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Councilman Says Grocery Apps’ 10 to 15-Minute Delivery Times Put Lives at Risk

Councilman Says Grocery Apps’ 10 to 15-Minute Delivery Times Put Lives at Risk

By Yehudit Garmaise

The lightning-fast delivery times offered by new grocery apps startups, like Gorillas, Getir, Fridge No More, and Jokr may be tempting to New Yorkers who need to stock up quickly, however, the promises of excessively fast deliveries incentivize delivery workers to forego traffic laws and put themselves and pedestrians in danger, according to NYC Councilman Cristopher Marte, the New York Post reported.

“We don’t think that should be legal,” said Marte, who is set to introduce, in coming weeks, a bill that would bar the apps from advertising 10 and 15-minute delivery times that often risk the lives of delivery workers and pedestrians. 

Councilman Marte, who represents District 1 in Manhattan and whose father owned a bodega on the Lower East Side, argues 10-15 minutes is usually not enough time to reasonably make deliveries and that allowing for more time ease the pressure to race and break traffic laws that puts at risk the lives of both delivery workers and pedestrians.

Marte’s bill is in response to many reports that e-bikes were connected to at least 20 deaths and many injuries in NYC in 2020.

For instance, Streetsblog reported in April 2021 that a 54-year-old Queens woman tragically died after she was hit by an e-bike, and earlier this month, a 66-year-old e-bike rider died after colliding with the open door of a taxi on 11th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.

Marte’s bill to eliminate excessively fast delivery times is part of a broader package of legislation that proposes to provide delivery workers with more protections and better health benefits.

“We’re going to have a number of pieces of legislation to bring a lot more oversight and accountability,” said Marte.



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