Upper West Side Pilot Program Hopes to Improve Congestion and Pedestrian Flow

New York City has started the implementation of a pilot program intended to ease congestion and reduce conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and delivery trucks. Dubbed “Smart Curbs” the program that is the culmination of more than a year of planning and outreach will span the Upper West Side’s area between West 72nd and 86th Streets bound by Broadway and Central Park West, which was selected because of the neighborhood’s density, low rate of car ownership, and rising demand for a variety of different curb uses. The most notable changes as part of the first phase implementation, which will last through the end of the year, 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.” In addition, 30 new bike corrals will be installed and a public space with benches and planters in the curb lane of Columbus Avenue near West 72nd Street. Some 100 parking spaces that are currently free will become metered during the day for commercial vehicles, but the Department of Transportation (DOT) will remove a rush-hour rule that restricted parking along the west side of Columbus Avenue on weekday mornings.

Starting in 2025, the implementation of the second phase of the pilot program will entail creating curbside “hubs” for electric-vehicle charging and local deliveries aimed to provide a place for parcels to be transferred from trucks onto bikes or handcarts for their last leg of delivery. In addition, 80 free parking spaces will become metered for passenger vehicles, affecting a small percentage of the 2,500 total parking spots on the Upper West Side. The program aims to prioritize curb use — one of the cities’ most valuable assets, based on community needs, and not just first-come, first-serve; and although the city is not committing to expanding the program to any particular areas, the DOT will take a similar approach to study the curb needs of other neighborhoods and commercial corridors.

Source:    https://www.crainsnewyork.com/politics-policy/nycs-curbs-future-will-take-shape-manhattan