The last single-space parking meter in Manhattan was taken out of service in 2011, but don't expect those poles to go *poof* anytime soon. Instead of ripping out and selling all that galvanized iron, the Department of Transportation has bigger plans for those metal rods (the meters on top they are less interested in): More bike racks!
Since 2011 the DOT has been experimenting with turning old parking meters into bike racks—200 of them already grace Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. Now, the Post reports, the agency has signed a nearly $2 million contract to turn 12,000 old meters into parking racks. That's double the amount they were were talking about installing previously.
And while $2 million may seem like a lot, it really isn't compared to the cost of installing brand new bike racks for the city's booming cycling population. This way the city gets to reuse existing infrastructure (and not pay to remove the old stuff) while also putting money into the economy (the racks are being made by New York-based Louis Barbato Landscaping). The rack's design is based on the standard "Hoop" rack designed by Ian Mahaffy and Maarten De Greev—just on a pole.
Meanwhile, the number of bike racks, corrals and shelters in the city just keeps going up. Just look at the beauty of a map, eh?
