Sleek, Slim Delivery E-Bikes to Replace Large Trucks on NYC’s Streets

By Yehudit Garmaise

When 80% of New Yorkers started to receive at least one package of delivery a week during the pandemic, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) had rethink how to packages are delivered in the city’s crowded streets, said NYC Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.

Sleek, electric, pedal-assist bikes that carry slim storage spaces for packages will replace the large delivery trucks that create extra traffic and pose plentiful dangers to pedestrians, bicyclists, scooterists, and drivers, the DOT announced on Wednesday.

DOT’s finalized rules for the e-cargo bikes allow them to be up to 48 inches wide and have up to four wheels.

The DOT also dedicated curb space to create loading zones for cargo bike drivers to load and unload their deliveries.

The pedal-assist commercial bikes will not only dramatically reduce the large number of bulky delivery trucks on the city’s streets, but the e-cargo bikes will also reduce traffic in general because they are slim enough to stay in bike lanes.

“For too long, large trucks have been the only [delivery] option, bringing congestion and pollution with them,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “Low- and no-emission cargo bikes are one of the ways that we're changing that paradigm, so we can get what we want, when we want it, without poisoning our air or clogging our streets.”