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Deliverista hub on Broadway is under construction
B. sent this photo: The deliverista hub on Broadway at City Hall, across from the end of Murray, is now under construction. (I actually thought it wasn’t going to happen but here we are.)
While I think a hub for delivery workers is an excellent idea, I do think this is one of the most ill-conceived sites. Why not put it in a less trafficked location? with more room for parked bikes? with more seating for the workers, indoors and out? with BATHROOMS!!
This will be the first of its kind — a public, enclosed space that will incorporate e-bike battery charging, cellphone charging, bike repair and a rest station for delivery workers.
The Worker’s Justice Project, in partnership with the city, broke ground on the project in August, testing and upgrading the electrical system to make sure it can support high-capacity e-bike battery charging. When it came before Community Board 1 in spring 2024, the board rejected plans for this location — a historic district — but the city moved forward regardless.
This is how it will work:
- The hub will have two full-time workers five days a week to supervise the battery charging cabinets and provide education for delivery workers.
- Two to three delivery workers at a time will be able to use each of three “modules” — rest/services, charging and bike repair. Most delivery workers own more than one battery, so while one is charging at one of the 48 ports at the hub, they can still be working. There will be an app that will notify them when their battery is fully charged.
- The charging cabinet will contain technology to detect each battery’s condition and whether it is UL certified (as required by NYC law) so that they can connect battery owners with battery-exchange programs as appropriate.
- The new hub will be 3 feet wider and 5 feet longer than the current newsstand; it is being designed by the Brooklyn-based designers Fantástica. (I hope they will make a greater effort with the street side of the building, both for bikers in the bike lane and for the views from across the street. Right now just looks like a solid wall.)
Rendering from 2024
The Department of Transportation will be adding bike racks around the hub. Staff will direct deliveristas to use bike racks and avoid congregating on the sidewalk. Members of the general public can also use the facility to charge batteries and phones.
The city has 65,000 delivery workers, and about 80 percent of them use e-bikes and motorbikes. They are also outside all day long, so part of the goal here is to have a refuge from bad weather.
Funding for the pilot program came partially from a $1 million federal grant secured by Senator Chuck Schumer. Another one is being launched on the Upper Westside on 72nd Street.
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“While I think a hub for delivery workers is an excellent idea, I do think this is one of the most ill-conceived sites. Why not put it in a less trafficked location?”
Agree it shouldn’t take precious sidewalk space; take up road space. Of the streetscape, 75% is devoted to roads while only 25% is sidewalks – inversely proportionate to actual usage of cars/pedestrians. That wide sidewalk is one of the few pleasant sidewalk spaces in all of downtown.
Sadly, I suspect this will be a classic case of “what could possibly go wrong?”. A lot, I expect.
Like what?
Becomes a congregation point with no enforcement of the two-person restriction resulting in sidewalk congestion in an already busy spot; lack of enforcement of the UL-listed batteries only…to name a couple potential issues.
Both fair concerns. But as Pam noted in the post, UL enforcement is automated.
As far as the former, I’m not really sure where you can site this downtown in a central area for delivery workers that avoids congestion. As Ben noted, taking parking away would be preferable, and I suspect in due time that is where more of these will go. But alas that’s not the choice that was made here.
The perfect place for this would’ve been, after an eminent domain grab, in front of one of the abandoned buildings around the neighborhood, like 45 Park Place, or the Leaning Tower of FIDI.
I am blown away by the lack of any movement whatsoever at 45 Park Place. Broke ground over a decade ago!
Completely agree! 45 park place is a blight on our neighborhood
According to the Signal app, someone called 911 the other day about debris allegedly falling from the crane. Apparently nothing was falling at that time but the site (and crane) is still an accident waiting to happen. Whatever winds up happening in the future, there’s sure to be plenty of impotent hand-wringing about “how could this have been ignored for so long?”
This property has been stuck in a bankruptcy proceeding for 6 years. Most jurisdictions around the country would resolve something like this in months, not years. New York is broken. Why would any lender want to finance new development here when it could take over six years to resolve a default?
Good place for ICE to hang out too.