The Huge Apple’s plan to put in 500 bike lockers all around the 5 boroughs might price $26 million — as locals are wheelie irritated on the newest assault on metropolis streets that might gobble up lots of of parking areas.
The Division of Transportation has been asking New Yorkers the place to place the lockers, which every maintain six bikes and price an estimated $52,000 a chunk, however many Manhattanites advised The Publish they’d had sufficient of reckless supply drivers and e-bikes turning the borough right into a no-holds-barred boulevard.
“Ridiculous. Perhaps in Brooklyn?” Higher West Facet resident Susan Lennon stated when The Publish requested her the place the lockers needs to be positioned.
“Over there’s a drawback with supply bikes,” Lennon stated, pointing to the McDonald’s on the intersection of Broadway and Tenth Avenue. “It’s a multitude.”
Serge Ossorguine, 69, lives simply down the road from the 72nd Avenue subway station and had the identical suggestion as Lennon.
“Perhaps in Brooklyn?” Ossorguine stated. “I stay right here; it doesn’t make sense right here.”
A contract with vendor Tranzito would additionally require constructing a city-branded app to deal with entry and cost. The DOT plans to promote residential bike parking as an annual membership whereas parking stations close to transit hubs would cost hourly charges.
E-bike charging at choose websites would even be accessible for an hourly charge.
Barry Goralnick stated bikers in Union Sq. the place he lives flout site visitors guidelines and shouldn’t be rewarded with expensive bike facilities.
“I truthfully assume that we’ve given so many assets to bicyclists who don’t recognize it,” Goralnick stated.
DOT information exhibits solely about 9% of New Yorkers commonly journey their bikes, and a bit greater than 60,000 biked to work in 2023, the most recent yr for which the company has revealed statistics.
“They don’t go the correct route, they don’t take note of the lights, and I don’t actually help giving any extra space to them,” Goralnick defined.
Harlem resident Claudia Weber, 45, thought bike parking may very well be “good for the group” however nonetheless stated DOT’s answer was costly.
“$52,000 is loads,” Weber stated. “I’d be curious to know the place funds can be taken away from.”
A DOT spokesperson stated no price ticket has been finalized and this system is geared toward creating bike storage for New Yorkers who wouldn’t have room at dwelling.
“Curb house is public house that serves a spread of public wants and modes of transportation,” the spokesperson stated. “Many New Yorkers, particularly households, choose out of motorcycle possession as a result of they lack cupboard space or the power to hold bikes up stairs. NYC DOT’s safe bike parking program will assist meet this want by creating protected locations to retailer bikes whereas repurposing a small variety of car parking areas.”
The town must repurpose round 0.02% of car parking areas for the bike lockers, which quantities to round 600 fewer parking areas primarily based on estimates of three million parking areas in New York Metropolis.
DOT stated New Yorkers can submit their bike locker location strategies via its web site.
