Upper West Side residents voted Wednesday against transforming a vacant newsstand at 72nd Street and Broadway into an electric bike charging station and food delivery stop.
The Community Board 7 public meeting was quite large with 70 in attendance.
Finally, the ruling group voted 27 to 8 against the resolution and two members abstained.
Several Upper West Siders raised concerns about lithium batteries in electric bikes and scooters, which have sparked deadly fires across the city, and the risks of placing a charging space so close to a busy subway station.
In October, Mayor Eric Adams and Senator Chuck Schumer unveiled plans to convert disused newsstands into rest areas for delivery drivers, with the first planned just outside City Hall.
A representative from the United Deliveristas expressed his disagreement with the board’s vote.
“We are the ones who bring your food, your pantry, your medicine, we are the ones who silently risk our lives and health throughout the pandemic to take care of yours. The applications took advantage of our need, for this reason we rose as a movement like the United Deliveristas,” said Antonio Solís.
Authorities said they will continue to work with the community board to find alternative rest locations for the drivers.
