There wasn’t a lot of love to turn a decommissioned newsstand by the south 72nd Street subway entrance into an e-bike charging station at last night’s Community Board 7 Transportation Committee meeting. The Valentine’s Day dialogue lasted two hours before a resolution was passed against the proposed hub, which proponents had hoped delivery workers could use to charge their bikes and rest.
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Billed as the Deliverista Hub Pilot Program, Ligia Guallpa, director of the Worker’s Justice Project, got things going by breaking down some of the issues that delivery workers face on a regular basis. Guallpa detailed 12-hour workdays, rain or shine, with the majority of app-based delivery workers earning an average of $7.87—an hourly rate below minimum wage. DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and Relay were noted as the big four apps that are being used by delivery workers. “We want to be able to build a safe space where they can rest [and] recharge, but also, we want to be able to provide other services like bike repairs and maintenance to deliveristas who’ve been traveling and working the whole day and might need some assistance,” said Guallpa.
In October, Mayor Adams and Sen. Schumer announced plans to repurpose newsstands into charging stations and rest stops for delivery workers. The Worker’s Justice Project was earmarked to receive $1.17 million in federal funding for their Deliverista Hub Pilot Program. If successful, the program would be the first of its kind in America.
Two common themes echoed over the course of the two-hour discussion: lack of key information regarding the actual specifications of the hub and the proposed location being by a busy “bow-tie” intersection, which stands beside a subway entrance with people coming and going all day. Many agreed that something needs to be done for delivery workers who provide an invaluable service and wanted to open the scope up to find other possible locations for the hub.
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“I assume this location was picked for a reason,” said Igor, a nearby resident. “Perhaps this is where most delivery drivers actually go, so I think there’s some complicated factors in terms of proposing alternatives, but these kinds of delays can potentially take years and placing this infrastructure now would help delivery drivers a lot more.”
Community Board 7 member Courtney Clark wanted to look more into the “companies who financially benefit from having delivery workers on these motorized bikes to discuss what responsibility they might [have] here.” Then shifting her focus to the actual proposed location of the hub, Clark commented, “Why in the world, it just makes no sense to me. Why would we add a feature that would almost by definition bring more cyclists on motorized vehicles into this one location.” Clark voiced concerns for pedestrians, students and the elderly, while pointing out that “speakers on both sides of the issue have noted it’s already a dangerous intersection.”
No representatives of the big four delivery apps attended the meeting. Some people on the call voiced sentiments about giving away public land for private interest, calling it a “land grab,” which was not something they wanted to do. On Thursday, February 16, Chick-fil-A sponsored a pop-up rest area and lounge for delivery workers. While there aren’t any charging ports, the space gives riders a place to rest.
The CB7 resolution states in part that this location is “wholly inappropriate as a location for an e-bike charging station and rest area due to vehicular and pedestrian congestion.” Nine board members voted in favor of this resolution (meaning they agree that it’s a bad location), four were opposed, and two abstained.
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Non-committee members voted two in favor, none opposed, and two abstained.
Of the 203 submitted testimonies from the public, Parks and Environment Committee co-chair Natasha Kazmi described 177 of them as “overwhelmingly negative” against the bike hub at the 72nd Street subway location.
This matter will be presented at the next full Community Board 7 meeting on March 7.
Nice idea, terrible location, and bizarre constraints. Why on earth is this project limited to sites and structures of former newsstands? By definition these will be located in high foot traffic areas that are still crowded even if the newsstand is closed. The newsstand is impossibly small to accommodate the various goals of recharging, relaxing, bathroom, etc. for one let alone multiple delivery persons. And if it must be in a former newsstand (?!?), just pick up the structure and move it to another more suitable location! Overall, these initiatives should be provided by private sector (employers /delivery apps) not the public sector. That Chick-fil-A pop up seems a much better model.
That was a horrible idea. Hopefully it is gone forever. This crazy love affair that some NYC politicians have with bicycling needs to end and stiff regulations and fines against nutty bicyclists need to be enacted ASAP. I have lived on the upper west side since the 1970s and recall when I felt very safe walking on sidewalks and crossing streets. Not any more. I was hit by a bicyclist while crossing W. 73 st from the south to north side. Fortunately I was not badly hurt. Ever since then I have become very anti bicycling in NYC. The city was not designed with them in mind.
what happened to the rule that cyclists MUST abide by the rules for drivers. Once upon a time when cops were on the roads they were giving out tickets .
anin:
Whatever happened to the rule that cars/trucks have to stop for reds, and then wait until the red turns green before proceeding?
I see the packs of dirt bikes are back flying up/down the UWS, and I assume the UES + avenues and boulevards in other boros of Gotham.
Bicycles are older than you, and older than cars. Thankfully they will remain when you’re long gone. Pay more attention.
Why not use a space in riverside park and definitely make it a joint project with private companies…these companies are the ones making life hard for these folks.
JohnUws:
Because Riverside Park, and Riverside Park South, are public spaces. You know, parks.
How about these guys learn to obey the laws before they’re given anything else by the City or State?
Huh? It’s a great location for proximity to deliveries. It’s the exact geographical center of the neighborhood and that it’s an intersection of major roads is exactly the point. Delivery bikes need to access their customers quickly. This would give them much needed charging assistance and a place to rest for brief periods so they can hop back on the bike for deliveries. It already has a wide pedestrian focus and has plenty of room for bikes and riders. The sense of entitlement and complete lack of concern for those that actually work for a living at CB7 is extremely disappointing.
Jeremy:
That’s a pedestrian plaza outside a busy subway station.
But delivery guys have no respect for the laws of bicycle and e-bike riding. Why should the be given approved access to more public space?
More than 50 percent of them cause significant danger to pedestrians every day they work. Their machines need to be seized when they break the law. Adding another space for them to break laws is not a good idea.
Oh, and do you really want the possibility of a significant lithium ion battery/ies fire outside the south West 72nd Street blockhouse? Something else you didn’t consider.
Not sarcasm: Good job reminding everyone how out of touch the defenders of these guys’ bad driving are.
That tiny pedestrian island adjacent to the UWS bow-tie death triangle does not have “plenty of room for bikes and riders.” This project would get more support in nearly any other location.
Like where? Your lack of specifics amazes me think you’re lying and you won’t accept this anywhere.
Jeremy,
Are you thinking of the correct spot. This is the triangle formed byb72nf St to the north, Amsterdam to the east and Broadway to the west. It narrows to a point where Amsterdam and Broadway meet at ots south corner and the pedestrians enter from 71st and Broadway ir 72st and Amsteedam. The eBikes would also be entering at that very crowded spot. There are no benches for the drivers to sit on to rest while charging their bikes. Perhaps I’m wrong and there is room for a charging station and new benches and more traffic. If there was a real proposal with drawings and estimates maybe we could be convinced
I pass by the shuttered newsstand every day after work. It seems wasteful not to use it, especially since delivery workers don’t have the best work conditions. Is it the ideal location? No. Is it the best location? Well, probably. I’d rather we have a pilot that gives workers some reprieve rather than they continue to exhaust themselves as we go through a multi-year process.
Set aside for the moment that this is private (corporate) taking of a public space (without any recompense to the City). Have we not been reading about the number of fires – including injuries and deaths – that the recharging of these batterie are causing all over the City? Do we really want a dozen or more of these batteries recharging in any area in which hundreds, maybe thousands, of people pass each day? It would only take one battery exploding, or causing a fire, for the rest to catch, and the entire structure to go up in flames, possibly causing multiple injuries, and even deaths. Is that REALLY what we want at a crowded public pass-through?
This is disgusting. Let the delivery workers rest, and stop being such entitled brats.