BROOKLYN – Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights/Downtown) and Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, were joined by cyclists, Council members and various transportation and environmental groups recently on the steps of City Hall to rally for passage of the Bikes in Buildings Bill (Intro. 38).
The bill, which Yassky authored in 2006, has the support of more than 30 council members and would require commercial and office buildings to provide bicycle access for workers, while leaving individual access plans up to landlords.
"Thousands of people in this city want to bike to work," said Yassky, "but they can't do it if they've got to worry about their bikes being stolen or ruined by the weather. New Yorkers want a greener city, and they're ready to help us build one. We've got to make sure we're enabling their efforts."
"It's astounding that New York City's commercial buildings allow strollers and handcarts indoors, but frequently refuse bicycle access," added Steely White. "The Bikes in Buildings Bill will instantly enable tens of thousands of New Yorkers to ride their bike to work without fear of bike theft."
A Department of City Planning study cites a lack of secure indoor bike parking as the number one deterrent to would-be bike commuters; some 70,000 bicycles are stolen in New York City every year. The Bikes in Buildings Bill would eliminate this concern for New Yorkers wishing to ride their bikes to work, resulting in decreased congestion and strain on public transit.
The bill, Intro. 38 of 2006, would require commercial landlords to provide reasonable access for those workers wishing to bring their bikes indoors during the workday. It specifically avoids stipulations on how that access must be afforded, opting instead to allow landlords the flexibility to develop individual access plans that suit their buildings and their tenants.
"The strength of this bill," explained Yassky, "is that it recognizes the unique ability of landlords to decide how to accommodate bikes in their own buildings. This is something every building can do without negative consequences."
Developer Jonathan Rose of Jonathan Rose Companies, Inc. agreed, saying, "Intro. 38 has the opportunity to help dramatically increase the number of New Yorkers choosing to bicycle to work, without placing undue burdens on building owners and managers themselves. To not take up this critical legislation would be to condemn our city's residents and workers to fewer choices."
Yassky and White also used the event to highlight several buildings throughout New York City that have developed such plans, including several city municipal buildings and 1 Madison Avenue, the New York headquarters of Credit Suisse. Employees at that building are able to store their bikes in a dedicated bike room, but Intro. 38 would allow for any number of divergent approaches.
