NYC to experiment with secure package lockers on public sidewalks
NEW YORK CITY - If you’ve ever fallen victim to porch pirates, you know the feeling. It’s frustrating and all-around not a good feeling.
But New York City is hoping it may have found a solution for those of us who do not live in a doorman building.
The city’s Deputy Commissioner for Transportation Eric Beaton says the plan will allow New Yorkers to get packages "in a safe and secure way."
It’s all part of a just-announced pilot program in partnership with a company called GoLocker, which gives customers a secure pickup location for packages delivered from anywhere.
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There is a second benefit, says company CEO Amanda Cowan Sanchez.
"There's also an amazing impact to the environment that happens when you are reducing the number of miles traveled by a carrier," Sanchez said. "You're also reducing carbon emissions.
The company’s co-founder, Nigel Thomas showed Fox 5 New York how their lockers work. It’s rather simple: you scan a QR code on your smartphone, and the locker with your package or packages opens up.
The company has nine locations – from storefront spots to locker units inside bodegas. Right now, GoLocker charges a fee for usage. But under the one-year new pilot program with the city, the company’s existing lockers in New York City—and the additional 15 that will soon be placed on public city sidewalks—usage will be free.
Those 15 new lockers will be placed on sidewalk locations with a minimum of 8 feet of space between the curb and locker.
Most New Yorkers we met were in favor of the plan.
"I think it’s a good idea," one woman on the Upper East Side said.
"Prior to having a doorman, I would just have packages sent to my office because I never thought it was safe," another woman said. "So that's an interesting concept.
The exact locations of the lockers are still being determined. But installation could begin as soon as August.
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