Has anyone else noticed that the stretch of 21st Street between Broadway and 31st Ave has become an informal depot around 5:30–7:00? I'm not talking about the occasional UPS guy. I'm talking box trucks, grocery delivery trucks, beer distributors, and at least one linen company that seems to idle directly on the painted bike lane.

Last Tuesday I walked from Broadway to 31st at 5:50 and counted seven trucks occupying either the bike lane or the right travel lane, plus two cars with their hazards on sitting in the crosswalk at 30th Ave. When the city put in those new loading zones last year, I assumed the point was to give commercial vehicles a place to be. Instead, the zones are either full or the posted hours don't match when deliveries actually happen, so everyone just stops in the next open gap.

The pedestrian part is worse: people have to walk into the moving lane to get around a truck because the crosswalk is blocked. I watched a woman with a stroller swing around the front of a box truck while an SUV was changing lanes to avoid the same truck. The honking doesn't help. Drivers lean on horns just as people are stepping out from behind a truck.

So my question is: has anyone found a good channel for this? 311 feels like a black hole for commercial parking in this spot. A couple of neighbors said the local precinct says call 911 for an active hazard, but by the time anyone would come it's gone or the driver is just sitting there eating. Is the community board actually tracking this? Do we need different loading hour signs, or is this just what 21st St is now?

Yup, that stretch has been a mess since before the bike lane. The loading zones just gave the delivery apps another place to pull over and block the bus stop instead.

I use the 311 app and attach a photo when I can. Once in a while you get a real response, but it's usually 'no violation observed.' The only thing that seems to move trucks is a bus trying to get through from behind. The horn problem is on point too—my windows face 21st and I can set my watch by the 6:15 box truck beep show.

If you want a shot at an actual enforcement sweep, try the 114th precinct's traffic complaint email, not Twitter. Goes nowhere but at least it's not 911 for an idling truck.

Ugh, this is my favorite thing to complain about!! The worst isn't even the seven trucks, it's the one Ford Transit that parks with two wheels on the curb and two in the bike lane, then opens the side door into the sidewalk path. There's a commercial loading zone on 30th Ave but half the drivers won't walk an extra 40 feet with a hand truck.

Have you tried reporting the idling specifically? The law for commercial vehicles is stricter near schools, but outside that it can be a few minutes. FreshDirect trucks used to get hit with idling summons on 28th St. The city has a separate idling complaint category, not just blocked bike lane.

Also, what time are the loading hours on those signs? I swear they say 7am–10am and 4pm–7pm, but the beer trucks show up at 3:30 on purpose.

If anyone wants to do a joint 311 photo dump, I have a folder of plates from the same box truck every Wednesday. Just saying.

Hi! I just moved to 31st Ave near 21st a few weeks ago and tried to bike to the Queensbridge area for work. I gave up on 21st after the second day because of exactly this. I actually didn't know the loading zones were new. Is the bike lane on 21st supposed to be protected, or is it just paint? I couldn't tell because it disappears near the curb cuts.

Also, do trucks get a pass if they put the yellow hazards on? Because every single one does, even when they're fully parked in the lane.

Thanks for the 311 tips. I'm going to try again on a different street but I don't know which one. Is Crescent St better? I saw it has a bike lane but also a school and a firehouse maybe? That might be even worse in the morning.

Responding to big_city_beth and MurrayHill_M—Crescent is better for bikes in the morning if you're headed north, but yes, the school drop-off window from roughly 8:00 to 8:30 turns the northbound lane into a line of double-parked SUVs. If you can shift your trip to 7:45 or 9:00, it's a much calmer ride. Otherwise, I'd take 23rd Street up to the bridge, but watch the metal plates near the old taxi garage and the left-turning traffic at Hoyt.

To answer the lane question: the 21st Street bike lane is mostly a painted buffer, not a protected lane, and it narrows or ends at a couple of driveways and the approach to the bridge. That's one reason the trucks drift in—there's no hard separation.

For 311, I've had the most luck using the 'Blocked bike lane' and 'Illegal parking' categories separately, not the generic complaint. If you can safely get a photo showing the plate and the lane marking, attach it. The response may still be 'no violation,' but multiple entries from different people on the same block sometimes leads to a short enforcement presence. The community board does hear about it, but I haven't seen the location on a recent agenda.

The loading zone is signed for commercial loading, but the hours are short and the signs are set back from the corner. The result is exactly what you observed: trucks park just past the zone when it's full. If anyone has the exact sign hours from the one near 30th Ave, post them; I think that's the issue—the window doesn't match actual delivery routes.

My two cents: don't bother with Crescent past 8:15 unless you enjoy SUV slalom and crossing guards giving you the stink eye. 23rd is okay but the road bed is garbage from the bridge work.

Beth, the hazard lights are not a parking permit, but yeah, they all do it.

Also, the one thing everyone forgets: the 69th Street pier exit dumps a ton of cars onto 21st and there's no dedicated left-turn lane, so even without trucks you're weaving around people swinging wide toward the bridge. It's a design fail as much as a driver fail.

I called the 114th once about a box truck parked on the crosswalk and they said 'call 911 if it's an emergency.' So now I just do 311 and move on.

Okay, I tried Crescent this morning at 8:45 and it was exactly like you all said. I ended up walking my bike for two blocks behind a line of cars. Then I cut over to 23rd and it was actually fine, just loud near the bridge. Not sure I'll do it every day, but at least I'm not on 21st in the truck parade.

Thanks for the 311 categories too! I sent one for a truck blocking the bike lane and got the automated email. Not expecting much, but it felt less useless than standing there. The hazard lights thing is wild to me. I thought they were allowed if they were making a delivery, but I guess not.

Has anyone tried the route by the waterfront instead? I saw a greenway entrance near the park but wasn't sure if it connects all the way north.