After more than a year of planning and outreach, New York City will begin implementing a pilot program redesigning dozens of curbs on the Upper West Side in the hopes of improving congestion and reducing conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and delivery trucks. The Smart Curbs pilot is now underway between West 72nd and 86th streets, bounded by Broadway and Central Park West.
The most notable changes include the creation of six new truck loading zones where passenger parking will be barred during daytime hours, and 21 neighborhood loading zones reserved for either commercial or passenger cars that are actively unloading or loading – including taxi pick-ups and drop-offs.
Some 100 parking spaces that are currently free will become metered during the day for commercial vehicles, Department of Transportation spokeswoman Mona Bruno said. The city has not committed to expanding the program to any particular areas, but Bruno said the department will take a similar approach to study the curb needs of other neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
As part of the changes, DOT will also remove a rush-hour rule that restricted parking along the west side of Columbus Avenue on weekday mornings. That lane had grown so in-demand – and lately filled up with outdoor dining structures – that it rarely functioned as intended as a travel lane. The new change will legalize parking, loading and drop-offs.
A second phase of implementation, starting in 2025, will entail creating curbside “hubs” for electric-vehicle charging and local deliveries to provide a place for parcels to be transferred for their last leg of delivery – from trucks onto bikes or handcarts.
Another 80 free parking spaces will become metered for passenger vehicles during the second phase, although DOT said the project will affect only a small fraction of the 2,500 total parking spots on the Upper West Side.
Source: Crain’s New York Business
