The Red Hook Bicycle Design Master Plan Competition is over! Probably before you even knew it began. The contest was sponsored by the Forum for Urban Design, and they describe it as follows:
The design competition has three components: 1. retrofitting a bike garage (or “loft”) at the Smith/9th Street Station, and 2. connecting this elevated train stop to the rest of the neighborhood via dedicated bike lanes and other bike amenities, 3. identifying funding sources such as the reauthorization of federal surface transportation legislation, foundations, and commercial sponsors.
The immediate goal of this project is to make Red Hook more accessible for local commuters and safer for local recreational cyclists; however, the greater vision is to spur sustainable economic development by attracting cyclists from around New York City to enjoy the Red Hook waterfront and other neighborhood treasures. Additionally, by focusing on the Smith/9th Street Station, we hope to encourage MTA to think about how they can rehabilitate it in a way that facilitates other methods of transportation.
Last night they announced the winner: Jonathan Rule (who took home $10,000). There were six finalists all in all, which you can view here. Rule's winning renderings are pictured above (check out the rental bike ad space), and a video explaining the competition and goals further can be seen after the jump.
