Delivery trucks and vans laden with online packages are putting a stranglehold on New York City streets and filling its air with pollutants.

Now a new city program aims to replace some of these delivery vehicles with a transportation mode that is more environmentally friendly and does not commandeer street space: electric cargo bikes.

It will be the first time the city, long home to bike messengers, has specifically promoted cargo bikes as an alternative to delivery trucks.

As many as 100 pedal-assisted cargo bikes operated by Amazon, UPS and DHL will be allowed to park in hundreds of existing commercial loading areas that are typically reserved for trucks and vans. Unlike those vehicles, the bikes will not have to pay meters.