Bicycle Parking

Hat tip to @zacfrank for this shot of the new CityRack, the first of its kind to be mass-produced and installed on a New York City sidewalk. After the "hoop" won the CityRack design competition last fall, DOT announced that it will install 5,000 of them in the next three years. Where is this one exactly? After a bit of sleuthing, I still don't know. The sleuthing was pretty cursory, I admit. If you're heading out for Summer Streets tomorrow (forecast: totally gorgeous), perhaps you'll stumble across it.

This was the scene at City Hall yesterday afternoon as Mayor Bloomberg put his signature on the Bicycle Access Bill. The mayor also signed Intro 780, which will increase the amount of bike parking in commercial garages and lots. Bill sponsors David Yassky (dark tie) and Oliver Koppell (red and navy stripes) were on hand, as were buildings commissioner Robert LiMandri (far left), DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan (center) and TA director Paul White (glare in his lenses).

Somewhat lost amid the excitement over the Bicycle Access Bill, last week the City Council passed a second law that will significantly expand options for bike commuters looking for a better place to lock up. Intro 780, which we mentioned briefly in June, requires commercial garages and parking lots to provide spaces for bikes at a specific ratio relative to spaces for cars. Prices for the new bike parking will be left up to the market.

Here's another promising development for New Yorkers in need of convenient bike parking. We received a tip that PrimoSpot.com has expanded its parking search capabilities to include bike racks. The site now has pictures and locations of racks in Manhattan (below 179th Street), western Brooklyn, western Queens and Hoboken. Just choose your search area on the PrimoSpot map and click the red bike icon. There's also an iPhone app to help find racks while you're on the road -- a feature not yet offered on the DOT CityRacks Google map.

In the weeks ahead, cyclists will get plenty of tips about how to take advantage of the recently passed Bicycle Access Bill. If you feel like you can't wait to reverse your building's bike policy, here's the best advice we can give at the moment: Bide your time and be prepared.

The New York City Council voted 46-1 this afternoon in favor of Intro 871, the Bicycle Access Bill, opening the door to significant gains in commuter cycling. Cyclists who do not commute by bike have long cited the lack of a secure place to lock up as the most important factor holding them back. Intro 871 will give thousands of them a new legal framework to petition for bicycle access at their places of work, but stops short of guaranteeing access to all buildings. All told, its passage marks the biggest legislative victory ever achieved by bicycle advocates in New York City.

As anticipated, this morning the City Council transportation committee voted in favor of Intro 871, the Bicycle Access Bill. The tally was 9-0 with one absence, sending the bill to the full floor for the Council's stated meeting tomorrow. The law will take effect 120 days after that vote.

The Bicycle Access Bill, Intro 871, is on track to clear the City Council this Wednesday, in what will be a major milestone for the livable streets movement in New York City. We just received an announcement from Council Member David Yassky's office that passage of Intro 871 is a done deal. This time, there is no doubt that the full City Council will take up the bill during its next stated meeting. With 35 co-sponsors and mayoral support, its passage has been secured.

Yesterday, my Mets got shut out by the last-place Nationals, falling 10 games behind the defending world champion Phillies. Meanwhile, the Yankees grabbed sole possession of first place -- for the first time in months! -- after beating Baltimore. It pains me just to type the words.