Bicycle Parking

Not to steal anyone's thunder, but the MTA has rolled out the second of three prototype grates designed to keep stormwater out of the subways while doubling as street furniture. The first design, though incorporating a bench, is more artful and less functional than the prototype shown above, which includes seating as well as bike racks. Fifteen of the bench/bike rack prototypes will be coming to Lower Manhattan, along West Broadway between Chambers and Leonard Streets, and on Varick Street between Leonard and Franklin.

As the push to pass the "Bikes in Buildings Bill" (Intro 38) ramps up in the City Council, DOT has been engaged in a separate but parallel effort to promote bike access and parking in office buildings. The Real Estate Board of New York has posted material on its web site -- prompted by a letter from DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan [PDF] -- about how building managers can help their tenants who want to commute by bike [download the presentation].

With the fallout from Wall Street taking a toll on city coffers, Mayor Bloomberg has a lot of tough calls to make. The "Bikes in Buildings" bill [PDF] is not one of them. It's a lay-up -- a simple rule change that promises big gains for bike commuting. The bill, also known as Intro 38, would require commercial landlords to allow tenants to bring bikes inside buildings. No storage requirements attached.

Spotted at 40 Worth Street, a.k.a. DOT HQ. The rally for the "Bike in Buildings Bill" starts at City Hall at 10:45.

Tomorrow morning, Transportation Alternatives will hold a City Hall rally in support of the "Bikes in Buildings Bill." The bill, introduced in 2006 by Council Member David Yassky, would require owners or managers of "any building" to make "reasonable provisions" for bike access. The bill is intended to supplement a still-pending Department of City Planning rule that would require bike parking facilities in new commercial buildings.

Here's a proposition for Meyers Parking, the company that recently decided to give Smart Cars discount rates to park in its New York garages:

You can just see the planning meeting for what organizers are calling the "greenest" national political convention ever. Special perks for hybrids? Check. Biofuel powered buses? Check. Solar powered green area? Check. Bike racks? Nope. Sorry, the Secret Service says they're too dangerous.