NYC Wants To Create a First-of-Its Kind Department To Regulate App Based Delivery (fastcompany.com) 38
With the increasing adoption of e-bikes and drones for efficient, eco-friendly delivery services, New York is proposing the Department of Sustainable Delivery to regulate these services, focusing on safety, data sharing, and operational permits to ease congested lanes. Fast Company reports: The first step of the new department will be a task force made up of tech, transportation, labor, and government representatives. There are currently some city regulations around delivery operations, but they're fragmented; the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, for example, has addressed delivery worker rights (and recently announced a new minimum pay rate for app-based food delivery workers), while the Department of Transportation focuses on commercial delivery, and has taken steps to address delivery cargo bikes. "We don't have a place where every company that wants to dispatch in volume and move freight [and goods] around in the city on a micro level comes through and has to show that they're going to meet certain requirements," [New York City Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi] says.
Managers of truck delivery fleets often track their driver's performance and behavior with tools like GPS; through the new department, micromobility app companies may be required to share their GPS delivery data with the city. That data might reveal more about how long delivery riders are working, or how heavy cargo bikes' loads are, which could lead to new regulations. Joshi also points to e-bike fires and rising e-bike rider deaths as red flags that signal the need for more oversight and legislation, which could prevent future tragedies. More information about where and when these deliveries are happening could also help the city adapt its infrastructure to this growing market. "As more and more of the city is feeling the effects of the commercialization of bike lanes, we certainly do have to rethink how wide our bike lanes are, what they are there to accommodate, does there need to be some separation between motorized and nonmotorized [bikes]?" Joshi says. "But these things need to be informed." The city is already making some such updates. Last summer, it upgraded a stretch of 10th Avenue to include a 10-foot-wide bike lane, to better allow regular cyclists and delivery e-bikes to coexist
Tech advancements often move faster than the government, resulting in a game of legislative catch up for cities. Joshi says New York City is thinking about micromobility in this way because "we've seen this movie before," referring to tech disruption, "and we'd like a different ending." While Joshi knows that companies may bristle at the increased oversight, she says being proactive about these issues and taking steps to address them will likely help the firms and their public perception long-term. And not addressing micromobility challenges now could also impede larger climate progress. "If we are not able to show that we have a comprehensive framework, show that we're able to manage what we have today and prepare for the unknown, we could have people, saying 'it was better when [delivery] was in trucks,'" Joshi says, "and that would actually be probably the worst thing for the environment."
Managers of truck delivery fleets often track their driver's performance and behavior with tools like GPS; through the new department, micromobility app companies may be required to share their GPS delivery data with the city. That data might reveal more about how long delivery riders are working, or how heavy cargo bikes' loads are, which could lead to new regulations. Joshi also points to e-bike fires and rising e-bike rider deaths as red flags that signal the need for more oversight and legislation, which could prevent future tragedies. More information about where and when these deliveries are happening could also help the city adapt its infrastructure to this growing market. "As more and more of the city is feeling the effects of the commercialization of bike lanes, we certainly do have to rethink how wide our bike lanes are, what they are there to accommodate, does there need to be some separation between motorized and nonmotorized [bikes]?" Joshi says. "But these things need to be informed." The city is already making some such updates. Last summer, it upgraded a stretch of 10th Avenue to include a 10-foot-wide bike lane, to better allow regular cyclists and delivery e-bikes to coexist
Tech advancements often move faster than the government, resulting in a game of legislative catch up for cities. Joshi says New York City is thinking about micromobility in this way because "we've seen this movie before," referring to tech disruption, "and we'd like a different ending." While Joshi knows that companies may bristle at the increased oversight, she says being proactive about these issues and taking steps to address them will likely help the firms and their public perception long-term. And not addressing micromobility challenges now could also impede larger climate progress. "If we are not able to show that we have a comprehensive framework, show that we're able to manage what we have today and prepare for the unknown, we could have people, saying 'it was better when [delivery] was in trucks,'" Joshi says, "and that would actually be probably the worst thing for the environment."
the workers are not real contractors and they shou (Score:2)
the workers are not real contractors and they should be under the same rules that covers any other companies with workers doing the same type of tasks.
we need to crack down on the fake 1099ers that lets companies get out of any liability when something goes wrong.
Re: (Score:1, Funny)
Don't worry! I just got off the phone with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and she assured me she taking care of everything. That gal is a miracle, always available for her constituents, if all representatives were just like her, we wouldn't have any problem and the Israel conflict would have been solved swiftly!
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This is all about e-bikes? (Score:3)
This is all about e-bikes? It sounds like sweeping legislation to institute all kinds of new taxes against all manner of delivery vehicles operating in the city, and nowhere do I see any mention of protecting the delivery drivers. What is this really all about?
It's because they're fast, heavy and they hurt (Score:2)
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But I want my cheeseburger and I want it now!
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when they hit you.
I don't care if it's powered by muscle or lithium batteries, bikes don't belong on pedestrian paths. Now of course, mixing bikes and cars also creates a potential for problems. If only there was more room for both. Perhaps they should've thought about all this before putting all those damn buildings so close together in the first place and creating problems for future generations.
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instead of subjugating us to more regulations with every passing day.
I know what you mean. The government regulating what a woman can do with her own body, regulating what books a child is allowed to read, regulating what bathroom you can use, regulating how many dildos you're allowed to own. It would be nice if the government would stop subjugating us.
The real focus (Score:3)
With the increasing adoption of e-bikes and drones for efficient, eco-friendly delivery services, New York is proposing the Department of Sustainable Delivery to regulate these services, focusing on how to increase city's tax revenue.
Done, fixed the headline for you.
Great idea! (Score:2)
This sounds almost like a reverse union of some kind.
NY and business related control? (Score:1)
Thanks but no thanks.
Ask anyone trying to conduct business in the Empire State.
It's like someplace where EVERYONE in a position of power is Joe Biden.
They could fuck up a sojourn in Hell.
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They could fuck up a sojourn in Hell.
Let us know when Joe Biden bankrupts three casinos (two in one year), a hotel, and two holding companies (one of them twice).
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*I* am talking about someone wielding unconstrained government force to destroy AN ENTIRE COUNTRY'S energy independence, food production, immigration controls and on, and on and on.
And by unconstrained government force you're still talking about the makeup wearing goon from New York, right? The one who says a president should have absolute immunity from everything, even doing something illegal [theguardian.com]. The one who nearly bankrupted the nations ranchers by his tariffs which cost the U.S. taxpayer hundreds of billio
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But still better than Biden.
Hell, I'd vote for a small soap dish over Biden.
The only possible thing worse than Biden...would be if the fates played a horrible joke on us...and moved Kamala in....[shudder]
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And you think this is "adult".
You're a joke.
Asking for a friend... (Score:2)
Does it cover deliveries from Texas?
Being New York ... (Score:2)
Ghost Rider meets Scooby Doo (Score:2)
faster (Score:2)
Tech advancements often move faster than the government
And vee vil not have that!
I can remember when that was often considered a feature, not a bug, here at /.
What a bunch of Trumpists here (Score:2)
Fake "independent contractors", so the companies can avoid paying them real wages, not provide benefits, and not provide maintenance on the vehicles, but that's all ok with you.
NOT ONE OF YOU are a delivery driver. If you were, you wouldn't be here, since you'd be working all hours.
Amazing (Score:2)
So, regulators cannot justify regulations, so they want to demand that data, for free, from companies, so they can look through it and find a reason to regulate them further? They can’t even make an argument from data they might
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Gee, you think regulators should regulate without data? And why should they use things like traffic stats, when they can get *actual*, not assumed, numbers from the companies? You don't think the companies already have those reports?
If they don't, they're out of business.
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Then you're a fool. And you've lived a spoiled life, and never had to work the way some of these people do, esp. "independent contractors" who are no such thing, they're employeed with no benefits.
You probably think crypto shouldn't be regulated, either (but haven't lost money yet).
Existing regulations (Score:2)