Downtown

Brooklyn gets first public bike parking hub

December 16, 2019 Paul Frangipane
Brooklyn's Oonee Pod bicycle parking hub outside Atlantic Terminal offers space for 20 bicycles. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle
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Brooklyn’s first public bicycle parking hub officially opened Friday night, steps away from Barclays Center and the borough’s busiest transportation hub.

The 20-bike-capacity Oonee Pod juts out of the sidewalk outside Atlantic Terminal. Shabazz Stuart, the founder and CEO of Oonee, has been working with city brass to open the pods around the city for years, hoping to prevent bicycle theft and encourage cycling. Manhattan saw its first hub open last year.

“Oonee is not just about 20 bicycle racks on Atlantic Avenue; it’s about catalyzing conversation about what our city can do with transportation infrastructure,” Stuart said on Friday. “If we’re going to be a city where we are building a bridge to the 21st century … then we need to start to treat those who embrace and utilize mobility alternatives as first-class citizens.”

The parking hubs usually see 150 to 200 people using them on a regular basis, Stuart said. Brooklyn’s pod is equipped with electric-bike charging inside and mobile-device charging outside as a way to welcome pedestrians as well.

It is operated through the app Brivo OnAir for $1 a day or $5 a month.

Borough President Eric Adams locks up his bike in the Oonee Pod. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle
Borough President Eric Adams locks up his bike in the Oonee Pod. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

In support of the initiative, Borough President Eric Adams cited nearly 20,000 daily bike commuters in Brooklyn and 709,000 regular bike riders citywide.

“To have a space where you can put your bikes, get on the train or go to the game, that is the mindset we want to implore in this city,” Adams said.

Stuart plans to announce more Oonee Pod locations around the city in the future.

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