NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced a network of 500 secure bike parking facilities will be heading to NYC beginning next year.
According to NYC data, more than 600,000 bicycle trips are taken in the city each day, and the city also has a record high number of protected bike lanes across the five boroughs. Though, unfortunately, many NYC apartments don’t have adequate bike storage space.
So, secure bike parking facilities not only make sense but will also continue to fuel New Yorkers’ love and ease of bicycling.
NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez stated:
With record bike ridership and an all-time high number of protected bike lanes, New York City is experiencing a booming cycling renaissance. This initiative will support continued growth in cycling by addressing a key barrier to bike ownership: the lack of access to secure bike storage.
As for the design, a variety of small and high-capacity secure parking facilities will be created, including enclosed and open-air units both curbside and off-street. The facilities are described as follows:
Enclosed small-capacity units:
- Accounting for the majority of the facilities installed
- Placed curbside in residential areas
- Accommodating either standard-sized bikes or cargo and adaptive bicycles
- The size of one vehicle parking space
- Accommodating 10 to 12 standard bicycles
Enclosed high-capacity units:
- Placed off-street near transit hubs and other major destinations
- Accommodating dozens of bikes at a time
- Accommodating cargo bikes and adaptive bikes with the potential to provide charging for e-bikes
Self-locking racks:
- Placed on the sidewalk or curbside
- Flexibility regarding placement possibilities
- Flexibility regarding the types of bikes that can be accommodated
- Accommodating all bike sizes and configurations with the potential to provide charging for e-bikes
Once an operator capable of operating the bike storage network is selected, NYC DOT expects to have the first bike parking facilities available next year across the five boroughs and for all 500 facilities to be in place within five years.
NYC DOT will prioritize locations and storage designs to:
- Improve bike parking near major transit hubs
- Provide options to accommodate e-bikes and cargo bikes
- Offer long-term storage in residential areas for New Yorkers without space for in-home storage
- Potentially incorporate e-bike charging in storage facilities