For many New Yorkers shopping online is essential–about 80% receive at least one delivery per week, while 20% of households receive at least four per week. But collecting one’s goods has become a real challenge due to numerous thefts.
In order to find a solution for what they described as “New York City’s nightmare,” Mayor Eric Adams and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez launched LockerNYC, storage lockers installed on public sidewalks, to open at seven locations throughout the five boroughs of the city to ensure secure package deliveries and curb the approximately 90,000 thefts that occur every day.
“We want to send a clear signal to the package pirates. Gone are the days of setting sail with our loot,” Adams said. “Reducing crime, fighting climate change, and providing a convenience to New Yorkers all at the same time is a package deal that New Yorkers can be proud of. This is a part of our broader efforts to reimagine how New Yorkers get their goods and services, including through our forthcoming Department of Sustainable Delivery that was announced in this year’s State of the City.”
Five of seven planned collection points have already been opened in Manhattan and Queens, which will hold up to 25 packages. Registering on the website will make it possible to pick up the orders safely. The program, run by the Adams’ Administration, NYC DOT in partnership with GoLocker, will be free of any cost to New Yorkers.
Packages can be delivered to the following addresses already in operation:
- Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn – 830 Lafayette Avenue, outside Ideal Food Basket grocery
- Canarsie, Brooklyn – 1380 Rockaway Parkway
- East Flatbush, Brooklyn – 1086 Brooklyn Avenue, outside Ideal Food Basket grocery
- Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn – 2036 Bedford Avenue, outside Ideal Food Basket grocery
- Sunnyside, Queens – 47-01 49th Street, outside the Cosmopolitan Houses apartments
and also coming soon to:
- Bushwick, Brooklyn – 72-80 Wyckoff Avenue, outside Key Food
- Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan – 778 9th Avenue at West 52nd Street
Deliveries can be picked up at any time and tracked online while in transit. GoLocker lockers, equipped with surveillance cameras, will be accessible only by QR codes or access codes sent directly to users.
The one-year pilot project, as announced by DOT Commissioner Rodriguez, will also have an impact on circulation and climate effects. Delivery trucks will make fewer trips, concentrating only in certain urban areas and will no longer have to double-park with their engines running, and make it difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to pass.
