NYC looks to install 500 secure bike parking facilities
All images courtesy of NYC DOT
The city is looking to build hundreds of free, secure bike parking locations across the five boroughs to prevent theft and encourage more New Yorkers to bike. The Department of Transportation on Thursday issued a request for proposals seeking operators for a network of 500 secure biking parking facilities to be built starting next year. The new storage spaces would accommodate the continued growth in bike ridership across the city, which is seeing more than 600,000 trips daily.
The transportation agency said it envisions “a variety of small and high-capacity” facility designs, including enclosed and open-air units located both curbside and off-street. The first locations would roll out next year, with all 500 installed by 2029.
The enclosed, small-capacity units would be installed curbside in residential areas for either standard-sized bikes or cargo and adaptive bikes. According to the agency, this type of facility would likely be the majority of facilities under the program.
Enclosed high-capacity parking facilities, designed to be off-street and flexible, would be installed near public transit hubs and other highly trafficked destinations with the potential to accommodate dozens of bikes at a time.
DOT also announced plans for open-air self-locking racks, which could be placed on the sidewalk or curbside, hold all bike sizes and configurations, and possibly include charging capabilities for e-bikes.
“As more people ride bikes to get around, including heavier and pricier e-bikes, we must create infrastructure for safe, convenient storage, as one of the many highest and best uses for our roadways,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said.
“New York must be built for people, at the density our growing city requires. These storage lockers will create many more spaces for New Yorkers’ commuting needs on our limited roadway.”
After selecting an operator, DOT anticipates opening the initial storage locations by next year, with all 500 locations installed within five years. Prioritization will be given to locations and designs that enhance bike parking near major transit hubs, offer storage for e-bikes and cargo bikes, provide long-term storage in residential areas for New Yorkers without space in their homes, and potentially include e-bike charging at storage facilities.
Storage hubs will be installed fairly among all five boroughs to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to free bike security.
“Ensuring that New Yorkers have secure bike parking is a critical component to the continuing growth of bicycling across the city,” Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York, said.
“This major increase in bike storage will make bicycling significantly easier and more accessible and a broad bike parking network can be as transformative to cyclists as protective bike lanes and Citi Bikes.”
Adding secure bike parking to city streets has been in the works for a while, with a pilot program in 2022 that included bike parking pods at five high-traffic cyclist spots. The agency used Brooklyn-based company Oonee’s “Mini,” a prototype of the company’s six-bike corral. According to Streetsblog, Oonee has opened bike parking locations at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Atlantic Terminal, Hudson Square, and next to three PATH stations in New Jersey.
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