Lawmakers push for first redesign of NYC truck routes since 1970s
April 10, 2023, 4:29 p.m.
City officials on Monday agreed the current truck route network has grown outdated.
New York City's trucking routes would be overhauled for the first time since the 1970s under legislation proposed by the City Council.
Council members pushed for the change during a hearing on Monday, telling Department of Transportation leaders the current trucking route map has grown outdated. Lawmakers said environmental and climate justice organizations should be brought in to consult on a redesign.
“Residents are not only seeing high asthma rates, but seeing their commutes prolonged with trucks obstructing roadways, blocking visible crosswalks for pedestrians and taking much needed parking spots as they continue to park on our residential streets overnight,” Bronx Councilmember Amanda Farias said during a news conference before the hearing.
DOT Deputy Commissioner for Transportation Planning and Management Eric Beaton said during the hearing the number of trucks on city streets has sharply increased in recent years as online deliveries have boomed. Beaton said his agency is working on the problem, and pointed to an incoming program to establish delivery hubs where large trucks can unload boxes onto smaller, low-emission vehicles that will make deliveries to people’s doors.
But Beaton agreed it’s time for the city to re-think the trucking route network as a whole.
"We think taking a fresh look in light of changing delivery patterns makes sense,” said Beaton. “If there's a port facility or an industrial business zone, we know that trucks are going to be traveling there, but we want to make sure they're on streets that are appropriate for trucks.”
Beaton took issue with one of the proposed bills that would require the DOT to conduct a study on street designs that could keep commercial vehicles from driving on residential streets, saying “the additional effort in report writing would be better spent focusing on solutions in specific locations.”
The legislation to require the DOT to redesign the truck route network was introduced last September and is sponsored by 40 of the City Council’s 51 members.
Correction: A previous version of this story included a quote that was inaccurately attributed to Councilmember Amanda Farias.