Curb Cuts

Usage: Wide

Curb cuts provide for vehicular access between the street and adjacent properties, for purposes of accommodating vehicular connections to driveways, loading berths, and parking facilities. The design of curb cuts must balance the operational needs of each property with the safety and accessibility needs of the sidewalk and street.

For additional guidance, refer to NYC DOT’s Instructions for Filing Plans & Guidelines for the Design of Sidewalks, Curbs, Roadways and Other Infrastructure Components and DOB. If a project is required to comply with CEQR, review Chapter 16: Transportation of the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Technical Manual for guidance regarding curb cuts.

Court Street, Brooklyn
Midtown, Manhattan

Benefits

  • Prioritizes pedestrian movement along the sidewalk over entering and exiting turning movements by vehicles
  • Organizes and concentrates points of vehicle entry and/or exit along the curb/sidewalk  
  • Helps accommodate parking demand within abutting properties, rather than on-street along the curb 
  • Helps reduce reliance on curbside space for deliveries, and the associated delivery activity across the sidewalk to and from abutting property
  • Helps reduce turning speeds as vehicles move between roadway and abutting property

Considerations

  • Review Key Considerations
  • Must meet accessibility standards. Review Accessibility, Pedestrian Mobility Plan, and Pedestrian Access Routes
  • Frequency should be minimized, where feasible and consistent with the New York City Zoning Resolution, to minimize conflicts between turning vehicles and vulnerable street users (i.e., pedestrians and cyclists), as well as with other vehicles traveling on the abutting street. This is particularly important on high-volume pedestrian streets  
  • Placement should account for the presence of streetscape amenities such as: street trees, speed humps, utility poles and manholes, fire hydrants, street lights and traffic signal poles, bike racks and Citi Bike stations
  • Placement should avoid interference with places where vulnerable street users typically congregate, such as crosswalks, pedestrian ramps, bus stops, bike lanes, and curb extensions
     

Application

  • Applied at all vehicular access points to abutting property, consistent with New York City Zoning Resolution and NYC DOT guidance
  • Evaluate the application in the context of pedestrian, bicycle and traffic volumes, abutting land use, traffic access, and circulation needs of the individual property
     

Design

  • Refer to NYC DOT’s Instructions for Filing Plans & Guidelines for the Design of Sidewalks, Curbs, Roadways and Other Infrastructure Components and Standard Highway Specifications
  • Widths should be established in accordance with provisions in the New York City Zoning Resolution. Where flexibility permits, curb cuts should be “right-sized” to account for the turning paths of the largest vehicles expected to use the curb cut—and all expected left-turn and right-turn entry and exit movements—but no wider   
  • Maintain sidewalk continuity along the street, except at some signalized driveway locations (as per NYC DOT’s determination)  
  • Provide as steep a transition as feasible given site grading constraints to maximize the flat area of sidewalk and slow vehicle speeds entering the property
  • Sidewalk cross-slope must comply with ADA and the rules promulgated thereunder
  • Review Vehicle Swept Path guidance on how to use design vehicles to confirm the design can accommodate necessary vehicle movements
  • Use an appropriately-sized design vehicle based on existing or expected future needs of abutting property
  • All loading berths shall be designed to be of a depth sufficient to provide for the full length of the vehicles expected to use them, without obstructing the flow of pedestrians along the abutting sidewalk. Sidewalk blockages due to parked or standing vehicles at a curb cut are not permitted. An clear path that complies with ADA and all applicable rules promulgated thereunder must be provided
  • Proposed driveways, parking lots, drive-through windows, valet parking operations, loading berths, and other similar on-site features may require further evaluation or technical analysis to inform the design and placement of curb cuts on City streets
↑