NYC sidewalks crowded with e-bikes spark safety concerns near East Village
14th Street sidewalk crowded with bikes
We've seen them all around the city, delivery workers on their bikes bringing New Yorkers their food orders. Something that still isn't figured out is where these workers are supposed to wait when they're not actively working on an order. FOX 5 NY's Arthur Chi'en shows us they've ended up congregating on certain blocks.
NEW YORK - You've likely seen them--delivery bikes parked on New York City sidewalks and streets.
On one block near Union Square, residents say there are so many e-bikes parked on sidewalks that pedestrians often have nowhere to walk.
Near East 14th Street between Second and Third Avenues, delivery bikes line the perimeter, creating a makeshift rest stop.
In the area, streets and sidewalks are lined with bikes as workers wait to be assigned.
"I was wondering what was going on there and I saw all the bikes," one resident said.
Since the pandemic, delivery services have increased demand, which means more orders and even more bikes.
Couriers have figured out ways to complete orders in record time, but they haven't seemed to figure out where to go in between those orders, and so they congregate outside.
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FOX 5's Arthur Chi'en reported seeing upwards of 30 e-bikes on one block; most of them parked directly in front of an e-bike store.
Chi'en also reported seeing many of those workers riding on the sidewalk.
"Folks shouldn't have to play dodge the bicycle while they're walking to and from their home or just out and about," another resident in the area said.
Most residents seemed to express compassion for the delivery workers. However, they say a solution is needed to keep the sidewalks and area safe.
City Council Member Carolina Rivera says she's working with the community and government agencies to come up with a solution.
"Deliveristas are not the problem. The problem that our city is experiencing is infrastructure, the lack of labor protections and a comprehensive plan that allows everybody to work and live with safety and dignity," Rivera says.
Worker's Justice Project a group focused on empowering low-wage immigrant workers in the workplace, says they agree.
This isn't a dynamic that's unique to 14th Street though.
FOX 5 has reported on the same issue in neighborhoods across the city, including on the Upper West Side and in Harlem.
City Hall had proposed charging hubs where workers could charge their bikes and rest up, but the idea has been rejected by local community boards.