If you have ever walked through Manhattan, you’ve walked under something the city calls “Sidewalk Sheds”. The scaffolding is used for construction along the 280 miles of sidewalks that cover Manhattan. In one instance, scaffolding was put in place in 2006, and as of today, it is still there. One estimate puts the current number of sidewalk sheds in New York City at 4,000.
On many occasions, those sidewalk sheds are up for months, if not years. The New York City Council wants to start cracking down on them with a new bill proposed in mid-March. Parts of the bill include design requirements, timelines for scaffold removal both after and during a job, height requirements, and the need for proper LED lighting.
Provision 955 of the bill says construction teams must “provide for better lighting under the scaffolding, replacing outdated lighting technology with new LED lighting strips and for a uniform light level to be present throughout a shed.” Bill sponsors say the better lighting will provide more safety for pedestrians in the city and provide better opportunities for the businesses that are under the sidewalk sheds.
Businesses that do not comply with the sidewalk shed requirement, including having the proper LED lighting strips, would face a fine.