NYC block still an eyesore with 125 e-bikes clogging the street

A block in the East Village is back to being a hideous dumping ground for e-bikes — weeks after the city tried cleaning up the eyesore issue locals have complained about.

The Post surveyed the stretch of 11th Street clogged with 125 delivery bikes with Seamless and Uber Eats bags — some spilling out onto the sidewalk and into the street — an unsightly scene that one real estate broker called an immediate turn-off for prospective renters.

“The situation is so bad. I’m a broker and I rent apartments in this building,” broker Ajay Sharma told The Post Wednesday.

“This morning, two of the people came here, looked at all these guys and just left. They said, ‘This neighborhood is not for me, this street is not for me.’ These guys are all hanging out, they eat food out here. Look at that, that is their trash,” the 62-year-old said, pointing to a tree with garbage under it. 

Migrant workers began parking on 11th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue last year with the number of e-bikes rapidly growing. The spot is surrounded by restaurants and also has a mosque nearby for the mostly Muslim workers.

The impromptu parking lot quickly clogged up the sides of the street and slices of the sidewalk while becoming a magnet for garbage.  

As a result of neighbors’ complaints, the NYPD seized 30 illegal bikes at the end of last month, while the Department of Sanitation did a deep clean of the area.

“It’s a little bit cleaner now,” 25-year-old resident Moses said. “Other than an eyesore, it’s not too bad.”

The Department of Transportation also installed bike corrals in June so the electric rides have a place to go and a food truck frequented by the workers was more recently moved to the other side of the street that could allow for more bike parking in the future.

A nearby playground was opened this past weekend that allows the workers to congregate while on break, according to hyperlocal blog EV Grieve. Tables and more garbage cans were brought in.

A Post reporter observed more than 125 bikes on the block Wednesday afternoon with a smattering of them still on the sidewalk and some of the street that didn’t fit in the corrals.

Paul McQuad, 39, argued the tweaks have actually worsened the situation because the food truck is parked closer to his building, attracting rodents and garbage.

Any enforcement by officials is short-lived, he said.

“What they have now done is that they have traffic cops say, ‘Hey, you have to move them,’” McQuad said.

“They move [the bikes] and when things change and things get darker, they just come back on the sidewalk.”

“I sympathize with their situation but that doesn’t change that my quality of life has gone significantly downhill,” he also said, adding the city needs to find a better solution than having them park outside homes and businesses.

Another local even witnessed a man stripped down to his underwear while washing himself this month.

But Susan Stetzer, district manager for Manhattan’s Community Board 3 said the city needs to do more for the workers like they have for Amazon delivery trucks or other big companies.

She also said some deliverymen have struggled to get their bikes back after they were seized by authorities in last month’s sweep.

“There has to be infrastructure, accommodations that they can operate legally, if we expect these people to use these bikes to deliver food, there has to be some place they can put them that’s safe and legal,” she said.

The NYPD said in an email the agency and other city departments provided ample notice to workers before they planned to crack down on bikes parked illegally, including on sidewalks.

“The 9th Precinct will continue to monitor and address quality of life issues at this location as necessary,” an NYPD spokesperson said.

Stetzer believes conditions have improved with the additional space set aside for the two wheelers and she isn’t seeing the issues others do. Sanitation has been doing more visits to the block and more corrals could be placed in near future, she noted.

Abby, a Big Apple transplant from London, said she didn’t mind the rows of bikes, but noted the changes by the city officials didn’t last long.

“There was a difference initially, but I think it’s gone back within a couple of days,” she said. “More bikes and more trash.”

Another local, Sally, argued the workers were being “picked on” and some even rushed over once to help when she fell off her bike.

“I think they deserve medals, these guys. They are working so hard. They are essential workers. They are delivering food,” she said.

The city’s DOT said in a statement it is reviewing the situation and will make adjustments as needed. The department previously said in July it had made additional bike parking to better manage streets and keep sidewalks clear.