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‘ABSURD’ NYC COUNCIL BILL WOULD LET STREET VENDORS HAWK IN MIDDLE OF SIDEWALKS:
‘RADICAL CHANGE’

By Rich Calder

Published Feb. 24, 2024, 12:28 p.m. ET

Big Apple sidewalks may soon “radically change” under an “absurd” new City
Council bill that allows streets vendors to block everything from mailboxes to
benches, critics told The Post.

The legislation from Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa (D-Manhattan) would permit
pushcarts to set up two feet away from the curb, or an additional six inches
further away from vehicular traffic than currently allowed.

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But the bill would also allow vendors to place their carts “as close as
possible” to any obstructions — which means the peddlers could set up shop in
front of countless obstructions too.

A rendering of how public sidewalks in the Big Apple could be blocked by
pushcarts under the proposed law change. Courtesy of HYHK

“Given the undefined term ‘obstruction,’ it would “allow vendors to block bike
racks, public benches, LinkNYC Kiosks, news racks, newsstands, Citi Bike
stations, parking meters, and mailboxes — rendering them all useless,” said Dan
Scorse, vice president of operations at the Hudson Yards Hell’s Kitchen
Alliance.

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The bill “would radically change how our sidewalks operate,” Scorse testified at
a Jan. 31 hearing, handing council members a rendering of what he believes New
Yorkers should expect if it becomes law.


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“[It] would also allow vendors to set up in front of street trees, putting them
in the middle of the sidewalk,” he said. “Perhaps most absurd, [the bill], as
written, would allow a vendor to physically block another vendor.”

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Ryan Merola, deputy commissioner of the city’s Sanitation Department also raised
“concerns about the implications of the legislation.”

“The proposed expansion of the city’s street vending siting rules must still
allow for accessible and passable sidewalks, and the bill’s language raises
questions on usage of sidewalk space,” he testified.

Under De La Rosa’s bill, street vendors would be allowed to move into the center
of walkways if they set up behind any “obstruction,” such as a public bench,
critics said. Helayne Seidman

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De La Rosa insisted she’s not trying to make it harder to navigate sidewalks.

“It is not our intent to make pedestrian use harder, more difficult, less
accessible, but it is our intent to ensure that vendors clearly understand where
they can vend and how they can vend,” she said.

What do you think? Post a comment.

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The bill is part of a larger, vendor-friendly City Council legislative
package seeking to overhaul NYC’s street-merchant industry.

It includes a bill by Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) to override Mayor
Eric Adams’ ban on vendors hawking food, booze, and souvenirs on Big Apple
bridges by allowing vendors to return under new restrictions.


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Filed under city council ,  department of sanitation ,  food vendors , 
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