When NYC DOT announced it would install covered bike parking in select locations, I’ll admit, I thought is was a pretty stupid idea. The comments on streetsblog, seemed to agree with me. When I researched the matter a little and it appeared that the city wasn’t actually paying for the parking, which seems to be provided under an advertisement agreement with the Spanish firm Cemusa I didn’t feel that much better. (Essentially: the city gets a billion dollars and free bus shelters, and $400 million worth of free advertising, Cemusa gets whatever it can sell the advertising on the bus shelters for.)
Is receiving a covered designated place to park bike worth the intrusion of more advertising? That seems questionable, but moreover I wondered if people would ride their bikes to a shelter, lock it up, and then get on the subway. Today I had the afternoon free and decided to check out the shelter recently installed by the 7 Vernon Blvd – Jackson Ave station. To my surprise the shelter was full! Notably, the four other bike racks were only sparsely occupied.
This doesn’t imply that the bicyclist using the luxury shelter wouldn’t have biked without it, nor were the owners necessarily leaving their bikes there to commute by train, but it implies something. At very least it implies that the covered shelters are preferred to the common upside-down-W racks.
Predictably, they were bikes of such low quality and street value that it is inconceivable a thief would find them enticing. Thus covered shelters appear a popular park and ride enabler for a certain population savvy enough to own a bike no one would think to steal. One subgroup down!
These covered racks have already received an undue amount of attention. I apologize for adding to the coverage. Still, any lingering unexpressed opinions?
