Upper East Siders Exasperated By Street-Clogging Amazon Trucks

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — For at least two years, delivery trucks unloading food have snarled traffic at an Upper East Side intersection, irritating neighbors who say the daily ritual is obstructing street access and causing pollution.

The distributions by Amazon and Fresh Direct, which take place on Third Avenue between 86th and 87th streets, have only grown more disruptive in recent months, possibly as more New Yorkers began ordering groceries online during the pandemic, according to Andrew Fine, vice president of the East 86th Street Association.

"We’ve heard from members of the community that they were aggravated by the condition," Fine said, noting that the distributions often spill onto the sidewalk and make social distancing difficult.

Appealing directly to @BenKallos + @NYPD19Pct . Amazon using 3 lanes of traffic Third Ave bet 86th/87th 6x/day as mobile distribution pt. This close to a major intersection @East86th backs up traffic for blocks. Irony is @WholeFoods w loading dock a block away. What can be done? pic.twitter.com/31bLZON50z
— East 86th St Assn (@East86th) November 18, 2020

According to Fine, the trucks — especially Amazon's — have in some cases blocked four lanes of traffic as workers unload boxes of food and sort them into pallets on the street before delivering them throughout the neighborhood.

A fleet of delivery drivers often meet the trucks where they are parked, compounding the congestion. The process occurs several times a day, Fine said.

"Basically, they’re making Third Avenue their distribution center," he said. "Rather than sorting these boxes in their warehouse, they’re using Third Avenue as their warehouse."

Amazon and Fresh Direct did not respond to requests for comment.

Exasperated by the conditions, Fine reached out to City Councilmember Ben Kallos's office, whose staff came to an agreement with Amazon last week on a plan to reduce congestion.

In the plan, Amazon pledged to rotate its unloading sites to reduce the strain on any one block, avoid leaving pallets on the street while they are being unloaded, and eventually do more sorting in their warehouses, rather than in the neighborhood.

In a statement, Kallos said he was waiting for Amazon to begin rolling out the changes, and said his office has encouraged the company to partner with local commercial spaces, including garages, to unload packages there.

"We have a commitment from Amazon that they are working to fix this problem," Kallos said in a statement. "We are now waiting for the successful implementation of these fixes, which we expect very quickly.

"In the meantime, my office would like to hear from anyone in the neighborhood with any specific concerns in order to hold Amazon accountable," he added. "We know they can do better and that is what we expect."

Aside from the nuisance itself, Fine said he is bothered by the fact that private companies are taking up street space that belongs to the people.

"It’s not meant for corporate use," he said. "It’s meant for the public."