It was very well-designed, and it did in fact keep the vendors that are all over this block from taking up the bike parking. We even helped someone who was trying to read that bike map to see how he could ride over the GW Bridge…

Get a good lock and get out and ride.

This is not corruption we are seeing here, more likely it is idealism–the belief that by promoting cycling the city can meaningfully address serious transportation and even public health challenges. Does this particular piece of infrastructure is the best way to do that? Smart Guy raises some fair points. I would put the over-breadth of the 7-block 9th Ave. cycle track (not the cycle track concept itself) and the surplus of bike racks installed along it in the same category of high-visibility, questionable-practicality infrastructure.

In contrast, the DoT’s follow-through in laying on-street lanes has been a tremendous boon. I know there are always people parking in them, but for whatever reason, bicyclists are drawn to them. I know I am, even when I’m in a hurry and plan to ride in the middle of the traffic lane adjacent to the bike lane to avoid the dooring hazard. Because bicyclists congregate in the bike lanes, there is greater visibility and “safety in numbers.” This effect is very clear over the last few months on the new portions of the Centre and Lafayette lanes, and on the broadened 5th Ave. lane.

I think it’s great to see DOT experimenting, innovating and showing creativity and flexibility even if this may not be the ideal design for covered bike parking.

I wonder if the people in charge of contracting this had a kickback deal: We’ll get you to create these dumbass structures, if you give us half of your profit. Also, give me half the profit of us charging you to take them down, after everyone realizes how stupid of an idea this is. We make money, and everyone forgets it ever happened.

This is the most retarded idea I’ve ever heard, and cannot believe it was even considered over one of a million alternative ways to improving biking and raise more awareness of biking in NYC.

“Hey, let’s but big, expensive structures in the middle of sidewalks. They should hold seven.. no, EIGHT bikes, so that people can park their bike before it starts to rain, and pick up their bike after it’s done raining! I mean, what MORE could bikers want than that?? Now, the next time bikers ask for something, we can say “geeez, we already gave you super expensive and convenient buildings to block you from rain! not even cars get free parking like that! what more do you want?!?!”"

“Ok, sounds good. Make sure I get a kickback and get re-elected”

“Deal.”

Good point.

As much as i’d love to see NYC become a bicycling utopia, some times i wonder if i should be careful what i wish for.

If substantial numbers ever abandon their cars bikers will quickly become a replacement state/municipal revenue stream.

It will start with metered parking and stepped up enforcement/ticketing of traffic violations. In the end bicyclists will have the same mandatory registration, licensing and insurance requirments as automobiles.

However, Jonathan’s comment back at #24 brings up an idea. Cars get stolen because it is an object that is by nature mobile. Same with bikes. Well if you got real problems with your bike getting stolen then maybe locking it up and taking a wheel with you could help. I know when my car was new I would take the main ignition wire with me when I parked in rough areas. Took 30 seconds to remove and now the car ain’t going nowhere under its own power. Wouldn’t stop a flat-bed just as removing the wheel wouldn’t stop a thief with a van but it’s a definite major deterrent.

Also, I recently got a Brompton folding bike for travel and for a possible commute to NYC. I never lock it up and simply take it with me into every place that I go; work, offices, music clubs, even fancy restaurants. I’ve never had an issue. Even those that were skeptical at first about letting me bring it in are easily won over when they see it fold up. (Side note: I’ve never had a bike before that caused so many total strangers to just come up to me and start conversation; even good looking women!)

As for the bike parking kiosk, I gotta’ admit that you gotta’ walk before you can run and NYC is trying to do some Olympic level sprinting with this design. I was just in Philly earlier today and there are simple, solid, but affordable (yet damn effective) inverted “U” racks everywhere. For the most part they a placed parallel to the curb where the meters go. Such a layout minimizes ped conflicts and utilizes a section of the sidewalk not regularly utilized by pedestrians. Nothing new to most of you. What was really interesting today however was that I noticed a series of 3 or more of these racks in front of a Center City church for their members (Cool!).

New York should start with a program like this first, then move on to the the fancy stuff.

As for Greenpointers cycling to the #7 stop: what little attention and energy I can spend on these matters will be focused on the MTA’s near-criminal abuse of “G” train riders and neighborhoods. And that’s really the story here, anyway, isn’t it? We need every type of viable, sustainable transportation options we can get, but it’s really the 800-pound gorilla–the MTA, NYC Transit and their mismanagment of this public resource–which has to take priority in our action. That, and the Bloomberg/Doctoroff doctrine of putting people where there ain’t no trains.

Do they still have the 12-hour meters on Vernon between the railroad tracks and Jackson Ave? That’s where I’d like to see a cicloparqueadero.

The Vernon-Jackson #7 stop is the last one in Queens before Manhattan, a desirable destination, but the fact is there’s no place in Hunter’s Point where you’re more than a few blocks from a subway station, so how many would “commute” on two wheels anyway?

I have to disagree with you here, Rex. Citylights may only be two blocks from the subway, but they’re long blocks, and as you go up or down the waterfront you get further from the #7 but not much closer to the E/V trains at 23rd/Ely. If I lived in the East Coast I’d definitely want it to be easy to bike to the subway.

Also, the new Hunter’s Point South development will have 5000 apartments, and will not be a very convenient walk from any stop. This particular plan is not very well-thought-out at all in terms of transportation, and it’s quite unlikely that four bike racks will be enough for the residents of 5000 apartments, but there will be demand for these racks.

Locking your bike to the subway kiosk, or to someone else’s private property, on the other hand, is obnoxious and self centered, and tells your fellow citizens that you don’t give a hoot about them.

Yes, I would prefer that parking be taken away from cars for bikes, but I’m not going to castigate an alternate solution either. There aren’t that many pedestrians at Jackson Ave & 50th Avenue in Queens (to mention one spot), so it seems like a good place to try out these shelters.