Due to the “rampant rise of deliveries via truck,” New York City is testing a pilot program designed to reduce the negative environmental and safety impact.
Over 80% of New Yorkers receive at least one package per week, according to NYC’s Department of Transportation, and 18% of residents receive packages on four or more days per week.
Local delivery hubs, known as microhubs, will provide designated curbside or off-street locations for delivery trucks to unload items onto smaller, low-emissions vehicles or human-powered modes of transportation like cargo bikes and hand carts for the final leg of deliveries, the agency explained in an April 6th press release, which said the pilot was part of its larger effort to “rethink the City’s curb space to meet the demands of e-commerce.”
“Today, close to 90% of the City’s goods are moved into and around the city by truck. This overreliance on trucks exacerbates traffic congestion, contributes to public safety challenges on our roadways, pollutes our air, stresses our aging infrastructure, and negatively impacts quality of life. Local delivery hubs offer promising potential to reduce the number of large trucks on local streets by providing safe spaces for truck operators to transfer deliveries onto more sustainable modes of transportation.”
The move comes as cities and states are mulling delivery fees assessed to shoppers but collected by retailers, as EcommerceBytes reported on Thursday.
