The New York Bike-Share Project

A summer charette produced by the  Forum for Urban Design  and Storefront For Art and Architecture
www.nybikeshare.org

Daily July 7-11: Free bikes from 97 Kenmare Street and a roving satellite station.

Imagine walking to a sidewalk corner and finding a public bicycle. With a cellphone call or swipe of a card, you unlock it from its bike rack and ride it across town. Once at your destination, you steer to the closest bike rack and, with one more call or card swipe, return the bike to the public network. You pay less than $.50 for the trip, and the bike is once again available for the taking.

Bike-sharing already exists in cities across Europe, including Oslo, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Lyon and Frankfurt. Paris alone is currently installing over 10,000 bikes at 750 stations. Bike-sharing is a reality overseas, revolutionizing transportation networks and greening the urban fabric. How could it launch in New York?

From July 7-11, 2007, the Forum For Urban Design, partnering with Storefront for Art and Architecture, introduced New Yorkers to bike-sharing through a highly-visible, five-day design charette. Located at one of the most exciting street corners in Lower Manhattan, The New York Bike-Share Project consisted of three parts: an experimental bike-share (free bike rentals!), an exhibition of European successes, and a design charette with public presentations.

July 7-11, ALL DAY: Free 30-minute bike rentals from 97 Kenmare Street and a second bike-share “station” whose location changed each day.
July 9, 6:00 pm: Public presentation of bike share programs in Barcelona, Stockholm and Oslo
July 10, 6:00 pm: Pamplona, Lyon and Paris
July 11, 6:00 pm: Presentation of the charette results and closing reception

From July 7-11, New Yorkers and tourists alike enjoyed free 30-minute rides between Storefront for Art and Architecture (97 Kenmare St.) and a second bike-share station. Locations for the second station included the Hudson River Park, Washington Square Park, Williamsburg, City Hall, and SoHo. The Forum For Urban Design facilitated a public charette to imagine a future bike-share program in New York City. Public presentations from design and transportation experts took place on July 9 and 10. Final charette results were published on nybikeshare.org, and streamed real-time text and video blogging of the New York Bike-Share Project throughout its five days.

Cemusa
Clear Channel Adshel
Metro Bicycles
Bike and Roll