DOT to Provide Secure Lockers on the Street to Reduce Package Theft, Truck Traffic

by Yehudit Garmaise

Sick of worrying that porch pirates will steal your online purchases?

To cut down on the 90,000 packages that are stolen each day in New York City while also reducing truck traffic, New York City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is installing 15 secure lockers on public sidewalks at which residents can receive and send their packages 24/7.

In New York City, 80% of households receive at least one delivery per week, and 20% of households receive four or more deliveries per week, the DOT reported.

When BoroPark24 reached the DOT to find out when the first lockers would be installed on the city’s streets, Vin Barone, the DOT’s press secretary, said he did not yet have the program’s “exact dates.”

To provide a safer delivery system, the secure lockers, which will receive packages from multiple delivery carriers, such as UPS, DHL, and Pitney-Bowes, will remain in place for at least one year as a trial run.

The DOT will equip all locker locations with two security cameras, LED lighting, and anti-theft mechanisms to ensure security.

In Seattle, similar lockers provide centralized drop-off points that reduced delivery times by 78% and reduced the time delivery trucks idled at the curb by as much as 33%.

While anyone can participate in the city’s new LockerNYC initiative, the DOT will consider land use, the concentration of buildings lacking mail and package rooms, and NYPD package theft data to choose the locations for the secure lockers.

The DOT said it will choose sites for lockers to provide adequate circulation space, avoid conflicts with street furniture, ensure smooth pedestrian flow, and avoid obstructing windows and fire escapes.