May 28, 2024 - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has announced a major step to launch a network of 500 secure bike parking locations over the next five years, beginning in 2025, reports AMNY.
The city’s record bike ridership and continued growth has spurred the initiative for a request for proposals (RFP) to operate the network of secure bike parking spots which will help curb theft as well. Thousands of bikes are stolen each year with 26% of New Yorkers reporting a bike stolen from them or a member of their household.
“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.”
Plans include improving secure bike parking near transit hubs, accommodation for e-bikes and cargo bikes, e-bike charging, and long-term storage options in residential areas.
Brooklyn-based startup Oonee, operates bike parking hubs outside Atlantic Terminal, Port Authority Bus Terminal, the Holland Tunnel, and Grand Central, and also secured contracts to operate bike parking networks in Jersey City and Minneapolis.
“This RFP is “a dream come true” and we hope to win the contract,” Shabazz Stuart, Oonee CEO, told AMNY. “To have the nation’s biggest city to come out and say secure bike parking and charging facilities have to be part of the ecosystem is not just gonna change New York, it’s gonna change the world.”
Read the full AMNY article here.
NYC DOT request for proposals (RFP) here.
