Hey, first time posting here. I moved into a small walk-up in Dyker a few months ago. Every evening, the front stoop is completely covered in delivery e-bikes from the Haitian spot two doors down. I’m talking four or five bikes leaning against the rail, sometimes against the door. Last night I had groceries and had to turn sideways to get in. The delivery guys are not rude or anything, they usually nod. Is this just normal now? Do I say something to them, the restaurant, my landlord, or just accept it as the price of having good griot nearby? I don’t want to be the new guy who starts a stoop war.

Welcome. The answer is: it’s normal, but it shouldn’t be, especially if it blocks egress. I’ve lived above a busy takeout place in Yorkville and on a block in Sunset Park where eight e-bikes idled on the sidewalk every night. The delivery workers are in a terrible position: the apps punish them for locking up two blocks away, and most restaurant owners won’t give up a storage corner for someone else’s vehicle.

What I’d do, in order: (1) Take photos at the same time over a few nights, showing the door path. (2) Email or text the landlord/super first—not as a complaint about the riders, but as a building safety issue. A blocked front door is a real fire violation and a liability if someone older or disabled can’t get out. (3) If that goes nowhere, file a 311 report under blocked sidewalk or commercial e-bike storage. It won’t get someone out instantly, but a few open tickets can push the restaurant or precinct to notice.

Don’t start with the riders. They’ll move when asked, but the next shift replaces them in ten minutes. You need the building or the restaurant to create an actual spot.

This is the flip side of getting hot food in 15 min flat. Same on my block, except it's scooters halfway on the sidewalk with the phone still mounted and the app blaring. I've given up being mad. I just go 'scuse, boss' and point at the door. They move. The guys are fried, not trying to trap you in the building.

I don't even mind the bikes themselves, it's the ones left running with the blue lights strobing like a nightclub at midnight. Called 311 once on a pile of them blocking a hydrant and they closed the ticket as 'no violation' with no comment. The system definitely was not built for the e-bike era. I'd still send photos to your super, because if there's ever a fire, that stoop video is the first thing the lawyer finds.

Thanks. So if I do 311, can it be anonymous? A friend told me the restaurant owner sometimes stands outside and might see me taking pictures. Also, is one of those little 'No bike parking' decals on the railing even worth it, or does it just make me look like a grump?

Honestly the decal is a decoration. The place down the block from me put up a sign in three languages and zip-tied a crate to a pole. The bikes just attached themselves to the tree pit instead. What finally helped was the super painting a yellow box on the sidewalk next to the curb cuts and telling the restaurant they could use that. Still not perfect, but the door stayed clear. Try asking your super if they can make a painted or taped 'keep clear' area. The restaurant might actually play along.

Signs don't do zilch unless somebody with authority is standing there. But the yellow box idea is decent. I'd still lean on the egress thing. Nobody wants a fine from the fire department, and your landlord will care more about that than your groceries.

I agree with JacksonHeightsJay that egress is the magic word. To expand on the 311 part: yes, you can file anonymously, but you'll get a better record if you create an account and submit a few night-time photos. Use the street/sidewalk obstruction category or commercial e-bike storage, and put 'blocked building entrance' in the description. One call won't trigger a task force, but repeated complaints at the same address do show up in the precinct's quality-of-life stats and in community board reports.

This is the same kind of small-trade-off math as the earlier thread on the 14th St 1/2/3 to L transfer The 14th St 1/2/3 to L transfer: does the far west exit actually save time?—people convince themselves a two-minute shortcut is worth blocking the flow for everyone behind them. In this case, the rider thinks it's only a few minutes, but around 7 p.m. it's a continuous rotation.

The faster move is usually your super or landlord. A sentence like blocked building entrance, fire egress, liability tends to move things faster than any sign. If the super is checked out, 311 plus a polite note to the restaurant manager is reasonable. Don't assume the owner is hostile—some just don't realize how far the bikes spill over.

Lol I remember that 14th St transfer thread. I think half the posters were describing a different station. Anyway, the 'continuous rotation' point is exactly right. It's never one bike. It's a shift change of bikes every time the delivery app surges. Your pictures should capture the same door at 7:00 and 9:00 to show it's not a one-off.

Also true that the restaurants don't see it. The front door to my building was getting blocked by a place that didn't even realize the bikes were leaning against a residential stoop; the owner thought they were using the service entrance next door. A short conversation fixed more than a year of me muttering at the railing.

Thanks everyone. I tried 'excuse me, I need to get through' last night instead of just squeezing by, and two guys actually moved the bikes to the side. I'll still email the super with photos because I don't want it to come back when it's snowy. Appreciate the reality check.