Delivery hours changed

In an effort to reduce the amount of congestion caused on Charlotte Street, the Charlotte Street Vision 2004 and beyond Committee has issued a notice to all downtown owners and store suppliers to control the hours that deliveries are made. The notice asks business operators to adjust their receiving of goods and supplies to early morning and late afternoon, as midday deliveries often cause “unnecessary inconvenience and congestion.” The committee is also asking that 20-foot and 40-foot containers be brought to the city before 10 am or after 4 pm.

When Newsday contacted several store managers at Charlotte Street yesterday, there were varied responses to what they thought of the new plan. One store manager said she agreed with the plan being implemented by the Charlotte Street Committee and believed that it would aid in alleviating the congestion problem that has become commonplace on the street. Another store manager, who wished to remain nameless, said that it would be a great help as there is a lot of congestion on Charlotte Street during the daytime, and these measures would help tremendously. Not all store managers felt this way, as one manager from an electronics store on Charlotte Street said that it would be difficult for his store to comply with such regulations as the store is unable to predict when deliveries would be made to them.

A garment shop owner said that dealing with different suppliers also complicates the situation, as goods can be delivered only when suppliers have the time to do so and this can also be dependent on the traffic on the streets, the time the goods leave the factory, as well as a number of other factors. The man said that his business needs to remain flexible in order to receive the goods and deliveries are therefore left to the suppliers. On the issue of the containers arriving at the city at a specified time, the manager said that this would be an entirely different situation, as this would be a bit more feasible.

For most Charlotte Street proprietors however, the plan for the ease in congestion seems to have struck a positive note as they agree with the move and said they would comply with the plan. President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association, Gregory Aboud, said he was in “support” of the committee, adding that “the best people to discipline business people are business people.”