Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Design New York City's New Bike Racks
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 14, 2008
Modified Mar 14, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 14, 2008
Modified Mar 14, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A study revealed that a lack of secure bike parking was the biggest reason why people don’t cycle to work. So the Department of Transportation is cooperating with Cooper-Hewitt, Google and Transportation Alternatives to organize an international design competition for the next generation of city bike racks. More than $50,000 in honoraria to develop prototype bike racks and $15,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top designs.
Contestants are asked to submit designs for sidewalk bike racks and to generate new concepts for bicycle parking inside commercial and residential buildings. Jury members include local celebrity cycling advocate David Byrne and international design superstar Duncan Jackson. Thirty-seven new bike shelters are being installing in the city, but the contest is intended to replace the standard U-shaped ‘CityRack’ seen all over town. (Find out how you can request a CityRack for your neighborhood.)
NYC currently has nearly 4,700 CityRacks and will continue adding at least 500 a year, but the DOT is looking for a new design because the boring old CityRack just doesn’t “fulfill its potential to be an icon for New York City cycling.” Designers are being encouraged to look to the city’s sleek new bus and bike shelters for guidance, but a glass bike rack is probably the wrong direction to go in. And winners of the In-Building competition may have their prototype installed inside Google’s Manhattan headquarters.
Tagged
bicycle
bike rack
city
competition
contest
david byrne
design
dot
new york
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani expands free produce programs for New Yorkers on SNAP
Another program offering cash back for purchasing fruits and vegetables will get more funding.
By
Karen Yi
Published Nov 8, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
Federal judge rules Mamdani administration must give ICE names of Bronx shelter residents
The city argued the request was more "political" than investigatory.
By
Willow Higgins
News
Federal judge rules Mamdani administration must give ICE names of Bronx shelter residents
The city argued the request was more "political" than investigatory.
By
Willow Higgins
NYPD arrests and charges city schools employee in murder of Brooklyn jogger
By
Kaya Laterman
Work is underway to replace deteriorating Newark Bay Bridge, a major NY-NJ route
By
Michael Sol Warren
Quest Diagnostics pays $13M to settle kickback allegations involving NY Giants tickets
By
Kaya Laterman
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .