Punjabi Deli Will Get Its Taxi Relief Stand, But First It Will Need to Hang On

Fans of cabbie hangout and cheap eats destination Punjabi Deli gathered in droves last night at a community board meeting to advocate for a taxi relief stand outside of the tiny shop. The stand got unanimous sign-off from the board's transportation committee, but the shop will have to hold out for a while longer, reports Bowery Boogie. The street work that's been so problematic for the past five years, is slated to wrap up at the end of the summer, at which point the Department of Transportation will conduct a survey of spaces and a stand can go in. But, seeing as the project is already two years behind schedule, the work may not be done until this fall, or even later. DOT’s Manhattan community liaison Colleen Chattergoon promises that the DOT will work quickly on the stand when the time comes: “We will expedite it. We will definitely expedite it,” she said, according to The Lo-Down.

The city's department of transportation is considering adding a bus stop on East Houston, right near the shop, so the taxi relief stand will likely be relegated to East 1st Street. In the meantime, there are four reserved parking spots for taxi cabs on Avenue A, about 150 feet away. The full community board will vote on the measure on May 26.