Bicycle Infrastructure

An NYC First: On-Street Parking Spaces Replaced by Bike Racks

The new bike racks have been installed at the Bedford Avenue L subway station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As the Dept. of Transportation announces in today's press release, "The facility marks the first time car parking spaces have been removed to accommodate bicycle parking in New York City."

By Aaron Naparstek

10:48 AM EDT on July 12, 2007

The new bike racks have been installed at the Bedford Avenue L subway station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As the Dept. of Transportation announces in today’s press release, “The
facility marks the first time car parking spaces have been removed to
accommodate bicycle parking in New York City.”

DOT extended a 76-foot section of the sidewalk by five feet and
installed nine new bike racks to provide parking for more than 30
bikes. Demand for bicycle parking is high in the area around the
Bedford Avenue subway stop and it has been the scene of frequent NYPD bike seizures.

Livable Streets advocates take careful note of the work that Community Board member Teresa Toro and DOT Deputy Borough Commissioner Dalila Hall did to push this project through. It’s not easy to make change in New York City. This is how you do it.

Here’s the money quote in today’s Daily News:

“It’s superconvenient,” said Matthew Holtberg, 34, a graphic
designer from Fort Greene, after unlocking his set of wheels yesterday.
But tow truck driver Luis Padilla, 46, was ticked off that three
parking spots for drivers were removed for a bike port. He came to pick
up a relative from the station and couldn’t find a legal spot. He
worried about getting a summons.
“I could have parked away from the hydrant and now I’m right in front of it,” he fumed.

Previous Coverage:

NYPD Stealing Bikes (Again) in Williamsburg, 11/10/05
Wider Sidewalks and Bicycle Park-and-Ride for Williamsburg, 12/18/06
StreetFilms: On-Street Bike Parking in Portland, 12/20/06
Small Step for Peds & Cyclists, Giant Leap for NYC, 12/22/06
A Historic Sidewalk Widening in Williamsburg, 6/8/07
94th Precinct (Still) Clipping Locks & Seizing Bikes on Bedford Ave., 6/28/07

Aaron Naparstek

Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.

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