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Manhattan councilmember pitches for more bike parking to prevent theft
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 29, 2024
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By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 29, 2024
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A package of bills before the City Council would create more bike parking and storage in local parks and city-owned buildings to protect against theft.
The first bill, dubbed “Park Your Bike,” would require parks of at least 2.5 acres or larger to create covered bike parking stations that would shelter bikes from the elements. The second would require city-owned buildings of at least 10,000 square feet to provide storage for employees or visitors to park their bikes.
Manhattan Councilmember Christopher Marte, who introduced the bills, said it would give cyclists like him peace of mind.
“I typically have a second thought every time i walk out with my bike out of my apartment. Where am I gonna leave it? Will it be safe?" he said. "The city is transforming to be a more bike-friendly place, but to increase that safety, to increase that accessibility, we need to make sure that we have bike storage that people can feel confident of where they're gonna leave their bikes.”
In parks, the bike storage would resemble London’s “cycle hangars” — metal sheds where bikes are stored out of sight and away from the elements, though the sheds themselves would not be locked. The city’s parks department would determine where they go.
“If you don't see a bike, you're not going to think about it. Right? And so, by having these sheds, it just gives people the comfort that it can be properly secured in a place that's not visible,” Marte said.
In city buildings, the Department of Buildings and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services would look for the best options to store bikes.
Emily Jacobi with Transportation Alternatives said the bill would help encourage more New Yorkers to ride in the city.
“These bills will expand bike parking and bike accessibility across New York City,”
Jacobi said "While there are 1.5 parking spaces for every car registered in NYC, there is only one bicycle parking space for every 116 bikes. This bill is an essential step towards fixing that, and we hope to see it move quickly through the legislative process."
Marte said he's also looking at other opportunities to create more bike storage throughout the city.
“We believe that this is a good pilot program or a good first step to have not only people get more comfortable with storing their bikes and public area, but also to allow the city to continue to encourage this, whether it's in a park or on the street to have more public sheds to start people's bikes,” he said
Tagged
new york city
transportation
parks
Catalina Gonella
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