Mayor de Blasio Announces Lower East Side Late-Night Quality of Life Improvement Plan

NY City Hall Press Office Photo

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced a multi-agency plan to improve the quality of life of thousands of New Yorkers living in one of the city’s densest nightlife districts. The plan, created by the Office of Nightlife, targets a 6-block area on Ludlow and Orchard Streets between Houston and Delancey on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Improvements will reduce traffic and pedestrian congestion on the street and make garbage sweeping routes more efficient. Nightlife patrons will also see a new etiquette campaign encouraging them to be more respectful and aware of their surroundings.

“The world loves New York nightlife, but we also have to take care of the New Yorkers who live where others play,” said Mayor de Blasio. “We are creating cleaner, quieter streets to improve quality of life while ensuring bars, restaurants and clubs can thrive.”

“Nightlife is vital to New York City’s local culture and global identity,” said Ariel Palitz,Senior Executive Director for the Office of Nightlife. “The Lower East Side is one of the city’s most vibrant and social neighborhoods. This plan coordinates City services to support our thriving nightlife and respond to the needs of the residential community, to ensure that nightlife is fair and works for everyone.”

“We are proud to partner with our colleagues in city government and the local community to develop and implement collaborative solutions to quality of life concerns surrounding nightlife on the Lower East Side,” said Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo. “Nightlife establishments are a fundamental part of the city’s DNA; they employ almost 300,000 New Yorkers. Through these collaborative efforts, MOME can ensure that the city’s creative and cultural industries like nightlife can thrive in ways that are mutually beneficial for all.”  

The area of Ludlow and Orchard Streets between Houston and Delancey contains more than 80 food and beverage establishments. For years, residents and businesses have complained of late-night horn honking and loud voices as traffic stops due to double-parked cars dropping off and collecting passengers on the area’s narrow streets. Moreover, litter builds up overnight under parked cars and on sidewalks, which is unsightly, unsanitary, and attracts rats.

The Lower East Side Late-Night Quality of Life Improvement Plan was designed with the support and input of residents, business owners, workers, and local officials to  make their neighborhood more livable. The plan includes:

New parking regulations to ease traffic congestion and reduce noise

• DOT is implementing a “No Standing” rule from midnight to 6 AM on the west side of the streets and 7 PM to 7 AM on the east side of streets, seven days a week
• Removing standing vehicles overnight eases congestion, honking and other noise

New litter removal schedule coordinated with bar closing times for more efficient cleaning and additional street cleaning

• To more efficiently clean neighborhood streets, DSNY street sweepers will now operate between 3 and 6 AM 
• The prior schedule from midnight to 3 AM was less efficient, as many businesses were still open and patrons were still out
• The Business Improvement District (BID), the Lower East Side Partnership, will provide 200 hours of street cleaning services a week, seven days a week
• Council Member Chin allocated $30,000 expense funding to LESP for cleaning Ludlow St, which is outside the  BID boundaries
• Council Member Chin has also allocated $40,000 in capital funds to LES Partnership to purchase a power washer truck 

Increased enforcement of for-hire vehicles

• TLC will increase enforcement patrols to crack down on unlicensed for-hire vehicles double parking and making unauthorized pickups
• A 10-person team of TLC officers and supervisors will conduct random patrols between 11pm and 3am at least once every Friday and Saturday night

Mayor’s Office of Nightlife “Night Owl” etiquette campaign urging patrons to be more considerate 

• Awareness Campaign will urge patrons to use common-sense nightlife consideration including keeping sound to a minimum and keeping sidewalks clean and clear. The PSA will be displayed on LinkNYC kiosks in the area
• The Office of Nightlife and NYPD will distribute signs to bars and clubs with tips for theft prevention