Where would Hell’s Kitchen be without its delivery workers? A new coalition has rolled out the welcome mat to deliveristas who keep the neighborhood running, but with a special side order — please don’t ride dangerously, for your safety and ours.
Councilmember Erik Bottcher, Councilmember Gale Brewer, Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Assemblymember Tony Simone, Pedestrians for Bike Safety (PBS), Clinton Hell’s Kitchen Chelsea Coalition for Pedestrian Safety (CHEKPEDS) and Los Deliveristas Unidos rallied at Balsley Park, at W57th Street and 9th Avenue to promote bike safety among migrant delivery workers and welcome them to the neighborhood.
Following the press conference, the coalition divided into three teams to focus on key areas along 8th, 9th, and 10th Avenues. These are places where delivery workers often congregate. The teams distributed flyers in Spanish, French, and English, offering safety guidelines. The flyers emphasized important points such as refraining from riding on sidewalks or “super-sidewalks,” avoiding going against the flow of traffic, and not using mopeds in bike lanes.
“Today we really want to welcome our friends, the deliveristas. When people arrive in the neighborhood, you’re supposed to have a little party and welcome them and we never did that,” said Christine Berthet, CHEKPEDS founder and co-chair of the Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4) Transportation Committee. “This event is to say welcome and to invite them to work with us on these issues.”
“We’re the welcome wagon here in Hell’s Kitchen, but we are also informing them of the standards that we expect of all cyclists,” said Senator Hoylman-Sigal.
“We’re out here focusing on education and outreach which is a key for developing a culture of bike safety in New York City,” said CM Bottcher, who is a sponsor of a bill going through the City Council to require electrically assisted vehicles to be licensed and registered. “We need to come at this from all angles.”
After receiving one of the flyers at 9th Avenue and W54th Street, Elioso, a delivery worker for two years, told W42ST that he used to feel pressure to drive fast to get a rating from customers. The higher the rating a delivery driver has, the more deliveries are available to them — but now he cares more about just driving safely.
“It’s just better to drive safer because if you get in an accident the delivery companies aren’t going to care about you if something happens to you,” said Elioso. “People can open doors when getting out of their cars and it’s dangerous if you’re going too fast.”
“The biggest issue we have right now is that the city doesn’t have the infrastructure necessary for all of the micromobility options that delivery workers use,” said William Medina, a leader with Los Deliveristas Unidos. “I think the city needs to take a look at how to change the structure of the city because it’s no longer just cars that people use for transportation. It’s also all the micromobility options too.”
According to the City of New York, 101,200 asylum seekers have come to the five boroughs since last spring, with many of them working in the delivery industry.
Last week, MCB4’s Transportation Committee voted to send a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and elected officials recommending a multi-faceted approach to increase safety on bike lanes and for pedestrians.
The measures address the surge in electric bikes, mopeds and app-based bike deliveries that bypass city laws and propose the addition of bike corrals, legislation mandating bike safety courses for commercial cyclists, and funding for on-site training for delivery workers at delivery hubs. Additional reporting and tracking to evaluate the scope of the problem is also called for, alongside a reduction in speed limits and the widening of bicycle lanes.
“The issue of e-bikes is number one on my complaint list from people calling,” said Gale Brewer during the meeting.
Enforcement is another big topic of discussion — tickets for reckless bike riding and riding on sidewalks are up 400% and 500% respectively. “We believe that NYPD can take certain affirmative steps to curb dangerous biking behavior,” says the letter. Those steps include creating a dedicated unit to issue tickets and fines and an initial three to six months of warnings without tickets.
“This letter is specifically about addressing the electric bikes, mopeds, and app-based bike deliveries that are riding irresponsibly and illegally on our streets by speeding and going the wrong way,” said MCB4’s Jesse Greenwald. “It has been so long since there has been any enforcement in this area. We think it’s fair that we give bike riders and delivery drivers some warning before we start fully fining them.”
Brewer has supported Senator Hoylman-Sigal’s bill requiring the registration of electric bicycles with electric assist used for commercial purposes, which has yet to pass. She also called for safety courses, adding that delivery apps should equip workers with headlights and tail lights.
Organizers told W42ST that they spoke to nearly 200 delivery workers in a combined three avenue outreach in French, Spanish and English. “Organizing a community action like this necessitates building out strong coalitions that include a diverse group of stakeholders. Pedestrians for Bike Safety believes community-based action must be an integral part of outreach to ensure messaging to the widest possible group.” said a spokesperson for PBS. “Yesterday’s event in Hell’s Kitchen is the epitome of ordinary residents leading the charge for change in New York City that will benefit everyone, whether they are walking, cycling or driving. In future street actions, PBS hopes to coordinate efforts with the delivery app companies and their employees. Together we can make New York City sidewalks and streets safer for everyone.”
I would love for there to be some actual consequences to bikes on the sidewalk or “super sidewalk”. I’ve bent down to clean up after my dog & had bikes speed by my head. I got into an argument the other day telling a delivery guy to use the bike lane & he told me to walk on the sidewalk. (We were on the “super sidewalk”). There are never cops enforcing the law & when I’ve complained they’ve said there’s little they can do but ticket them IF they actually see it & catch them. They should’ve put those huge planters at each corner of the expanded sidewalk instead of in the street. Might have mitigated some of the bikes.
” BINGO !” Brilliant answer Holli . These ” deliversistas ??” ( really ?) are getting worse than the ” taxi ” drivers trying to catch a fare . An ” electric motorbike ” deliverista” was driving DOWM 46th street, ON THE BLOODY SIDEWALK ” with his packages AND ANOTHER PERSON WAS RIDING on the HANDLEBARS ! ( and me with heels running into traffic to get away from these 2 lunatics,) I’ve actually STOPPED ordering as much as I used to , because of how they’ve acted when delivering my food . At 2 different times the ” Delivery person ” came back LATER, rang the bell, to see if I was “wanting company ! ” As well, these ” letters” and ” notes” to them are worthless as many can’t even read a ” correct name and address ” . On that note . ” Cheers and GOD bless ” ( sigh )
Council member Erik Bottchrr is negotiating with DOT TO do just that
that’s strange, when I email Erik, his staff says nothing to that effect, but I would love to hear more!
I fully agree that the sidewalks are really dangerous, especially with young children and older folks. And going the wrong way on one-ways is a full on epidemic as well. you can’t step off the curb looking only the correct way, that could be lethal. One needs to look 365 degrees.
A blank gray empty space is a good symbol for the lack of creativity in apportioning a space that was supposed to improve the neighborhood. Handing out pieces of paper in lieu of adequate signage pretty much shows how funds are allocated…
How about Pedestrians for Pedestrian Safety? What are you planning to do that actively supports pedestrian safety? You approach pedestrian safety with tweezers, you’re afraid to go there. You deflect the issue. Shame on you.
The beautiful, vaunted 10th Avenue bike lane has already become the joke every pedestrian knew it would become. I have stood and watched at the corner of 10th Avenue and 43rd Street for long periods of time. I have yet to see a single bike stop at a red light in that beautiful bike lane. Not a single one. But I have seen much two-way traffic on that beautiful, vaunted bike lane, including ebikes and mopeds. And they’re still on the sidewalks anyway when the sidewalk is more convenient. Pat yourselves on the back.
Who is going to follow-up on those tickets you’re waiting six months to start giving? How will you ensure they’re actually paid and not used as toilet paper?
Shame on all of you.
I so agree with you! CHN ! Empty bike lane and now Cars Parked in the middle of 10th Avenue knocking out 2 lanes for traffic! How Stupid is that when you have tunnel traffic in that area ! Crossing the Street for handicapped people, with various vehicles is now more dangerous while trying to cross that bike lane! Congestion is now Worse on 10th Avenue!
YES, YES, AND YES, and ; YESSSSS ; I’m yelling . Alrighty then . Cheers ( Thank GOD for Happy hours )
Gale Brewer refuses to support Council Intro 0758-2022. The majority of Council Members (28 of 51) support this critical pedestrian safety bill, but without Speaker support it cannot come to a vote. @GaleBrewer why won’t you support this tiny bit of legislation to save pedestrians’ lives? Are you indebted to Lyft and other tech contributors like your fellow council member Rivera?
They just put bike lane in front of The Victory…what a stupid idea.
Bikes and mopeds still on sidewalk, no police presence, even though we have Midtown South around the corner play acting as “the law”.
All of this fancy striping of streets is just a huge traffic nightmare created by city with Lincoln Tunnel traffic now spilling into three Lanes not four anymore.
Bikes lanes are a big waste of money and time. I hate them .
Meanwhile Brewer and Hoylman-Sigal are standing there with two french speaking African.. I doubt they understand English! newly arrived immigrants.. !
This whole bike thing is insane. We’re all in fear of getting knocked over and nothing’s being done to change this! I don’t know why NYC cant hire and train people to organize this mess. The press keep talking about having cops regulate traffic..? What? No way will they ever do that. Thanks/Merci… Please get involved and sort this out!
What about people who don’t get delivery?
People who actually cook at home?
People who can’t afford to order delivery?
It is incredible that elected officials and CB think that food delivery is an entitlement for the upscale and should be prioritized.
The bicycle lobby TransAlt runs City DOT. The bicycle lobby, real estate and restaurant lobby are the most politically powerful groups in NYC.
The City’s expansion of the bicycle infrastructure has endangered pedestrians, wrecked Manhattan’s streetscape (some lovely) and sabotaged MTA bus and subway.
The “regular” bicyclists, Citibikers and spandex cyclists are the worst – egregious in going through red lights, going the wrong way and ignoring bike lanes. And vicious – routinely cursing any pedestrian who politely dares to object.
Bicycling doesn’t replaces vehicles – bicycling siphons from mass transit.
MTA bus and subway fares have just gone up and the MTA keeps cutting bus service. (Reminder: Congestion Pricing will not lower fares and as CP is for capital projects, CP will never help bus riders)
And the City spends more money for bicyclists – policy to benefit the young affluents.
Thank you for creating the 10th Avenue parking lot. It’s now making me late for medical appointments across town, just to help out those relatively few e-bike riders who actually use the bike lanes legally. I have actually seen only one person on a regular bike use the bike lane. Maybe the rest are intimidated.