DOT Initiative to Cut Down on Package Thefts, Reduce Impacts of Truck Deliveries

By Forum Staff

City Department of Transportation

Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Friday announced that the agency will launch LockerNYC, a pilot program this summer to cut down on package thefts and reduce delivery truck trips. The LockerNYC pilot program, which will run for one year, will allow New Yorkers to conveniently receive and send packages using secure lockers on public sidewalks. The pilot will include 15 locations and offer customers free 24/7 access. The program will be available to anyone who is interested and, unlike other delivery lockers, the LockerNYC program will be available across multiple delivery carriers, including UPS, DHL, and PitneyBowes.

The number of at-home deliveries have surged in the five boroughs in recent years, with 80 percent of households receiving at least one delivery per week and 20 percent receiving four or more deliveries. The LockerNYC pilot program is designed to alleviate problems associated with this surge in deliveries, including a spike in truck traffic and the chronic challenge of package thefts. Each day, 90,000 packages are reported stolen or lost in transit in New York City, with many apartment buildings lacking secure areas for package deliveries. The lockers will centralize drop off points, allowing carriers to make fewer truck trips. This is expected to reduce the amount of time delivery vehicles are on our roads, which will lessen safety risks and cut down on harmful vehicle emissions.

To ensure security, all locker locations will be equipped with two security cameras, LED lighting, and anti-theft mechanisms on locker compartments. The lockers will be operated and maintained by GoLocker, the vendor selected by the city for this initiative, which will oversee customer support and overall management of the technology.

Locations will be selected for the program based on land use, concentration of buildings lacking mail/package rooms, and NYPD package theft data, among other criteria. Sites will be chosen to provide adequate circulation space, avoid conflicts with street furniture, ensure smooth pedestrian flow, and avoid obstructing windows, fire escapes, or public art, among other considerations.

The pilot will be in place for a year, with the potential to extend the pilot upon evaluation, allowing DOT to test and evaluate the technology and delivery model. NYC DOT officials indicated that the agency welcomes additional program partners to foster a culture of best practices for safety and efficiency. NYC DOT will collect anonymized data on locker usage to assess the overall success of the pilot and the potential for expansion.

“As the number of at-home deliveries have surged in recent years, so have the number of large delivery trucks on our city streets,” Rodriguez said. “The LockerNYC initiative will help reduce the number of trips delivery trucks make each day while also providing a secure place for New Yorkers to receive packages.”

Rodriguez noted that shared use locker programs have proven successful in other cities, yielding significant reductions in delivery vehicles travel distances, dwell time, failed deliveries, emissions, and congestion. A delivery locker pilot in Seattle found that carrier lockers can reduce the amount of time delivery trucks dwell at the curb by as much as 33 percent and reduce delivery times by as much as 78 percent.