Cemusa was an act of desperation at an embrionic stage when it was almost impossible to get anything done; and we have yet to see broad implementation of the promised public toilets.

There seems to be a confidence and capability in this city administration, that they can do what has to be done; that they can make it happen; that they can empower the people of this city and give them back control of their own lives.

It is their now in 311 and the burgeoning public plazas, the accelerating bike network, the parks . . . .

Some shower advancements since hot water:

1. New kinds of shower heads (massage, etc.)
2. Handled shower heads, useful for the disabled
3. Thermostatic valve protects against scalding and provides an easier user interface.

I’m rather familiar about the Netherlands and its world leading (along with Japan) bike/transit integration. Unfortunately I could only get to Germany this time (I’ve only got family there, not in NL). My paper is about is a critic of a local transit agency in the NY Metro area, so I tried to keep my comparisons confined to American examples. I’m only using German examples on occasions because I’m most familiar with and have pictures of them.

Also, I don’t think any town with rail transit in the US is up to the levels of cycling found in your average Dutch or Danish (or even German) town so comparisons to such parking facilities in those countries isn’t necessarily fair at this stage of the game here in the US.

Andy B.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's_Cycle_Center

An interesting additional note is that the Chicago Transit Authority has indoor bicycle (but unattended) parking at nearly 90 of its transit stations. I didn’t even see anything like that in Germany last week when I was there visiting family and making observations for a paper I’m doing about bicycle-transit integration.

It probably would be better to avoid as much as possible transportation monopolies (like the Cemusa, MTA) and capture the rich diversity of this town through a multiplicity of local vendors and set the stage for an incubating environment encouraging increasingly innovative and open-ended options.

It’s even possible for a private company to do this on their own–take an empty store, turn it into bike valet storage, and charge per hour and/or sell reserved spots. Depending on how high the rent is and how many cyclists use it (though I suppose it’s safe to assume that if you build it, they will come), it’s possible to make this cost-competitive with subway fare. It certainly can’t be any more expensive than automobile parking in the middle of the city.

I’m not an authority on the question, but I know that Chicago used to have a big, empty space on the lakefront a few blocks off the Loop. Millenium Park fills that space now, and the Bike Center is one of the attractions in Millenium Park. Since there was nothing in that area before Millenium Park, there was nothing to displace, so it was easy to find a place for a bike facility.

If you wanted the same thing in Manhattan, where would you put it? I would guess that every suitable location already has something else on it, so building a bike garage would be much more complicated — and expensive.