Tuesday’s Headlines Ask the Question: Oonee Pod or Oonee Robbed?

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A seeming bit of good news yesterday from the Department of Transportation — an announcement that a secure bike parking company had been selected — suddenly got weird when it turned out that the winning firm was not the one everyone expected.

As Streetsblog and amNY reported, the West Coast transportation firm Tranzito was picked to install secure bike parking at hundreds of locations starting next year. That’s promising, although Mayor Mamdani will have to finish a job that Mayor Adams should have started four years ago.

But wait a second — Tranzito got the job? Not Oonee, the New York-based, Black-owned firm that basically put secure bike parking on the map, and has installed its “Oonee pods” in multiple locations in the city and suburbs, and was partnered up with a company that did 5,000 bike hangers in London?!

Like we said, weird. Especially given how then-Mayor-elect Eric Adams was talking and posing in 2021…:

We were surprised at the long-overdue news, but were willing to take the city’s rule-bound procurement process at face value … until well-respected people started crying foul.

Oonee founder Shabazz Stuart took to Twitter to bemoan “the worst day of his life,” but also added that DOT did not even bother to interview him during the process:

Later, outside experts chimed in, again suggesting something untoward. Ryan Rzepecki, a former project manager in the DOT bike unit, alluded to “incompetence, spite, cronyism” in the DOT process:

“How a homegrown company that’s been at it for so long didn’t even get considered is beyond me,” added “War on Cars” co-host Doug Gordon on Bluesky. “Oonee is doing great work just across the river in Jersey City and it’s a shame the Adams admin excluded the company.”

Gordon added that Stuart’s hard work is “the only reason a citywide secure bicycle storage and parking program is even still a thing. … That Oonee didn’t even get an interview is flabbergasting.”

Gordon makes a good point; we have photos of Stuart and his Oonee pods in our files dating back to 2018!

We’ll look into it and get back to you.

In other news from the return-to-work Monday:

• Let’s start with Streetsblog Engagement Editor’s fun video looking at last month’s car takeover and riot in Whitestone that prompted an epic takedown by a completely hinged Vickie Paladino:

• Speaking of the evils conducted by car drivers, one of them killed a man in the Bronx then left him to die. (Gothamist)
• That reminds me: We need to put an end to all this talk of legalizing the right turn on red in Staten Island. (Gothamist)
• The MTA unveiled a new major project tracker. (NYDN)
• One of the city’s great license plate repairers (who is not me) got the full New York Magazine treatment. Meet TikTok star, Sal Cacciatore.
• Speaking of me, is it a coincidence that just a few weeks after I appeared in the Robert Moses parody show, “The Power Joker,” Netflix suddenly wants to do a series on the so-called Master Builder. You’re welcome. (Deadline)
• For pete’s sake, Christmas tree sellers are battling for sidewalk space. (NY Post)
• The Mets got their casino. So did the Bronx and Queens, as the Post and amNY reported. Hell Gate sees a “casinopocalypse.”
• Today is Election Day in Jersey City … and the Post finally caught on.
• Reasonable people can disagree about whether Central Park is being irreparably destroyed by electric bikes, but it’s laughable that City Journal forgets that the park was far more dangerous before cars were banished a decade ago. So let’s have some perspective, please.
• The MTA is really pushing the “Metrocard Farewell” deals on its website. I mean, is a $16 sandwich really a deal? No, but a $2 Carvel flying saucer is!
• Finally, check out the video of two cops slamming into each other in their squad cars:

Editor’s note: The original headline on this story was changed because, apparently, no one understood the “Oonee Pod/Oonee Robbed” pun.