Bicycle Innovation Spotlight

Bike Stations Popping Up All Over (Except In NYC)

According to the NYC Department of City Planning's 1999 Bicycle Survey, most recreational club cyclists would commute by bike if secure bicycle parking was available. New York is not alone, large cities across the country are discovering that a lack of secure parking is the greatest hindrance to bike commuting. In an effort to remove this obstacle, Chicago, Denver, Pittsburgh and Seattle intend to install Bike Stations. Following the successful examples set by Bike Stations in Long Beach and Palo Alto, California, Chicago has requested $950,000 in federal funds for a Bike Station.

Bike Stations, at a minimum, provide supervised, secure, short-term or overnight bike parking. Often the stations also include amenities like shower and change facilities, coffee and snack stands, bike repair stations, bicycle rental concessions and merchandise sales. The bicycle parking is free and typically subsidized by the other retail services.

Unfortunately NYC is not creating Bike Stations, despite the Department of City Planning proposal that Bike Stations be installed at locations such as the World Trade Center, the corner of Wall Street and South Street, Union Square (southeast corner), Grand Central Station, Penn Station and Port Authority Bus Terminal.