New York City has launched a truck route redesign effort, and, in conjunction with that, is looking for public input, says Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights), who is urging Brooklynites to make their voices heard.

The issue is relevant to Assemblyman Colton’s constituents because of the proximity of a portion of the truck route to their communities. Specifically, Cropsey Avenue is a truck route between 18^th Avenue and Neptune Avenue, as are 18^th Avenue between Cropsey and 86^th Street, Bay Parkway between Cropsey and 78^th Street and 25^th Avenue between Cropsey and 86th. According to the city’s Department of Transportation, nearly 90 percent of goods delivered to the city are delivered via truck, largely via through our local truck routes, and occasionally along non-truck route streets, when necessary to reach a delivery destination or return from there to a truck route.

“People living in the area should let DOT know about problems they’ve identified with respect to the truck routes that impact their lives,” said Assemblyman Colton. “While truck routes are necessary to enable the delivery of goods across New York City, they can have significant impacts on the neighborhoods through which they run. This project, which aims to identify those impact, is a perfect opportunity to correct long-standing issues with truck routes.”

The truck route study was mandated by Local Law 171, passed in 2023 by the New York City Council. The law requires DOT to revamp the city’s truck route, in order to improve safety, increase visibility and efficiency, and reduce traffic congestion. The study was spurred, in part, by gradual changes over the years in both land use and delivery patterns, and the goal is to revamp routes to avoid areas which are densely populated and contain such facilities as schools, parks, hospitals and bike lanes.

Among the feedback that DOT is looking for is information on truck route signage that is inaccurate or misleading; areas where truck route connections are suboptimal; sections frequented by trucks that exceed height and weight restrictions; areas where trucks regularly block moving, bike or bus lanes or where access to curbs is limited; streets that are overly narrow or where truck turning is awkward and potentially dangerous; portions of the existing truck route which have deteriorated; sections of the truck route where trucks present especial danger to either pedestrians or cyclists; and sections of the truck route plagued by speeding.

Comments can be submitted via the interactive map that is at the heart of the Truck Route Network Redesign Public Feedback Portal, which can be accessed at https://nycdotprojects.info/project/truck-route-network-redesign, and which provides a wealth of information about the existing truck route, as well as the goals of the redesign process. The comment period will close for members of the public on June 30, 2024, with feedback to be incorporated into a report that is scheduled for release in fall, 2024.

Comments can also be shared with Assemblyman Colton at coltonw@nyassembly.gov.