TESTIMONY
Testimony by Karina Kaufman Gutierrez, Deputy Director of the Street Vendor Project: Advocating for Safe and Fair Street Vending
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3 min
Karina Kaufman Gutierrez, Deputy Director of the Street Vendor Project, testifies in support of street vending reforms. She highlights the challenges faced by vendors due to existing regulations and supports legislation aimed at enhancing safety and reducing criminal liability for vendors. Gutierrez's testimony focuses on critical safety measures, including allowing vending carts to be set further from the curb, and the importance of adapting rules to safeguard vendors while maintaining pedestrian accessibility.
Speaker 21
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Good afternoon, Chairman and the Council members.
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My name is Karina Kaufman Gutierrez, and I'm the Deputy Director of the Street Under Project.
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Many of the bills being discussed today will start to correct the double standard that has long existed in regards to the regulation of street vendors.
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Compared with other small businesses with the passage of preconceived legislation on curbside requirements and reducing criminal liability for both food and merchandise vendors with urgency.
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As part of the street vendor reform legislative package.
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We also very much support the passage of preconceived legislation by Chairman, Thank you for for moving those bills through.
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Forward, the citing rules and regulations for licensed and permitted vendors are highly regulated.
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Noting the time, place, and manner in which vendors must operate.
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T75, introduced by council member Dela Rosa, continues this tradition while addressing both critical safety issues that put the well-being of hardworking vendors at risk while ensuring our city's smallest businesses have less risk of displacement.
Speaker 22
0:55:53
It's been the
Speaker 21
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case for decades that street vendors may only operate on a sidewalk that is 12 feet or wider in order to maintain a clear pedestrian pathway.
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May surprise folks to learn that less than 20% of public sidewalks are 12 feet or wider, which may 80% of sidewalks in New York City off limits for vending.
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Food carts must be no larger than 10 feet by 5 feet, and merchandise vendors have tables of 8 feet by 3 feet.
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This will not change with this legislation.
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Right now, vendors must set up with less than 1 and a half feet from the curb.
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Placing them very close to speeding cars.
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My foot is about a foot, and if I take one wrong step, in these 6 inches that are here, I could fall into a bike, I could fall into a car.
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What this bill would do was allow vendors carts or tables to be set up no more than 2 feet.
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So a difference of 6 inches away from the curb.
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It's a very small amount, but this can truly be lifesaving.
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Additionally, this bill addresses the rights of our small businesses while preserving pedestrian accessibility.
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On many sidewalks that are larger than 12 feet, mind you, that is a very small amount, less than 20%.
Speaker 23
0:57:04
There are
Speaker 21
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obstructions like ballards, planters, or bike racks that are set up along the curb, but just just a short bit.
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Thank you.
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That render a legal vending spot illegal because the vendor is not able to remain less than a foot and a half from the curb.
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With this legislation, as long as a twelve foot sidewalk between the obstruction and the building faces maintained, vendors will be able to set up in front of the obstruction and continue to serve the area maintaining standard vending rules.
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Just a brief example of this in Times Square for where obstructions like ballards are rightfully placed for public safety, the vendors who are part of the fabric of the neighborhood and the tourist experience often set up in front of them maintaining a clear 12 there's a twelve foot between the obstruction and the building phase, but they receive fines because they are more than a foot in a half from the curb in front of the ballard.
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The vendors want to be in compliance but are physically prevented from doing so by the ballard.
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And so should this bill pass vendors in this situation as long as a twelve foot sidewalk distance between the obstruction and the building faces maintained, would be able to set up, continue to serve the area, and maintain vending practices.
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What will remain in violation is if there is less than a twelve foot sidewalk between the obstruction and a building phase, vending will not be allowed no matter if there's a tiny setup or not.
0:58:29
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1
0:58:30
Okay.
0:58:30
Thank you.
0:58:31
I also wanna mention we've been joined on Zoom by council member, Jose.
Speaker 24
0:58:40
I'm sorry.