PANYNJ launches pilot program with new bike parking facility for path journal square customers, patrons and employees

July 3, 2019
To keep expanding biking options, the agency partnered with Oonee to provide bike parking.

In an effort to expand environmentally friendly cycling initiatives, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has partnered with Brooklyn-based Oonee to place a 20-bike parking facility on PATH property at Journal Square, effective August 1.

Oonee Pod is a secure, freestanding bike parking facility accessible via keycard or cellphone app for riders using the PATH system or others living or working in the neighborhood. Installation and maintenance for this pilot program will be provided at no cost to the Port Authority and will generate revenue for the agency through a small subscription fee for users and paid advertisements on the pod’s exterior. Oonee maintains several bike parking pods in New York already.

“When it comes to providing innovative travel options for our customers, our wheels never stop turning,” said PANYNJ Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Offering these kinds of biking options is part of the Port Authority’s commitment to a better, easier commute and a cleaner environment.” “Given city traffic, parking and other challenges faced by commuters each day, biking is becoming a pleasurable travel alternative for many of our customers and employees,” said PANYNJ Executive Director Rick Cotton. “These are wonderful opportunities for the Port Authority to support a mode of transportation gaining in popularity, while reflecting our commitment to reducing air pollution emissions.”

PANYNJ notes that last October, its Board of Commissioners unanimously embraced the Paris Climate Agreement, becoming the first public transportation agency in the United States to do so. The resolution adopted by the board called for a 35 percent reduction by 2025 in greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Port Authority’s own operations.

The board also reaffirmed the agency’s prior commitment to an 80 percent reduction by 2050. The port authority is using the baseline year of 2006 for measurement of the agency’s emission reduction standards and targets, reflecting the PANYNJ’s early commitment to cutting greenhouse gas levels and incorporating strong sustainability programming into its strategy.