New York City will redesign its truck routes

For the first time in decades, New York City truck routes are about to undergo significant changes.

Recently, the New York City Council approved 44-1 of legislation to redesign the city’s truck routes to improve safety, increase visibility, reduce traffic congestion and reduce vehicle miles traveled. New York City truck routes have not been significantly updated since they were created in the 1970s.

According to Introduction 0708, the New York City Department of Transportation will be required to consult with city agencies, community boards and business improvement districts, as well as representatives from businesses, environmental and climate justice organizations, street safety organizations and the trucking, logistics and last-mile delivery industries.

The bill also would require that NYCDOT assess whether daylighting or daylighting barriers should be implemented at intersections on the truck route network, as well as review and replace truck route signage where necessary. Daylighting is defined as the use of street design elements, including the removal of parking, for enhancing the visibility of cross traffic and pedestrians for motorists within 25 feet of an intersection. It also may involve the imposition of turn restrictions.

Implementation of the revamped New York City truck routes will begin no later than June 1, 2024. New signage will be put up throughout the city no later than July 1, 2024.

Currently, the city has approximately 1,300 miles of truck routes, which were established 50 years ago. There have been minor updates to the routes in 2015, 2018 and 2022.

Boom in e-commerce

Since the pandemic, there has been a rise in e-commerce spending, significantly increasing truck deliveries throughout New York City.

During a Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing in April, Chairperson Selvena N. Brooks-Powers mentioned several stats highlighting the truck cargo situation in New York City.

Each year, approximately 365 million tons of cargo enter, leave or pass through the city. Nearly 90% of that cargo is carried by trucks. By 2045, the same proportion of cargo is expected to be delivered by trucks. But by then, that cargo tonnage is expected to increase by 68%.

On a typical day in 2019, nearly 2 million packages were delivered to New York City residents and businesses. That number increased significantly to 3.7 million after the pandemic started, likely the result of an increase in e-commerce.

According to Council Member Alexa Aviles, who introduced the truck route bill, the rise of e-commerce has required an additional 7,800 freight vehicles to be on the road each day in the city.

Consequently, the increase in deliveries has caused an increase in congestion as truck drivers are forced to block lanes. An increase in deliveries also has exacerbated the issue of overnight parking in residential neighborhoods, which is illegal in New York City.

Broad support for updated truck routes

The bill to update New York City truck routes is coasting through with little to no resistance, garnering broad support from all stakeholders, including those in the trucking industry.

In submitted testimony, the Trucking Association of New York expressed its support.

“With about 1,300 miles of designated roadway, New York City has one of the most complex truck route systems in the nation,” the association wrote in its testimony. “We credit DOT with the redesigned truck route network, outreach and map distribution as part of their ‘Delivering New York a Smart Truck Management Plan for New York City.’ It is crucial that this network be closely monitored and improved, and we are delighted to see the council support DOT’s efforts to do this.”

UPS also showed support for updated truck routes in the city.

“New York City has one of the most complex truck route systems in the country, with over 1,000 miles of designated roadway … We commend the council for addressing this pressing issue that affects drivers and pedestrians alike,” UPS stated in submitted testimony. “UPS’ large presence in NYC, serving 8.5 million customers (including 70,000 small businesses), with 11 facilities in all five boroughs, is why we are committed to partnering with the city to reduce traffic congestion and improve the efficiency of the delivery network.” LL

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