As ridership soars to record highs and heavier cargo bikes and e-bikes hit the streets in big numbers, New York City is turning its attention to secure storage for residents of the Big Apple.
Many apartments in New York lack appropriate space for bike storage, and many are walk-ups without elevators. This creates a barrier for would-be owners of regular bikes, let alone hefty cargo bikes or e-bikes fitted with heavy batteries.
More than 600,000 bike trips are undertaken each day in New York City and more streets are being fitted with protected bike lanes.
To ensure it capitalises on the momentum, the New York City Department of Transportation is planning a network of 500 secure bike parking locations across all five boroughs.
“With record bike ridership and an all-time high number of protected bike lanes, New York City is experiencing a booming cycling renaissance,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
“This initiative will support continued growth in cycling by addressing a key barrier to bike ownership: the lack of access to secure bike storage.”
Locations will be prioritised near major transit hubs and key destinations, and there will be a mix of small and high-capacity facilities with both enclosed and open-air designs. Some will be installed at the kerbside and others will be completely off-street.
The department's plans call for enclosed, small capacity units to be installed at kerbside locations for storing regular bikes of cargo and adaptive bikes. One standard car parking space is enough to accommodate 10-12 regular bikes. These units would make up the majority installed under the program.
High-capacity, enclosed units are planned for off-street locations and would feature flexible designs to accommodate cargo bikes and adaptive bikes. They could also include e-bike charging.
Other plans call for open-air self-locking racks with flexible designs for a variety of bikes, that can be placed at the kerb or on the sidewalk. These too could be fitting with e-bike charging capabilities.
“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,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.
“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.”
The New York City Department of Transportation is now looking to identify an operator to manage the bike storage network. It expects the first ones to enter use next year, and for all 500 locations to be available within five years.
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