The pedestrian, cycling, and public transportation advocacy organization Transportation Alternatives (TA) is imploring New York City to provide improved, expanded bicycle parking across the five boroughs.
A new TA report, The Power of Bicycle Parking: An Easy, Affordable and Effective Way to Save Lives, Encourage Cycling, and Create a Fairer New York City, outlined what the organization deemed a considerable lack of bike parking in New York City. The report also includes specific recommendations for improving the transportation infrastructure while also launching an online petition calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to invest in safe, secure bike parking.
“Simply put, there is not enough bicycle parking in New York City,” Danny Harris, Transportation Alternatives executive director, said. “Despite more households owning bikes than cars, bike parking has taken a back seat to free private car storage on our streets. Even peer cities like Chicago and Washington, D.C. have significantly more bike parking per-capita than New York. As more New Yorkers turn to bikes, our city needs to start building more bike parking now. Installing dedicated spaces at scale will send a strong signal that biking is safe, reliable, and accessible for all New Yorkers.”
TA officials maintain that secure bicycle parking is also a critical utility encouraging more New Yorkers to travel by bike.
Current bike parking remains too limited and insecure, disproportionately impacting lower-income New Yorkers and New Yorkers of color, citing they are less likely to ride when bicycle parking is unavailable.
Bicycle parking encourages more people to ride, makes cycling safer, and encourages stopping and spending at local businesses – earning businesses more revenue than car parking.