NEW YORK—The number of bicycle racks will more than double with 12,000 new racks on the way.
The city’s Department of Transportation will spend almost $2 million transforming old parking meters into bicycle racks, according to a bid won by Long Island-based Louis Barbato Landscaping. A representative of the company declined to give details about the sealed contract, which was published in the City Record on Jan. 8.
Single-space parking meters are no longer used, in favor of muni-meters, which take care of multiple parking spaces. The department decided to experiment with using the old meters as bicycle racks, starting a design contest back in 2008 for how the new racks would look.
Right now there are 8,193 bicycle racks in the city, according to the Department of Transportation. About 4,000 of those are in Manhattan.
