Upper East Side 'Loading Zone' Is Being Abused, Lawmaker Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A city program that converted dozens of parking spots to "loading zones" for deliveries and pickups is being abused on one Upper East Side block, according to a local lawmaker, who says it should be scrapped.

The Department of Transportation rolled out its neighborhood loading zones on the Upper East Side early this year in an effort to curb double-parking. Across the neighborhood, 37 parking spots were swapped out in favor of the new signage-marked zones, intended to be used for quick commercial package deliveries, taxi pickups and drop-offs, and active loading or unloading of personal vehicles.

Most of the loading zones have gone over smoothly, according to Council Member Julie Menin. Except for one: the zone in front of 315 East 77th St., between First and Second avenues.

There, residents have complained about black cars parking and idling as they await pickups, commercial demolition and waste-removal vehicles stopping on the curb, and illegally parked personal vehicles stalling on the street, Menin said in a letter sent Tuesday to the DOT.

Those uses run counter to the program's stated goal, which focuses on short-term uses only, Menin argues.

After the 77th Street residents first raised concerns in April, DOT said it wanted to monitor the loading zone for three months before considering moving it — a deadline that as long since passed.

"Given, the constituents have presented claims that the NLZ is still not being used for the correct purpose more than six months after implementation, I would appreciate that the DOT rescind this NLZ location and provide my office with guidance on DOT’s assessment of the situation and the broader metrics used to reevaluate loading zones," Menin wrote.

A DOT spokesperson said the agency would review Menin's letter "as we continue to evaluate and assess the location."

Community Board 8 had voted 43-4 in January to support installing the loading zones. A DOT staffer said at the time that the initial 37 zones would likely be expanded to more Upper East Side streets in the future.

First piloted in 2019, the program has won praise from safe-streets advocates for prioritizing traffic safety over private car parking.

Related coverage: Rampant UES Double-Parking Would Be Curbed By New Rules