DOT
Following months of field observations, public workshops and spirited discussions around implementing the Department of Transportation’s Smart Curbs program on the Upper West Side, the DOT has presented detailed recommendations for changes to the neighborhood’s streets that the organization hopes will alleviate traffic and congestion.
Advertisement
“This is one of the densest neighborhoods in the country. There’s a lot of competition for extremely limited space,” a DOT representative said while presenting to Community Board 7 on June 11. “This project is not going to fix all of it, but we’re hoping to improve it a significant amount.”
The latest Smart Curbs proposal, which focuses on W. 72nd St. to W. 86th St between Broadway and Central Park West, includes detailed short-, mid-, and long-term plans that we have summarized below.
For Updates, Get ILTUWS in Your Inbox
Short-term (anticipated to begin in 2024):
- 23 new daytime loading zone locations, which the DOT says are “found to reduce double parking up to 73%.” Loading zones will be near intersections.
- Three freight “microhubs” for delivery vehicles, with at least one installed in fall 2024.
- Roughly 120 new commercial metered parking spaces, predominantly along avenues.
- Roughly 80 “net new” passenger metered parking spaces in short segments along cross streets adjacent to avenues.
- Five new bike parking corrals in curb lanes.
- A new “Street Seat” parklet on the northwest corner of W. 72nd St. and Columbus.
DOT
DOT
DOT
Advertisement
Mid-term (anticipated to begin winter 2025):
- One or two new electric vehicle charging sites.
- Introduction of “offset crossings” on Columbus and Amsterdam, designed to alleviate “mixing zones” where vehicle left-turn lanes merge with unprotected bike lanes.
DOT
DOT
Long-term (no timeline was shared):
- Dynamic parking pricing where fees change based on the time of day and demand.
- Potential upgrades to the Central Park West bike lane.
- Explore allowing metered parking on Sundays in high demand locations, which is currently illegal.
Advertisement
The proposal would eliminate about 175 free parking spaces, a factor that was left out of the DOT’s presentation but was raised in response to a question from a Community Board 7 member.
During the meeting, a CB7 board member raised a need to address how easily cross streets can be blocked by a delivery or moving truck, potentially inhibiting a fire truck or ambulance during an emergency. The blunt question was largely met with a non-answer.
“People’s lives depend upon the ability for an ambulance to get to them,” the board member said. “Right now we’re just not even thinking about it. What’s the plan for that?”
“This is not about efficiency. This is life or death.”
The Smart Curbs idea has polarized Upper West Siders since its introduction in the fall of 2023. A DOT press release from December 2023 says the UWS has one of the lowest vehicle ownership rates in the United States with just 27% of households owning a vehicle. This figure, combined with population density, made the UWS the ideal neighborhood for a Smart Curbs test.
The DOT says its planned actions have been largely informed through community feedback shared in public meetings and an online feedback map. The full Community Board 7 meeting from June 11 can be viewed here.
It would be nice to be able to read the street numbers on your maps
Let’s take 10 seconds to review something: above it says that 175 free parking spaces will be proposed to be eliminated. Full disclosure: I do not own a car and except for a brief period living in D.C. I never have. But….across a 14-block area, i.e. from 72nd-86th Streets, that amounts to 12 (12.5 to be exact) eliminated parking spots per block. When you stop to consider how many north-south avenues have meters, and double-lane crosstown, east-to-west streets have meters, those eliminated dozen spots per block….well, that’s an awful lot. Don’t know if the people with larger brains than mine are assuming (a) more cars going into monthly garages at enormous expense to drivers or (b) residents deciding enough is enough, NYC, at least the UWS ain’t a driver’s paradise, ergo, let’s get rid of the car. However you slice it, I think things are going to get mighty feisty at those Community Board 7 meetings in the near future. It’s a safe bet that that number (175) will drop quite a bit.
As a musician I must have a car and on a good day I spend 15-20 minutes circling blocks for a parking space when I can’t do ASP. Why can’t they just deal with the delivery problem and leave the meters, Sunday parking and residential parking alone!!!!!!! This city is becoming so selfish and losing its charm for those of us who MUST drive.
Where are the dining areas in all this? I realoze.big changes are coming to dining shed this Winter but some outdoor dining in the parking area is sfikk allowed under the new plan, isn’t it?
Reducing parking spaces equals harder to find parking equals more cars cruising equals more traffic.
Jason,
Until 1950, overnight parking was illegal on NYC streets.
Part of the answer is enforcing the law that new big buildings have parking garages, that’s for use by anyone with the rent.
Correction: illegal on Manhattan streets.
At 62 years old, I have forever seen these “committees” that think they are saving the world as evidenced by “only 27% of residents have cars” — well if we are one of the densest neighborhoods — THAT’S STILL MORE CARS THAN ANYWHERE ELSE! Some of us have to drive — no choice — so we just get pushed to Florida? Our time circling means nothing?
Lastly, improved bike lanes — really — for the motorbikes that scare people to death and the city let’s it be
New loading zones will just be dominated (stolen for hours) by Amazon and Fresh Direct.
Some of the loading areas are not even around merchants who will be receiving larger deliveries. Having a loading area across from Riverside Chapel seems higher disrespectful.
Were the commercial stores such as supermarkets, etc. considered when discussing where to put these loading areas? Was where the largest density of big apartment buildings considered where one might expect the most Amazon , FedEx and UPS deliveries to occur? Doesn’t seem that way from the maps provided.
Senior,
Big apartment buildings receive large deliveries of boxes from the likes of UPS.
I meant having a loading zone across from Riverside Chapel seems “highly” disrespectful to the mourners.
Senior,
And the useless for at least 3 months sidewalk on the Chapel side of Amsterdam?
Are these new offset crossings like the ones in midtown? If so, they’re a death trap for cyclists. With the current setup on Columbus and Amsterdam, drivers see cyclists in their mirror and cyclists can see drivers are turning because they’re in the turn lane. In midtown, with offset crossings, cyclists are in a blind spot at the car turns — and because cars look like they’re going straight until they abruptly turn left, cyclists don’t know there’s a turning car until it’s too late. Combine that with trucks that block the view for both cars and cyclists by parking in the area meant for “daylighting,” and you get near misses all day long. Cars can’t see the cyclists, and cyclists don’t know where the cars are going, and it’s an accident waiting to happen.
They’re going to spend millions of dollars and make it worse…
How do I voice support for this? Changes are long overdue!