On Saturday, it appeared that the Parks Department had instructed Doe Fund workers to cut the locks and confiscate perhaps a dozen bikes that were locked near the West Side bike path. Today we have an explanation from Hudson River Park spokesman for David Katz, but first a quick lesson on the distinction between city-run parks and places like Hudson River Park. Get out your pad and pencil! more ›

Back in the summer of 2008, when the city installed nine site-specific bicycle racks designed by the former Talking Heads frontman, we wondered, Is there anything this city won't do for bicycling renaissance man David Byrne? Apparently, yes! David Byrne is pissed this week, because the city’s Design Commission, which has the final say on permanent street art and architecture, has rejected two of his bike rack designs. While the original nine have been permitted to exist, one that the New Museum wanted installed on the Bowery was dismissed, as was another shaped like a liquor bottle, which the commission "deemed to be in bad taste." Byrne, writing on his blog, says it was bureaucratic politics, not taste: more ›

240 defunct parking meters (right) will be reincarnated as bike racks on almost 40 blocks of the UWS, on Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues between 67th and 86th Streets. Last night Community Board 7 voted 23-12 to convert the old meters, and received strong backing from the Columbus Ave BID, whose secretary said they'd definitely like "those 185,000 bikers to shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants." Isn't it nice to see a neighborhood warmly welcoming bicylists (ahem, South Williamsburg)? We should totally do the next Bike Kill on the Upper West Side! [Via Streetsblog] more ›

New York, meet the bike rack of the future. Today the DOT announced that after a lengthy design competition, a jury of six—including sodden cyclist David Byrne—chose "Hoop" (pictured) out of the ten finalists. It's the work of two Copenhagen designers, Ian Mahaffy and Maarten De Greeve. "Constructed of cast metal, the design is elegant yet sturdy enough to withstand New York cyclists’ harsh treatment," the DOT said in a statement. more ›

It's been a week and a half since the bike rack prototypes have been unveiled and already one of the models is broken! Reader Mick sent in a photograph (above, on the right) of the "cable rack" style prototype looking pretty unsecured. more ›

The Department of Transportation's design competition for the next generation of bike racks entered its final phase yesterday with the installation of ten design prototypes around New York City. Nine of the ten finalists' prototypes were installed at Astor Place, and as of 6 p.m. yesterday they were almost entirely unused. It'll probably take a day or two before more cyclists discover the next-wave locking options in the Alamo island there, so for now it seems there's plenty of free parking. more ›

Is there anything this city won't do for renaissance man David Byrne? The former Talking Head has been helping out with the DOT's search for new bike rack designs, and recently got inspired to sketch some imaginary bike racks named for New York neighborhoods and locations. Then, voila; David's dream is manifest, as he explains on his blog: "To my surprise, [the DOT] responded by saying, 'If you make these we'll put them up.' Holy Moses! I was over the moon — what happened to the legendary red tape and years of bureaucratic haggling I was supposed to go through?" more ›

The ten finalists were announced today in the Department of Transportation’s search for new street bike rack designs. The city currently has nearly 4,700 boring old U-shaped "CityRacks" around town, but with a 75% ridership since 2000, that number’s not cutting it. The finalists will each receive an honorarium of $5,000 to produce two full-scale prototypes of their design. Whoever wins first place gets $5,000, and in exchange the city gets to keep the intellectual property rights to the design and start installing it. See New York's brave new world of bike racks here. more ›

A study revealed that a lack of secure bike parking was the biggest reason why people don’t cycle to work. So the Department of Transportation is cooperating with Cooper-Hewitt, Google and Transportation Alternatives to organize an international design competition for the next generation of city bike racks. More than $50,000 in honoraria to develop prototype bike racks and $15,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top designs. more ›

A group of business execs in the 34th Street Partnership are teaming up to build what would be New York’s first bikes-only parking lot; it would be located on space secured on West 33rd Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. more ›