NYC Council members propose new scaffolding regulations to speed up projects
NEW YORK -- Tired of seeing scaffolding when you go to work, or even in your neighborhood?
Some lawmakers are proposing some ways to get rid of them.
New York City is a bustling city known for a lot of things. Look up on any given day and you'll see skyscrapers, iconic landmarks ... and scaffolding.
"This is disgusting," one person said.
"It's definitely an eyesore, so if they speed up and it's not there for too long, that would be nice and it would help these small businesses because they get lost," Megha Agarwan said.
Ahmed Maaraba works at DuPont Cleaners on West 70th Street. He said the shed blocks his business.
"The people can't see our business outside," Maaraba said, adding when asked if that hurts business, "Yeah, of course. People cannot see clearly from when they walk in or moving with the car, so it's a big problem for us," Maaraba said.
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Last week, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine released a report shedding light on the long-standing sidewalk sheds.
"The average sidewalk shed is now staying up for over 400 days," Levine said. "There are some that have been up over 10 years, and even cases in which these eyesores have been out there for over 15 years."
According to city leaders, Manhattan has more scaffolding than any other borough in the city.
"This is a Manhattan issue. There are 4,000 sidewalk sheds in Manhattan alone," Levine said.
Several local leaders in Manhattan gathered outside of City Hall on Thursday to introduce a new package of legislation to get scaffolding down sooner. It includes stricter timelines for inspections and construction and, "Allowing the structures to be painted in different colors, which are not allowed right now, raising the minimum height of them."
"We also will be establishing a pilot program allowing for building inspections to take place with drones," Powers added.
While many New Yorkers say scaffolding is an eyesore, others say it's needed for pedestrian safety.
"If they protect people, it's needed, period," Evelyn Herman said. "If something falls and hits you, the first thing one would say is why was there no construction bridge, you know?" another person said.
