NYC to test restricting deliveries to cut down on congestion

NEW YORK (AP) - New York City will test a pilot program limiting curbside delivery in certain high-traffic commercial zones during peak commuting hours to ease congestion.

Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the effort Sunday as part of initiatives the city is undertaking to help get traffic moving more easily.

He says the pilot will run for six months starting in January in specific sections of midtown Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Curbside deliveries from parked and sometimes double-parked trucks and other vehicles won't be allowed during morning and evening rush hours, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Other initiatives include expanding enforcement to reduce gridlock at certain key intersections around the city.

Move NY issued a statement saying the plan does not go far enough:  “We are glad to see the Mayor’s long awaited plan to address the City’s worst-ever congestion problem. Unfortunately, our traffic has gotten so bad that it requires a solution that attacks the heart of the problem – the increasing number of vehicles entering and cruising around the Central Business District, the most congested part of the city. Only a serious congestion pricing plan, like the one proposed by Move NY, will have a significant impact on reducing our economy-killing traffic."