Bike Lanes Crowd Out Cars In Bd. 1

Everyone knows it's tough to find safe indoor parking for automobiles. But what about bicycles?

The Department of City Planning (DCP) has a plan to change zoning for future new developments of multi-family residences (10 or more units), community facility and commercial buildings, including parking garages, to require indoor and secure bicycle parking.

According to the DCP, the proposed text amendment to the city Zoning Resolution, "would support New Yorkers who require a secure place to store their bikes at home, seek to commute to work by bike, or those who want to use their bikes for short trips or recreation".

Joy Chen, Queens DCP liaison to Community Board 1, told the board at its December meeting that bicycles are an important part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sustainability plan to reduce congestion, reduce carbon emissions, and promote physical fitness and recreational opportunities. DCP and the Department of Transportation (DOT) are partners in carrying out the Bicycle Network Development Project.

DOT has committed to building more than 900 miles of bike lanes and has set a goal of doubling bicycle commuting by 2015 and tripling it by 2020. The lack of safe and secure bicycle parking facilities is a prime factor preventing people from cycling to work, according to DCP. In addition, DCP said the lack of bicycle storage facilities in residential buildings can make bicycle ownership impractical.

"I see no purpose to this [zoning] text change," said Community Board 1 chairperson Vinicio Donato. Board 1 voted down the zoning amendment, 25 to 8 (one abstention). The bicycle parking proposal is being voted on citywide by all community boards. After the boards' vote, DCP will hold a public hearing in January and the City Council has the final vote.

The proposed change would require 15 square feet per bicycle parking space that could be reduced to as low as 6 square feet if the city Department of Buildings (DOB) agrees the smaller arrangement is a more efficient layout for the required number of bicycles to be stored.

"Fifteen square feet, I think, is a high figure," said John Carusone, chair of the Board 1 zoning and variance committee. The committee had voted in favor of the bicycle parking proposal, with recommendations for some changes. The bicycle parking spaces must be enclosed and accessible to designated users, i.e., residents, employees, or in the case of public parking garages, available to the general public for parking. Spaces must either be secured by a locked door or must include a securely anchored rack to which the bicycle frame and one wheel can be locked.

One bicycle parking space would be required per two residential units in multifamily residential buildings. Public parking garages with more than 35 vehicle parking spaces would be required to provide one bicycle parking space for every 10 vehicle spaces.

In May, the DOT installed seven miles of bicycle lanes along Vernon Boulevard. Robert Piazza, chair of the transportation committee, said about 200 to 300 parking spaces have been lost within Board 1 due to bicycle lanes.

"We have to think about alternative forms of transportation," said a member of Queens Transportation Alternatives, asking the board for support. "There are a lot of people who ride a bike."

In other business, street activity requests for multi-day and multi-block festivals in 2009 were approved and an application for an enclosed sidewalk cafe for Uncle George's (under a change of ownership) at 33-19 Broadway (15 tables, 60 seats) and a renewal for Tierras Colombianas II at 33-01 Broadway (14 tables, 56 seats) were approved.