One of Manhattan’s largest-capacity, secure free parking pods for public use near the Holland Tunnel and New York City’s Hudson Street bike lane has officially been opened to the public. The facility is the fourth installation of an Oonee bike parking pod on Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) property, further advancing the agency’s goal of encouraging more sustainable transportation choices and reducing emissions.
“Providing safe, convenient travel options is a key priority of our agency’s mission,” said PANYNJ Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “This new free and public bike parking facility connects with an existing bike lane to improve ease of access and convenience for bicyclists, therefore encouraging greater use of an alternate method of transportation that helps lead to fewer vehicles on the road.”
“We are committed to supporting cycling and the use of environmentally friendly travel alternatives,” said PANYNJ Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Cycling has a very important role to play in moving toward cleaner air and less congestion.”
The new bike parking pod, which opened for public use on Aug. 11, reflects PANYNJ's efforts to increase bike access to its facilities. This year, Oonee pods also were installed at the Harrison PATH station, with 16 bike parking spaces and outside of the Midtown Bus Terminal with 20 spaces, following a 2019 installation at the Journal Square PATH station with 20 spaces. In February, the agency also reopened a completely reconstructed pedestrian and bicycle path on the north side of the George Washington Bridge to widen access approaches and make space for cyclists and pedestrians. The Goethals and Bayonne bridges already feature new shared use paths for cyclists and pedestrians.
The Hudson Square bike parking pod, located at the intersection of Hudson and Canal streets near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, includes protected docks for 20 bicycles. The pod from the Brooklyn-based Oonee is equipped with smart locks, lift-assist racks, interior and exterior lighting, theft insurance and surveillance cameras, providing an extra layer of security. Spaces in the pod are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and each bicycle can be locked at the dock for up to 72 hours. Entering the pod and checking dock availability can be done through the Oonee smartphone app, which can also be used to access other existing Oonee bike parking installations in Jersey City, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.
"We're thrilled to partner with Oonee on their first pod that has a pedestrian mural," said Samara Karasyk, president of the Hudson Square BID. "This is the kind of bold and artistic people-centered placemaking that we love in our neighborhood because it creates beautiful and usable public space for pedestrians and cyclists in an unexpected location.”
“Secure bike parking is an essential, yet long neglected component of the cycling ecosystem,” said Shabazz Stuart, Oonee CEO. “Together with the Port Authority, we are helping to transform the region from a laggard to leader in this category of infrastructure. Additionally, we are proud of our iterative work with the Hudson Square BID to rethink and reimagine the pedestrian plaza at the corner of Hudson and Canal with a massive streetscape mural, public art and plantings. Funded with advertising and sponsorship revenues from the bike parking facility, this transformed streetscape bears testament of our ongoing fidelity towards community engagement and the grassroots development process. This is infrastructure that can truly work for everyone.”
Funding for the bike parking pod installation was raised by Oonee, which also commissioned the mural designed in partnership with the BID to surround the pod. The costs of building and maintaining the pod are underwritten by advertising on two screens on the pod’s exterior. The Hudson Square BID, which commissioned and maintains landscaping and planters, has helped transform Manhattan’s former printing district into a thriving creative hub with open green spaces, public art, retail and dining and a growing residential community.
