Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bike Sharing

Read Brad Lander’s Pitch-Perfect Statement on Bike-Share and Parking

3:56 PM EDT on October 13, 2016

City Council Member Brad Lander released a pitch-perfect response to complaints about bike-share and curbside parking today. Other NYC pols should take note.

Council Member Brad Lander.

Every time bike-share expands to new neighborhoods, some people get upset -- mainly because the local supply of free curbside car parking shrinks by a fraction of a percent. Last week Assembly Member Dan O'Donnell, who represents the Upper West Side, demonstrated how not to respond -- he validated those complaints by process-truthing and promising to "restore critical parking spaces," as if parking for bikes that are used multiple times a day is a less productive use of curb space than storing private cars.

In Brooklyn, Community Board 6 has invited people to complain about stations they don't like, with the expectation that DOT will move at least some of them, despite the fact that station sitings were guided by a lengthy public process.

Lander's district overlaps with that of CB 6. A statement posted today on his web site is a remarkable example of how elected officials should communicate the value of these types of changes. Here's an excerpt:

There are approximately 25,000-30,000 parking spots in CB6. Citi Bike has taken away 150-200 of them -- about ½ of 1 percent. I know that is small comfort if several of them are right near your house. But it is also important to remember that 57% of the households in our community don’t own cars. And for every parking spot lost to Citi Bike, there are approximately 5-8 bike-share trips per day (far more times than a typical side-street parking spot would be used).

It is, indeed, often very difficult to find parking in our neighborhoods – and this can lead to maddening trips circling the block looking for parking spaces. This is bad for traffic, bad for the environment, and bad for our mental health!

Over time, though, the only real answer to the shortage of parking is fewer car trips. The way to achieve this is to enable those people who can to use transportation alternatives: investments in mass transit, new technologies (e.g. car-share, and eventually driverless cars), and bike-share. If those investments help just a small fraction of people decide they don’t need a car, then we will quickly get back all of the spaces lost to Citi Bike.

You can read the full statement here.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Maximum Rage: Delivery Workers Protest Low Wages, App ‘Lockouts’

Couriers with bikes and signs urge the city to step in as Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash withhold work, they say.

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Company That Fought McGuinness Safety Project Wants to Seize Bklyn Street for Private Backlot

Broadway Stages to Greenpoint residents: "Street safety for me, not for thee."

March 28, 2024

SEE IT: Hit-and-Run Driver With Fake Plate Seriously Injures Cyclist

The 5 p.m. crash occurred at Flushing and Waverly avenue near the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

March 28, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines: Shakira Shakira Edition

Pop superstar Shakira performed for a crowd of 40,000 packed into the Times Square pedestrian plazas. Plus congestion pricing news and more.

March 28, 2024
See all posts