Food delivery drivers displace bike commuters at Newark Penn Station – Mosaic

It was the end of a workday earlier this month, and Keith Hefner arrived at Newark Penn Station on the PATH train back from New York, the longest leg of his regular commute. But when he went outside to get his bike for the 5-mile ride home to Montclair, it was gone.

It turned out that his lock had been broken and the bike had been confiscated by NJ Transit Police because he had tied it to a nearby street sign rather than to one of the several dozen spots at the official bike racks just outside the station’s south entrances along Market Street.

“They were all taken away,” Hefner said.

Like most days recently, the bike racks were full and filled almost entirely with food delivery bikes, recognizable by their electric motors and tape-wrapped frames, as well as bike bags, milk crates and other containers used to transport food orders for Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash and other app-driven companies.

Food delivery riders say they leave their bikes locked to the racks overnight before taking the PATH train back to New York. Critics say that by morning, the racks are jammed with food delivery bikes, leaving no room for commuters with traditional bikes to park their bikes.

Hefner commutes to Youth Communication, the nonprofit publishing company he founded in Manhattan, but lately it has become increasingly difficult to find legal parking for his bike at the station. Hefner and others believe Newark Penn needs more bike parking.

“They should clearly at least increase the number of bike parking spaces, because they’re just not meeting the demand,” says Paul Mickiewicz, program manager for the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition based in Montclair, a bike-friendly suburb five miles northwest of Newark.

Aware of the lack of bike parking at Newark Penn, NJ Transit is “considering” building a pod parking facility at the station for up to 24 bikes, like those at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s Journal Square Transportation Center in Jersey City, where there is a PATH station. The pod, operated by private operator Oonee, allows commuters to reserve a free bike parking space daily, based on availability.

“NJ Transit is aware of the problems caused by commercial bike storage at Newark Penn Station,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday. “Solutions to prioritize the needs of NJ TRANSIT customers at Newark Penn Station and throughout the system are currently being evaluated.”

Hefner and others expressed hope that the city of Newark would get involved by making city-owned land near the station available for bicycle parking.

A city spokesman issued a statement Friday saying that promoting jobs and creating alternative modes of transportation – for commuting and other purposes – are priorities for Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s administration, and that staff are working with the transportation authority to address the issue.

“We will continue our close partnership with NJ Transit to find a solution that balances the needs of Newark residents and visitors, as well as commuters who both leave and arrive in Newark to earn a living,” the statement said.

Cycling advocates say the lack of bike parking at Newark Penn is a symptom of the growing popularity of food delivery apps, although regional factors may be exacerbating the situation in Newark.

For example, many of the delivery riders are immigrants living in New York City who use the relatively direct and inexpensive PATH system to get to their jobs in Newark and surrounding suburbs, said Derrick Washington, a bicycle activist and owner of the Newark Bicycle Shop, where many of the delivery riders get their bikes serviced. E-bikes are banned on PATH trains, so riders must leave them overnight at Newark Penn when they take the PATH home.

“Delivery people probably make up the majority of our business,” said Washington, who has seen an increase in the number of delivery drivers since opening the store about a year ago. “I know a lot of them are from New York.”

Commuter Eduardo Santo was unlocking his bike to head home one recent afternoon after spending his day at a cleaning service in Manhattan, just as delivery drivers were unlocking their bikes to start their evening shift in New Jersey.

Santo said it was a rare morning when he found a spot at a station rack. Racks are usually full, he added, and he has to lock his bike to a fence, so he uses an extra-heavy chain lock that is less prone to cuts than a lighter coil lock that some cyclists prefer.

“Mucho problema,” he said of the whole situation. “A lot of trouble.”

Grubhub spokesman Patrick Burke said it is NJ Transit’s responsibility to accommodate its bike customers.

“Ultimately, it’s up to them to build more bike racks there,” Burke said. “We’re open to working with the authorities on these issues, but I think we should make it clear that these racks aren’t just used by delivery partners, so it’s not really a delivery issue.”

UberEats and DoorDash did not respond to requests for comment.

Cycling advocates and commuters say they don’t resent delivery drivers for using Newark Penn’s bike racks at night, even though it’s not prohibited. And despite delivery drivers’ reputation for recklessness, Washington pointed out that their work is grueling, dangerous and poorly paid.

Instead, he and others criticized NJ Transit, claiming the lack of bike parking contradicts the agency’s encouragement for commuters to bike to the station.

“Do you live near one of our train stations, light rail stations or bus stops and constantly have to fight for parking?” says the bike page of the NJ Transit website. “If so, consider getting to our stations and stops by bike or scooter!”

Meanwhile, Hefner got his bike back after NJ Transit picked it up. Correctly assuming it was with the police, he inquired and was able to immediately retrieve it from a storage unit, where he saw 20 other bikes that had not yet been picked up.

He wondered if it had occurred to these bike owners that the bikes might have been taken by the police rather than by bike thieves, and if other owners had felt comfortable enough to approach them and get the bikes back.

But if that happens, Hefner said, “there’s no sign or anything saying, ‘Your bike has been confiscated. Here’s where you can get it back.'”

NJ Transit told cyclists in its statement Wednesday: “A New Jersey Transit Police officer will be on site and will pick up the bike from a temporary storage facility on site.”

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You can reach Steve Strunsky at [email protected]

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