The New York Department of Transportation wants to ban any “peddler, vendor, hawker, or huckster” from conducting business on the pedestrian walkways and bike lanes of the city’s bridges, citing concerns about safety and overcrowding.
The proposed rule, developed in consultation with the NYPD and Department of Sanitation, will target Brooklyn Bridge specifically, where tens of thousands of pedestrians that visit every day share the narrow walkway with a gauntlet of stalls both licensed and illegal. According to DOT, the walkway averages 16 feet in width but can in some sections shrink to as little as five feet.
“The ability of pedestrians to exit the bridge safely is jeopardized by vendors who display and store their wares, carts, tables, tents, tarps, canopies, coolers, and generators along the elevated pedestrian walkway, impeding pedestrian traffic flow,” DOT wrote on the October 6 issue of the City Record. “Further, Brooklyn Bridge is a critical link in and out of Manhattan and, as a result, is at times subjected to high pedestrian traffic, such as during emergencies and protests, where the safe egress of pedestrians is crucial.”
The vendors set up along the walkway form a colorful single-file market, where New York City themed souvenirs, clothing, snacks, and stuffed animals are put on display. One hot dog vendor has installed speakers that announce, on repeat, that his “cold water bottles” cost only one dollar each. Another vendor selling decorative license plates, yellow cab models, and bobble-heads sits under her stall’s canopy, fanning herself.
“I’ll leave if they tell me to,” the vendor shrugs. “I don’t know what I can do. Already the police go to the first few stalls to fine them for stupid reasons like no price tag or we’re on the painted line. And then they don’t bother to go further, where most of the unlicensed vendors are.” She declined to provide her name.
Another vendor—a disabled veteran—was more animated in his frustration. “State law allows for disabled veterans to set up shop here so that we can survive without being dependent on social services,” said Marco Antonio Balaguer, who also works as a handyman. “I think a complete ban will hurt a lot of people. Look down the street, there’s plenty of space for pedestrians, we’re not a hindrance or danger to anyone. And we need to sell things here so that we’re not off begging on the streets.”
The law Balaguer referred to—General Business Law 35-a—allows veterans and surviving spouses or domestic partners of veterans to apply for a General Vendor License, which as of 2021 lasts for a period of two years. But some veteran vendors who are more plugged into decision-making circles are not only confident that the new law will exempt them from the ban, but also believe that it is a necessary step to preserving their own livelihoods.
“Anything that’s anti-vendor is good for veterans because veterans won’t have to compete against those who do business illegally and unsafely,” said Beale Hitiger, who sits on a veteran advisory board for the state’s labor department. “Veteran vendors operate under a state regulation, not a city regulation, so we would not be covered by a ban enforced by the city.”
Council Member Christopher Marte, whose district covers the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, believes that there are too many vendors on the bridge but hopes that a solution less drastic than a blanket ban can be found. “I would like to work with DOT to find certain zones on the bridge where vending can be legal and permitted,” he said. “We should regulate areas that have vending, not completely eliminate it. People on the bridge need water, they like to buy souvenirs, and [the row of vendors] is a tourist attraction in its own right. At the same time, we have to make sure there is a safe passageway, people can enjoy the beauty of Brooklyn Bridge, and veteran vendors who have been doing their job respectfully and safely are protected.”
Marte plans to submit comments on the proposed rule and meet with DOT officials before its hearing on November 15. The hearing will be conducted virtually, and can be joined via Zoom.
“The Brooklyn Bridge has been called America’s Eiffel Tower, and it’s important that all New Yorkers and the millions of people who visit our city each year can enjoy it without impediments to safety and pedestrian mobility,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez in a statement circulated to the press. “These proposed rules would make it safer and easier for pedestrians to enjoy the Brooklyn Bridge and take in the world-renowned view of New York Harbor.”
Info on Internet re the zoon hearing:
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Meeting ID: 978 4641 4498
Password: 473337
Phone
Phone: +1 646 518 9805
Meeting ID: 978 4641 4498
Password: 473337