Building scaled bike parking networks
The Bike Parking Deficit
From an ecological and traffic planning standpoint, increasing cycling and micromobility modality is absolutely crucial for the future of urban areas. Cycling can help cities reduce reliance on automotive transport and reduce emissions while improving quality of life and economic mobility.
Although many cities across the globe have invested heavily in cycling infrastructure, secure parking has largely been ignored. In the U.S., almost no residents have access to cycle parking facilities at or in proximity to frequent destinations.
A Major Pain Point
Lack of access to secure parking facilities is one of the leading deterrents to regular cycling.
In New York, for example, 25 percent of all households have experienced bike theft. Nationally, many experts have estimated that up to half of all cyclists experience theft. Vandalism, accidental damage, and weathering are also the results of the lack of secure parking options.
The Disproportionate Impact of this Infrastructure Gap
While the lack of parking options affects all cyclists, research suggests that the impact is most acutely felt by immigrants, working class, and non-white community members.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, Black Americans cite the lack of secure parking as the leading deterrent to regular riding, while 60 percent of Hispanic respondents report that access to secure parking would increase their bike ridership.
THE OONEE SOLUTION
A Systemic Approach
A comprehensive and systematic solution is needed to solve this problem.
That’s why we created Oonee.
We work with communities, governments, and the private sector to plan, design, finance, implement, and operate scaled networks of secure bike parking stations. To ensure that cost is not a barrier to scale, we’ve introduced innovative financing mechanisms that include advertising, sponsorship, and licensing plans that are commonly used for bus shelters, newsstands, and other forms of street furniture.
For the rider, the experience is comprehensive. We offer a network of free infrastructure linked together by a convenient OS. In addition to parking, our ecosystem also connects cyclists to other products, goods, and services with delivery available at parking stations or off-site.
Piloting in New York and
New Jersey
Oonee was born, raised, and piloted on the streets of New York and Jersey City with the first station launching in 2018. To date, these pilot stations have seen over 100,000 individual uses, with only a single reported theft. Throughout this process, we have closely collaborated with community leaders, government officials, and other stakeholders to build an unprecedented coalition to support the development of this infrastructure network.
We have since crafted partnerships with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, The New York City Department of Transportation, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the City of Jersey City, and a number of private developers to add permanent stations and additional pilots across the region.
As of today, there are nearly 40 stations of different sizes slated for deployment.
Community-Backed
Good policy, best practices, and grassroots community engagement comprise the core of our identity. As a result, we are regarded as a premier voice in the movement for sustainable transportation and livable streets. We are endorsed by leading transportation advocacy groups including Bike New York, Transportation Alternatives, and Los Deliveristas Unidos.
Equitable
As a Black- and Brown-owned business, we are dedicated to building infrastructure that is accessible to everyone, regardless of race, class, or socioeconomic status. Our stations are free to the public, and we take great care to incorporate community feedback in our design and operations.
As a result, our service tends to far outperform industry benchmarks with respect to minority usage and traditionally marginalized socioeconomic groups.
Oversight
Maintaining trust, responsiveness, and accountability is an essential part of any public transit system and, as operators, we’re deeply committed to these values.
To ensure that we remain this way, we announced the creation of an independent Advocacy Council that will collectively serve as an ombudsman between the public and company leadership. This Council will provide oversight on a number of crucial fronts, including product development, operations, and overall responsiveness to user and community needs. Wherever possible, we will incorporate the oversight role of this Council into contracts with cities and communities to ensure that it can never be sidelined.
In late 2021, we announced the first co-chairs of the Advocacy Council will be Janette Sadik-Khan, the former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, and Doug Gordon, a noted livable streets and cycling advocate.
We look forward to having an update on the formation of the rest of the Council soon.
Janette Sadik-Khan is the former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, Chair of NACTO, and a leading voice in urban transportation policy.
Doug Gordon is a leading advocate in the livable streets movement. He is a co-host of The War on Cars podcast and principal of Brooklyn Spoke Media.
Impact
The demographic and usage data from our New York City and Jersey City pilots set the standard for this infrastructure class in large urban areas like New York. As part of our ongoing effort to maintain transparency in our operations, we are pleased to share the usage and demographic data from our pilots. This data is taken from our 2018 and 2019 user satisfaction surveys, which cover deployments at Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn and Jersey City. Overall, responses were collected from 125 users.
Gender
Income*
Age Group
Race/Ethnicity
*One third of users earn below New York City medium income (below $50,825)
Member Satisfaction
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
99%
Of users are very satisfied or satisfied with Oonee
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
97%
Feel that Oonee is very secure or secure
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
100%
Say that Oonee is very responsive or responsive to issues and inquiries