How Secure Bike Parking Will Change New York City

Secure bike parking and charging facilities would radically improve cycling in New York City. London, which has more than 30,000 secure bike parking spaces distributed across the city for public use, has undergone a massive cycling boom over the last decade. In the U.S., secure parking facilities at transit hubs are common in some of the nation’s most bike-friendly big cities, such as Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. In all of New York City, however, there are only three publicly accessible secure locations where a person can park their bike.

Now, after years of successful pilots and small-scale deployments across the five boroughs, and following a successful system taking root in Jersey City, the New York City Department of Transportation is preparing to launch a universal secure bike parking and charging system.

First announced last May, the planned network will span as many as 500 stations spread across the five boroughs and include charging stations and provisions for larger cargo bikes. 

It’ll be a sea change for cyclists, transit riders, local business owners, and the city at large and it must be implemented immediately. Here are ten ways that universal secure bike parking will change New York for the better! 

Make Cycling More Accessible to New Yorkers 

Universal secure bike parking would directly lead to hundreds of thousands of more trips each day by making cycling a real option for countless New Yorkers.

According to the New York Times, about one quarter of New York City households (approximately 2 million people) have experienced at least one bike theft. Many more have likely experienced the effects of vandalism or inclement weather on bikes that are left outside. Although some attempts have been made to encourage buildings to provide secure parking, the overwhelming majority of the city’s housing stock predates these regulations, forcing most New Yorkers to haul their bikes up flights of stairs or down to basements to keep their ride safe. Of course, the popularity of more expensive and heavier e-bikes has only exacerbated this problem. 

The net result is that those who own bikes use them less, while others, for whom biking would otherwise be a convenient, helpful, or enjoyable option, decide that trying biking isn’t actually accessible for them at all.

Historically, the city’s cycling infrastructure efforts have focused on the construction of protected bike lanes and the expansion of Citi Bike. While both of these are critical to the ecosystem, neither addresses the parking and storage gap. Protected bike lanes and other safety initiatives are necessary, but not enough alone. 

A citywide secure parking and charging system would close this gap by making it drastically easier for the vast majority of New Yorkers who use or wish to use a bike or scooter to safely store their ride. People would no longer have to worry whether their bike will still be there when they get up in the morning or waiting for them after a long day at work.

Empower People of Color and Working-Class Communities

Secure bicycle parking is especially important in low-income communities and communities of color. In New York City, people of color and people living at or below the poverty line are significantly more likely than white and higher-income people to ride a bicycle if bike parking is available. In turn, the lack of bicycle parking has a significantly greater effect on people of color and low-income New Yorkers because these New Yorkers are more likely to rely on a bicycle for transportation over recreation, live in transit deserts where biking is more of a necessity, live in areas not serviced by Citi Bike, and live in overcrowded housing where indoor bicycle storage is not possible. A public secure parking system would bridge this gap by serving communities that tend to have older and more affordable housing units, resulting in many thousands of new trips within these areas.

In fact, surveys have shown that access to secure parking is one of the most important ways to unlock the power of cycling for more communities. In a national survey, 47% of non-white respondents said that “plentiful secure bike parking facilities would lead them to ride more often” (vs. 32% for white respondents). In another survey, 45% of respondents making under $30k annually said that additional bike parking would increase how often they ride. Although data in New York City is sparse, a community survey found that 35% of all Black and Latino households lacked secure storage areas for a bike, a major barrier for cycling adoption. In the densely populated five boroughs, this gap is likely to be even more acute.

By creating public parking options for bikes and scooters, New York can make cycling more accessible than ever to the two-thirds of New Yorkers who hail from communities of color or working class neighborhoods.

Improve Transit

Secure bike parking would revolutionize mass transit by making subway and bus stations more accessible.

Today, despite the city’s vast transit network, only 62% of New Yorkers live within a quarter mile of a subway or Select Bus Service station. Studies have shown that secure bike parking can triple the accessible range of a transit facility. If many of the city’s remote transit stations had secure bike parking, the number of New Yorkers living within a comfortable distance of a subway or bus would rise to 80 or 90%. 

Roughly 28% of New York City residents own bicycles, a figure that rises when scooters and other micromobility devices are included. Secure bike parking facilities at transit hubs would enable community members to quickly ride to the station and leave their bikes without fear of theft, weather, or vandalism.

Reduce Risk of Theft for Delivery Workers

In New York City, food, beverage, and convenience deliveries often get made via bike. During and after the work day, delivery workers are often forced to leave their bikes on the street or to transport them home on the subway. For a delivery worker, theft or vandalism isn’t merely an inconvenience but a threat to livelihood. Some 54% of delivery workers report having had their bike stolen.

Secure parking hubs would provide delivery workers with secure parking both near their delivery locations and their homes. 

Make Charging Safer and Easier 

Lithium-ion fires continue to put New Yorkers at risk. Over the last two years, the city has seen more than 500 e-bike-related fires and 24 people have been killed. A citywide charging system would enable people to charge their bikes or “swap” their batteries while parked in user-friendly and fire-safe infrastructure. Secure bike parking would also allow New Yorkers to charge their devices while away from their home.

The availability of this critical infrastructure will also supercharge the city’s growing cargo-bike delivery system.

Support the Goals of  Congestion Pricing 

In the era of congestion pricing, creating sustainable transportation alternatives is more important than ever. More than 20% of New Yorkers cite a lack of secure parking as a primary reason for not riding a bike. Creating secure bike parking hubs at commercial and mixed-use destinations within the congestion relief zone would provide yet another way for New Yorkers to ditch cars and ride-shares when traveling to the congestion relief zone.

Boost Local Businesses

Secure parking hubs, especially larger ones, can be a boon to neighborhood economies. Research has shown that employees consider active transportation infrastructure a key amenity when choosing a workplace. Enabling employees to ride to work seamlessly without the hassle of finding parking may be yet another way for employers to lure their staff back to the office.

On a smaller scale, bike infrastructure has long been associated with rising retail sales, especially when compared to car-centric alternatives. Investing in secure parking and charging infrastructure could be a boon to local businesses, as patrons can take advantage of a transportation option that encourages window-shopping and quick stops inside. 

Research shows that, per square foot, bicycle parking earns businesses more revenue than car parking. One car parking space comfortably fits six to eight bicycle parking spaces, and space used by bicycles generally generates 3.6 times more expenditure than space used by cars.

Securing New York’s Future

A network of secure bike parking stations throughout New York City is essential for securing our future as a sustainable city, an economic powerhouse, a transit mecca, a climate leader, and the most bikeable city in the U.S. 

Secure bike parking will benefit every New Yorker, and when deployed citywide, will benefit every corner of New York by helping more people ride bikes, and delivering the lowered congestion, pollution, and risk that follows. For businesses large and small, it will boost the economy, and for everyday New Yorkers, it will make New York City a more affordable, sustainable place to live.