#598 BIKE FLOCKS BEDFORD HUB
IDENTIFY A PUBLIC SPACE
The space chosen is located close to Bedford L train Station in the intersection of Driggs Av and N 8th street in Brooklyn. The blocks that surrounds Bedford L train station are constantly surrounded by bikes parked in the streets around the station. Commuters come to the station by bike and change mode to get to Manhattan.
All fences close to the station have signs to forbid bike users to park their bikes in the fence. Streets configure the main public asset in the urban environment and the right of using street space or parking space should be the same for bike users or car users. In addition to that, most people agree that bicycles are a clean, sustainable mode of transport and should be play an important role while planning the transportation grid.
Bedford Station is already an informal multimodal station, with a parking lot close by, but few public transportation options. With Williamsburg gentrification process those blocks will play an important role on shaping the urban environment of the region.
This is the perfect space for a bike hub that states the importance that bikes plays on the larger transportation grid, representing the last mile mode or the only mode in certain cases.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
The proposal is to place a bike hub that would connect bike users and would claim the space for bikes in the city. The space would be transformed with few elements: two trees, one food truck (during peak hours), benches, bike racks and a repair station for bike (pump, and tools).
This physical hub would be part of a digital platform where bike commuters could connect to help new commuters to get around NY by bike. The digital platform is called bike Flocks and the public space would be the Bedford bike flock hub.
The digital platform has tips for rides that can help to get new commuters started as well as digital guides on best practices and NYC laws. It also promotes rides and bike events through digital media and through the website.
The aim of the bike hub is to promote biking, to connect people who bike and to help non bike users to start commuting by bike.
It also understands that multimodal stations are pivotal for the city transportation system.
IMPLEMENTATION
It is a private space, so first we should claim the space for the city. Once the space is claimed by the city we'll ask DOT to install the corals. The benches and the trees will be done by the local bike community and sponsored by local commerce.
TEAM
Jennifer Meyer a graphic designer and is proposing the claim of the public space. Bike Flocks is an existing project lead by students from NYU (Technology and Urban planning), to build a digital platform that promotes the use of bike in the city.
