New Bike Parking Program Opens On 14th Street: What To Know

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Cyclists in Lower Manhattan have a new place to park their bikes after the Department of Transportation on Friday opened a "six-bike protected curbside corral" on West 14th Street.

The corral is part of a new pilot program from the city agency to help cyclists find parking spaces for their bikes in busy areas of the city.

The corral, which fits six bikes, is located on 14th Street just off 9th Avenue.

The corral parking space is created by Brooklyn-based company Oonee, which has an agreement with the DOT to bring its pod-like parking space to five separate "high-profile" locations in the coming months.

It is part of a larger effort from the city agency to expand secure bike parking in the five boroughs.

The corral bike parking pod will be at 400 West 14th Street for the next 29 days and then move to the following locations:

• April – Lower East Side BID, Broome /Essex near Essex Street Market, Manhattan
• May – Union Square BID, SE Corner 14th Street & 5th Ave near New School, Manhattan
• June – Prospect Heights NDC, Vanderbilt Ave Open Street near 577 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn
• July – 31st Avenue Open Street, near 34-02 31st Ave, Astoria, Queens

Parking within the space will be free during the pilot period, but you will have to access the pods through Oonee's website — here.

"The Meatpacking District is thrilled to partner with Oonee Pod and the Department of Transportation to bring secure bicycle parking to the neighborhood," said Jeffrey LeFrancois, Executive Director of the Meatpacking Business Improvement District, in a news release. "As more New Yorkers return to their offices and explore the city, providing support for additional ways to get around town will be critical to the city's economic success."

West Village Council Member Eric Bottcher called the bike parking pilot in the neighborhood "exciting," and local Assembly Member Deborah Glick said, “Incorporating bicycle storage is a part of that infrastructure and I welcome the inclusion of free or low-cost options to safely park a bike."

The DOT hopes to install 10,000 new bike racks by the end of 2022.