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Busy weekend nights in downtowns across Long Island yield the same familiar scene: Uber drivers pull over wherever there’s an opening, sometimes double-parking, making awkward U-turns or stopping near an intersection as passengers scramble into or out of the vehicles.
Patchogue is trying to change that.
The village has installed four designated rideshare spaces along Main Street, establishing what officials believe could be among the first municipal efforts on Long Island to specifically accommodate Uber and Lyft pickups and drop-offs in a downtown business district.
The four spaces were painted purple and signed last week near the “Four Corners” intersection of Main Street and Ocean Avenue. Two are on the east side of the intersection and two are on the west side, positioned across from one another.
The spaces are located near Coho and Bank of America on the east side, and near the Patchogue-Medford Library and Standard Rec on the west side. The five-minute rideshare spaces would be in effect Thursday to Sunday, from 6 p.m. until 4 a.m. each day. Outside of those hours, the spaces would revert to metered parking.
The goal is simple: Give rideshare drivers designated places to pull over without creating a traffic hazard — while making it easier for passengers to get in and out of downtown.
“We take a lot of pride in Patchogue being the leader in a lot of these spaces,” Augie Ruckdeschel, the village’s deputy planning and zoning coordinator, told Greater Long Island. “If there’s an opportunity here to create a safer, more convenient experience for people who want to use rideshares, we’re willing to pilot something or experiment with something.”
The initiative grew out of conversations involving the village, local businesses and the village board’s restaurant committee, said David Kennedy, executive director of the Patchogue Business Improvement District.
Busy nights and congested streets
Kennedy said the idea came after restaurant owners and managers raised concerns about what happens on busy nights when rideshare drivers converge on downtown.
“Sometimes when these Uber drivers … would be making U-turns, it’d be double parking and just causing traffic issues,” Kennedy shared. “So it was suggested by the restaurant [committee] maybe there could be special designated spots for these Uber drivers.”
Numerous cities across the United States have actively replaced traditional downtown street parking spaces with dedicated rideshare pick-up and drop-off zones.
In May, Nashville established 24 dedicated rideshare pickup zones, operating from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekends, to reduce congestion.
Other cities that have taken similar measures are Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Des Moines, Iowa; Chicago and San Fransisco.
Photos: Rideshare parking spots and signs in downtown Patchogue (Taken by Nicholas Esposito)
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