City gets $5 mil grant for new freight research center
BAY RIDGE — CITY DEPARTMENT OF Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Friday announced a $5.6 million federal grant from the federal DOT for the creation of the new Urban Freight Mobility Collaborative, an innovation hub focused on revolutionizing the movement of goods. The UFC will work with the community, industry, government and academic partners to reduce truck traffic in polluted neighborhoods and industrial zones, targeting a 40% reduction in emissions by 2032. Planned projects include delivery “micro hubs” and lockers, where trucks can offload cargo in central locations; the promotion of delivery cargo bikes and scooters; electric freight vehicles; the development of a comprehensive freight modeling tool and the construction of marine freight infrastructure to shift deliveries from trucks to ships.
One of Brooklyn’s most emissions-impacted neighborhoods is Red Hook, which is zoned for manufacturing; the growth of online shopping has meant a major increase in delivery vehicles traveling to and from Amazon’s three large warehouses there, leading to a potentially dangerous rise in air pollution for residents, who have been agitating for Amazon to pursue greener delivery options.
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