deliveries which also clog our streets, sidewalks and bike lanes, but if we are going to continue to allow pedicabs and now delivery bikes, maybe we should put more traffic cops on the streets instead of more transit cops.
6
@Traffic Will Only Get Worse
I agree that pedicabs serve no legitimate transportation purpose in NYC. They are dangerous due to their vulnerability in even minor accidents. They prey on unsuspecting tourists. And if they were banned they would not be missed for five minutes.
However I think the drivers of cargo bikes would likely be better behaved than the pedicab hustlers. They would serve a legitimate purpose and would be associated with major companies who'd have a stake in their competence.
7
The tone of virtually all the pushback on this is either to complain about how they have undesirable aspects (which all align to them being “like trucks but more efficient”) or how bicycle riders are “disrespectful”.
Meanwhile, both small-business and home delivery outfits are double-parking huge trucks and unloading hundreds of packages/crates onto narrow sidewalks. I can’t imagine we avoid a solution to this problem because we’re aggrieved about “disrespect”.
3
@Brian Van My point is not that the pedicab drivers (I never mentioned bicycle riders) are disrespectful. It is that they are woefully clogging our streets and bike lanes. I don't think more of these on the streets is a solution, but clearly we need to find one as the delivery tucking operations are a bane to this city too.
So how are a thousand of these on the streets better than 500 trucks?
4
@Steve No pollution, street-infrastructure destruction, or double (or triple) parking in the roadways? Reliable, healthful, and effective? Happy workers getting fit on the job instead of miserable ones? The city itself cleaning up its air, streets, and image? Hmm
35
@Gregg Zuman Electric vehicles are not pollution free. Generating electricity still produces pollution. In most states, their solution per mile is about the same as a hybrid automobile.
3
@Steve Smaller, lighter, engineless, they impact their surroundings less.
Probably safer as well.
2
NYC, and others, should just stop allowing new cars to be brought into the city (Manhattan anyways). Starting in 2020 issue special NYC registrations, grandfather in existing cars and make it as hard to get as a gun permit. Seize all unregistered cars. Problem solved.
12
@Jim: So easy for you to say from Florida, where I guess no one drives a car or gets any Amazon or UPS deliveries. And there's never any traffic congestion. How is life in nirvana?
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@L lol
I cannot dispute the benefits listed in the article; but be aware that division of deliveries into amounts that can fit in a bicycle van represents a substitution of labor for capital. The fact that this makes economic sense is a symptom of the expanding opportunities in low wage dead end jobs, that absorb the workers who, some years ago, would have had decent lower middle class lives.
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@rick shapiro Eliminate the incentives for fossil trucks and labor costs quickly align and optimize for conditions.
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The bikes are doing so called "Last Mile" delivery, which is quite possibly the least efficient use of a truck ever imagined. Delivering one package at a time in a vehicle that needs an extra large parking space is not just a waste of fossil fuel energy and carbon. It's a waste of labor.
Obviously these bikes are not going to be delivering TVs and other large items. They are going to be delivering the small packages that make up the majority of the total number of items delivered. And they likely can deliver more of them in an hour than a larger truck. So the bikes will be just as valuable to the delivery companies as a truck, and the drivers will have the same earning potential as if they were driving a truck.
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@Paul
Adding more and different vehicles to NYC’s already jammed streets, bike lanes, sidewalks and parking spots is a good idea only if trucks and cars are reduced in numbers.
And in all those other cities around the world, what are the accident/injury/death rates of the drivers of cargo bikes? The driver in one of the photo saccompanying the article is wearing a helmet, but the vehicle lacks a seat belt and air bag, so the driver is highly vulnerable. (The drivers shown in Berlin are not even wearing helmets.)
And will Amazon/UPS be hiring these drivers as employees? I don’t think so—they’ll likely be retained as independent contractors, and thus responsible for providing their own health, personal and liability insurance as with other gig workers.
What could go wrong?
Curious , are they registered , inspected & insured ?
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@Flaco Yes and no: Registered by law. Inspected? Not yet. Insured? Well, it is Amazon, DHL, and UPS featured here... but an IC on a cargo bike or trike, e.g., is not verified as possessing insurance as far as I know yet; of course, all ICs are required by law to possess workers' comp... and they don't. Also, the damage they can create is quite a bit less than a motor truck? The evolution continues...
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@Gregg Zuman: So if they hit a pedestrian, are they paying the victim's medical bills? Because THAT is a MAJOR question.
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@Gregg Zuman
Toddlers, senior citizens, the handicapped -- picture the damage the bikes will create on city sidewalks when the evolution continues...
Easy pickings. Especially when the drivers are scrambling to make quota. My new plan,Park at the corner and see how close to the addressees door you can fling it. More dollars for accuracy!
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Revolution Rickshaws has been in this space since 2006, and we're thrilled that the city is taking firm steps at last to support the livemobile logistics industry. It's been a long haul - but the politicos finally seem set actively and publicly to support us. We're excited to serve all comers!
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Manhattan is looking more like Asian cities where bicycle deliveries have long been prevalent. In Asian bikes-carts-mopeds are popular because they are the first thing a contractor can afford. In NYC the factor is logistics of different size vehicles.
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As a bicyclist who sometimes uses a cargo bike myself, I like the idea of cargo bikes. But I wonder if maybe what dense metro areas really need is a system of conveyor belts like those used by the shipping companies at their hubs? This system could automatically route packages to their destinations based on a typewritten address and/or barcode. It would be like a subway system for packages, though it might be built above ground. If fully implemented, such a system might eliminate much of the need for delivery trucks and cargo bikes in urban areas.
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@Dan Frazier benefit cost analysis will look unfavorable for this type of system
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Great but keep these things off the sidewalks.
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