Those green plastic flexi-posts they just sunk into the sidewalk on the west side of 5th Ave, roughly 22nd to 23rd, are already doing the exact opposite of what I assume they’re for. Delivery e-bikes and the occasional Citibiker just treat the gap between them like a little obstacle course. Yesterday I watched a guy on a throttle bike thread all five without putting a foot down, right past a stroller. Is this just my bad block or is anyone else seeing the same? I tried to call 311 but I’m not even sure what category fits. Seems like a classic NYC thing: install something to look like a fix, then no one enforces it.

YES!! I have been waiting for someone to post about this! I work near 23rd and 5th and I’ve seen those exact posts on my lunch walk. The e-bike guys use them like slalom gates — they literally lean hard and the plastic post snaps back while they shoot between the tree pit and the curb. I once timed a rider from 24th to 21st on the sidewalk and he never touched the street. Have you tried walking on the east side of 5th? The curb cut by the loading dock is smoother, and for some reason the Domino’s crew doesn’t cut through there as much. The downside is the scaffolding at the corner, but I’d rather dodge scaffolding than a 30 mph cargo bike.

It’s not just Flatiron!! They put the same green posts along McGuinness near the BQE pedestrian island and the e-bikes now use the tree pits as little ramps. I once saw a Citi Biker on a regular bike go over a planter edge because he was trying to beat the gap between the flexi-posts. The spacing is so comically wide! A cargo e-bike with two grocery bins can pass straight through without touching the sides if you time it right. Have you tried yelling 'NOT A RACE!' in your best crossing guard voice? It doesn’t actually stop them, but it makes me feel slightly better. The city really needs to put those little metal loops 3 feet apart, not this plastic spaghetti.

This is the same DOT 'pedestrian-first' treatment they installed near Cadman Plaza and on Old Fulton in Dumbo. The posts are so short and bendy that tourists just lean against them while they take pictures of the bridge. Delivery guys don’t even slow down; they just treat them like lane markers. I’ve started walking with my elbows out and sometimes a little wide-load tote bag just to create a buffer. Have you tried the 'elbow wedge' move? Not perfect, but it stops the closest buzz-cut pass. The annoying part is that the posts are almost invisible in the rain because they don’t have any reflective tape on the sides. I nearly tripped over the base of one last Tuesday.

@ferryfanatic I called 311 under 'blocked sidewalk' and included three photos. The response came back a week later with 'referred to DOT' and then the case was closed with 'no action needed.' Classic. I might try the east side cut, but the scaffolding rats at 23rd are no joke either. Honestly, I’ve just started walking with my grocery bag in front of me like a tiny snowplow.

Wait, you actually got a 311 closure?? I need to know the exact category — was it 'blocked sidewalk' or 'illegal riding on sidewalk'? I have a whole album on my phone called '5th Ave Flexi-Post Crimes.' For the record, the correct DOT category for the posts being useless is 'obstructed pedestrian path' under Street Conditions, not the NYPD bike complaint. They still close it, but at least it routes to the right team. Have you tried using the little mid-block service road behind Eataly? The delivery guys use the loading dock side there, so the pedestrian part is actually smoother. It adds maybe 90 seconds, but zero flexi-post slalom.

@ferryfanatic You’re right about 'obstructed pedestrian path.' I filed that for the McGuinness ones and they actually sent a little DOT sweeper to my block about ten days later, even though the case said 'no summons.' The best part? One of the flexi-posts is now completely missing, leaving a jagged metal base in the middle of the walkway. Victory? I taped a bright orange bandana around the stump so nobody trips, but I think that’s technically a sidewalk alteration and someone might 311 me for it! Have you tried that category for 5th? Sometimes if you include 'near a school crossing' it gets upgraded.

I hate the missing post hole! I almost rolled my ankle by the Flatiron one outside the juice place. The reflective strip is only on the front face, so from behind it’s just a thin dark pole that disappears against the building shadows. The city stencil that said 'PEDESTRIAN PRIORITY' is already worn off too — gorgeous use of paint! For crosswalks, I’ve noticed the delivery guys actually slow down at 23rd because the traffic agents are usually standing there. Have you tried crossing at 23rd instead of 22nd? It feels counterintuitive because of the crowds, but the agents create a tiny no-bullshit zone. The rest of the block is a free-for-all.

@ferryfanatic looking back at the screenshot, I filed under 'Blocked Sidewalk' as a general category and then added a note about e-bikes. They closed it with 'referred to DOT.' I think they just throw it in a black hole. The Eataly cut is under scaffolding now, so the mid-block escape is over. I’ll be honest, on Sunday I walked in the protected bike lane for maybe forty feet because a whole crew of delivery guys was parked on the sidewalk charging their phone and eating. Then a Citibiker dinged at me. There’s no winning.

DON’T walk in the bike lane!! That’s the exact chaos those flexi-posts create — pedestrians pushed into the bike lane, bikers pushed into traffic. If you want a real lifehack, walk in the parking lane by the flexi-posts when cars aren’t actively moving. The loading zone there is usually blocked by box trucks and they move slower than an e-bike on a narrow sidewalk. Have you tried wearing a neon safety vest from the hardware store? I look like a volunteer crossing guard, but I swear the delivery riders swerve wider when they see high-vis. It’s insane, but it works more than the posts do.

This thread is giving me life!! In Greenpoint the only semi-quiet stretch is Manhattan Ave before 4 p.m., but after 4 the e-bikes use the diagonal parking lanes as an express bypass. I’ve started carrying a small keychain whistle and I only blow it when someone is about to clip a stroller or a dog. Works maybe 40% of the time, but the other 60% they just yell 'I’m walking here!' back at me. Have you tried the 'stop dead and look at your phone' move? It forces them to actually brake or swerve into the planter. They get SO mad, but it saves a few inches of space.

Honestly the only real fix is for DOT to put in those little metal U-racks or stone blocks that actually catch a wheel. Plastic posts that bend and snap back are just theater. My neighbor carries a collapsible hiking stick and lets it swing low behind her when she walks the Flatiron run, and riders give her a weirdly wide berth. I might pick one up from the camping store just for the 22nd-to-23rd stretch. Has anyone tried the 'walk with a cane' method, even if you don’t need one? E-bike guys seem to respect a metal stick more than a green post. Stay safe out there.