New Bike Shelter Coming To Astoria, Vallone Announces

In a move aimed at more responsible transportation and a cleaner environment, a new bicycle parking shelter is coming to Astoria to encourage more local residents to use this old mode of transportation.

In announcing the coming of the new facility, only one of 37 in the city, Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. stated: "The bike shelter will be extremely helpful for our constituents and will be a symbol of responsible transportation. Bike riding should not be only an enjoyable pastime, it should be a visible mode of transportation, encouraging a healthy lifestyle and a clean environment."

The new shelter will be located at 31st Street and 30th Avenue and will provide high quality, secure, covered bicycle parking as well as raise the profile of cycling in the city by providing important resources for cyclists, Vallone said.

The bike shelters are part of the Coordinate Street Furniture Franchise that the Bloomberg administration awarded to Cemusa, Inc. last year. The company maintains the new bus shelters and public toilets. The bicycle shelter design is a modified version of the award-winning bus shelters—designers simply removed two glass panels and included the bicycle rack, Vallone explained. Cemusa will install, repair and manage the bicycle shelter at no cost to the city, the lawmaker added.

Four bike shelters have already been installed under the Department of Transportation program, and the city hopes to have the additional 33 in place by the end of the year. The shelters will have available a copy of the NYC Bike Map, as well as ads for the LOOK safety awareness campaign, the Vallone announcement said. The shelters have also been positioned near bus and train stops to encourage mass transportation, Vallone (D- Astoria) said.

Vallone said he hoped the shelter innovation will help to achieve the goal of promoting bicycling and provide a model for new, aesthetically pleasing bike shelters. The lawmaker has also asked for several regular bike racks to be placed around his district, such as at Ditmars Boulevard and 29th Street—adding to the nearly 1,200 that have been placed around the city in the past several years.

The athletic-minded official has also joined in sponsoring a popular annual bike race along Shore Boulevard to encourage bike riding among his youthful constituents.