Cycling is booming in New York City! From 2000 to 2006, the Department recorded a 75% increase in the number of bikers entering the Central Business District. Now, with Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC, promoting and accommodating greener modes of transportation is central to the Department of Transportation’s mission.
From bus stop shelters to parking meters to street lights, the streets of New York City are a diverse landscape of urban forms. One increasingly ubiquitous element is the CityRack, with thousands on sidewalks in the five boroughs. These simple racks have served us well for the past 10 years. But as we look to make even greater strides in increasing the number of cyclists we need something more. We need something that is functional while simultaneously capturing the attention and imagination of New Yorkers. To supplement our CityRacks, we also seek to promote off-street parking inside buildings to make it even easier for New Yorkers to take up the two-wheel commute.
On behalf of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the Department of Transportation is proud to be sponsoring this design competition with our partner the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the support of Google and Transportation Alternatives. It represents an important step forward in re-envisioning the New York cycling experience and the streetscape of our City. The winning design will have a far-reaching impact not only on the sidewalks and streets of the greatest city in the world, but on how our City thinks about transportation and the environment.
Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner
New York City Department of Transportation
CityRacks Design Competition 