New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has announced that the city is taking action to authorise the use of larger pedal-assist cargo bikes in replacement of delivery trucks.
The proposed rule, which would permit the use of these cargo bikes, is designed to make deliveries safer and more sustainable by reducing the number of delivery trucks on New York City (NYC) streets.
NYC DOT published the Notice of Public Hearing and Opportunity to Comment in the City Record.
NYC Mayor, Eric Adams, said:
“Safety and sustainability go hand in hand in New York City, and our administration is innovating every day and using every tool available to advance both.
“Cargo bikes have been a valuable tool in our administration’s efforts to move goods throughout the city while prioritizing street safety and our environment, and these pedal-assist cargo bikes will help New Yorkers get the items they need while reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion.”
NYC’s DOT Commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, reported that just two cargo bikes can replace one box truck and can help to reduce CO2 emissions by 14 tons per year.
Since NYC DOT’s launch of its Commercial Cargo Bike pilot program in 2019, cargo-bike deliveries have increased significantly in NYC. In 2022, cargo bikes made more than 130,000 trips delivering over 5 million packages, resulting in the reduction of over 650,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, and demonstrating their effectiveness as a last-mile delivery mode.
Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine, said:
“Cargo-bikes are an increasingly important mode of freight and package delivery in New York City, helping to reduce the number of vehicles on the street as well as lower emissions on our roadways.
“Wider cargo bikes will allow them to be more widely used as well as safer to operate, and I applaud DOT for starting this rule making process.”
