Sunday, July 28, 2013

Alternatives to the Standard Neighborhood Playground

The majority of  Children's Playgrounds that are in the area I live offer a small fixed set of activities. Here are play spaces that offer a far greater variety of activities for kids to do.

Imagination Playground

 Collaborative activity playground  for kids
play%20work%20build.png


 "While there are so many amazing playgrounds for kids to do stuff in," says Rockwell, "most of them have a very similar play experience. A lot of them are linear and there is mostly fixed equipment."

link

Play Equipment Locker

The nearest NYC playground to me offers a total of 1 children's activity. The nearest Children's library offers thousands of books. A Equipment locker is like a library for play. Adding one to a playground greatly enhances the play possibilities.

 

There are 2 Hula Hoops, 4 Nok Hockey boards, 1 ping pong table and a Trouble game all being played in this area at them moment. All of these objects are portable allowing new ones to be swapped in and old ones swapped out in a minute.

Rockefeller Park  Equipment Locker


Natural Playground

If you've ever climbed trees, made forts, climbed rocks, made mud pies, dammed up water, dug in sand, jumped in leaves, or had fun outside in other, similar ways, you've experienced natural play.
All 5,000 children we've interviewed want these very same, natural play opportunities. Offer them a choice, and every time they'll choose Natural Playgrounds over equipment playgrounds (see "a child's perspective").



adventure playgrounds
http://www.play-scapes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/st-kilda-adventure-playground-australia6.jpg
St. Kilda’s Adventure Playground, Melbourne Australia - See more at: http://www.play-scapes.com/play-design/natural-playgrounds/st-kildas-adventure-playground-melbourne-australia/#sthash.AE5Uu7mH.dpuf
St Kilda's Adventure Playground
At adventure playgrounds children get to play how they choose; they are not limited by fixed play equipment or by organized activities or games. Children are given the safety of an enclosed supervised environment. Playworkers are always present to mediate disputes between children and help them when necessary.

(Imagination Playground was inspired by Adventure Playgrounds)


Read-Fi: Outdoor Reading Rooms


 gov176


The Uni Project is dedicated to expanding a culture of learning beyond the walls of schools and libraries and into public space.   

 Outdoor Reading Rooms

Friday, July 5, 2013

Another 101 ways to use a Bike Share Kiosk




Having reached 101Things to do at a Citibike Docking Station, 202 seems to be a reasonable next goal. If you have one to add email me at wtgichelsea (at) yahoo.com


102 Natural conversation starter

They’re natural conversation-starters: You can’t participate in bike share without visiting a bike share station. Stations bring people together around a common interest, giving them an opportunity and a reason to communicate with people they might not otherwise meet. Being that they serve as nodes in a transportation system, these stations also have a moderate sense of urgency to them: everyone there is trying to get somewhere else. This lowers the barrier-to-entry for casual social interaction for people on the shyer end of the spectrum, since it’s easy to smile and say “Nice helmet!” or “It’s a great day for a ride!” to someone as you both hop on bikes. Since instances of social interaction lead to a desire for greater contact, bike share stations make for happier, more social public spaces overall. link



103 Adopt a city bike kiosk
A business adjacent to a kiosk could adopt it. The manager of the grocery store across the street from where I live told me he opposed installation of the kiosk in front of his store. When I asked what if there was seating there to use as an outdoor cafe by his shoppers, he changed his mind on opposition to the kiosk.

After months of discussions with area businesses, the City and Royal Blue Grocery are taking an unprecedented step in making a little piece (250 sq.ft.) of Congress Avenue friendlier to those strolling, shopping, people watching and more!


link



104 Citibike Art Park
At a Citibike Kiosk, the streets are paved with asphalt


At Extra Place, between the Bowery and 2nd ave, the streets are paved with Art.



By adding art to the street side of the Citibike kiosks, each one can become a unique work of art reflecting the block or neighborhood it is created in.


update 7/15/2013
Turns out DOT may be doing some painting. This from Tribeca Citizen:
TEMPORARY ART ON FRANKLIN STREET
A city Department of Transportation rep said that the asphalt on the little block of Franklin that’s now closed because of Citi Bike racks is set to be painted by an artist. ... The paint will be exterior-grade latex, and it’ll be there for a year, slowly fading over time. Also, the DOT plans on considering this idea at other Citi Bike locations link

 http://tribecacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DOT-asphalt-leaves.jpg


105 Street performers Spot
Oslo Street Performer
link





106 Contests

Declare a Kiosk to be your home Kiosk. Show top 10 Riders Mileages at each  Home Kiosk


February Long Haul and Saddle Time Contest   link





107 As above, but have local area Citybike reps print monthly Award certificate and hold ceremony. (you can only win once)



link


108 Winter Weather Warrior contest.
 

Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C. has announced the Winter Weather Warrior contest. To the Capital Bikeshare annual or monthly member with the most trips taken from January 1- February 28 goes a three-year extension of his/her membership, two annual memberships for friends, a $100 Hudson Trail gift card and a $25 Starbucks gift card.
According to the contest rules, “any trip on a bad weather day counts as double.” link

BTW what happens durinng the winter to bikeshare systems?
With a simple tweet of “À l’année prochaine!“, BIXI, Montreal’s bikesharing system, has gone into hibernation for the harsh Canadian winter.
Canada’s first and North America’s largest public bike program is not the only system that is shutting up shop for the winter months. Bike systems in Denver, the Twin Cities, Nashville, and Washington state are shutting down until springtime. Bike maintenance, rider safety concerns, and expected low winter ridership are amongst the reasons systems will be shut over the next few months. link  



109:Enjoy Cycling Tel Aviv with your Own Private Bike Guide!
 From Tel Aviv, Bike Share Guides

You may be limited in time or maybe you just don’t want to bother studying maps and biking on your own.
If you’re looking for a private guide for yourself or your group, I recommend my good friends from ProRider. George, the cyclist in black -
tel aviv bike share george eshed cycling trips


And Michal, you can't miss her on the beach!

tel aviv bike share michal private cycling tours


I’ve been on biking trips with them a few times and had a ball.
I trust and recommend them as biking professionals.  link

110 Contact info for area rep
Post a Phone number on the kiosk for area Citibike Rep


111 Signs with advice on top of Kiosks
Do not salmon
Wear Bright Clothing

112 Suggestion Boxes
a) for Citibike Rep  b) for Block

113 Post a Rep Schedule on Kiosk
I ran into our area Citibike rep twice one day. Have not seen him befor or since. Have no way to contact him.The area rep goes from station to station, at a random basis I assume . But at least once a day foer a set amount of time he should be locatable at a specific place. Perhaps a different station every day.

Schedule
From 3pm-4pm
Mondays-26 & 8th
Tue 27th and 7th
etc...

114 Handouts  & Sales
Area Rep should handout NYC Bike map, Park Chelsea map and other useful items. Sell low cost helmets? Carry stock in a bike trailer.

115  Electric Vehicle Charging.
As time goes on we're going to need more  Citibike kiosks, there's only so much on street space to take away from automobiles. The current owners  of private automobiles take up way too much  public space for private use.People still need cars. lets make it as advantageous as possible for these cars to be:


- Car share Automobiles 
-Smaller foldable automobiles that will take up less space
 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Hiriko_1.jpg/320px-Hiriko_1.jpg
 -image wikipedia
-Electric vehicle  charging stations at Citibike Kiosks

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Electric_vehicle_charging_station_at_Intermodal_Transit_Facility_-_Hillsboro%2C_Oregon.JPG/320px-Electric_vehicle_charging_station_at_Intermodal_Transit_Facility_-_Hillsboro%2C_Oregon.JPG
 link

Add electric charging outlets to Bikeshare Kiosks. Small vehicles as above can double park at kiosks while charging.

-car share vehicles that can sense and help avoid pedestrian collisions
It's way too early by decades  for autonomous vehicles to be on the streets. It's  not too early start thinking about  equipping  car share vehicles with technology that will be able to see pedestrians and help drivers avoid collisions. The cost to do this on private cars would be prohibitive, the cost on a car share vehicle would be amortized over many many shares.


116 Power Trips
This is a variation on the pedal power concept and how elese to use a Citibike dock key. People who use the dock fitness cycle will get a free ride after n minutes of cycling.

117 Corporate Trips


I just ran into a bunch of people that all seemed to know each other and were all taking out Citibikes together. When asked what was occurring they said they were all worked at  the Design Firm David Monn and were  going out on a corporate workout outing together.



118 Meetups
Some of the many other ways Citi could further leverage the sponsorship would be to organize Meetups to bring together loyal Citibike fans, sponsor special bike rides for Citibike members-Huff Post

119  Explore Melbourne on a blue bike!
I found this on the  Melbourne Bike share  website   they offer tour maps. there.  In the areas covered by specific tours, printed copies of these pdf can be made available at the docks.

With 50 bike stations located around the CBD and city fringe, the adventures and places you can explore by bike are endless.  To start you off, we have just released some great new tours that you can do at your leisure.  Whether your passion is food, art, sport or shopping, there is sure to be something that interests you. 
Culture Craving Tour
Feed Me Tour
Game On Tour
Grand Designs Tour
Once Upon a Time Tour
Park Your Bike Tour
Retail Rejuvenation Tour
Spiritual Guide Tour
To Market To Market Tour
Winter Warmer
Footy Fever

The NY Post version of the above idea...

Go for a Citi Bike spin with the Post’s 7 tailor-made tours

 This New York biker drops her kickstand for a mid-ride snack at a Chelsea Piers hot dog cart — while exploring the Hudson River Greenway bike path.Joan Taitt (with Citi Bike) and Shaun Lynda go slow across the Williamsburg Bridge.

39th Street to South Street Seaport
Coast along the Hudson River Greenway bike path
Starting Point: Bike station just outside the Midtown Ferry Terminal (12th Avenue and 39th Street). Head 18 blocks downtown on the bike path and take in the picturesque views of Weehawken and the Hudson.
Pit stop: Drop off the bike at 22nd Street and 11th Avenue, and take a load off at Chelsea Waterside Park (23rd Street and 12th Avenue), where we recommend sitting and lounging on the park’s big lawn. There’s a ’wichcraft at the adjoining Chelsea Piers where you can cool off with a glass of lemonade ($2.50 for a large). But you can also just grab the greatest of all classic NYC treats: the pushcart hot dog ($2).
Cruise control: Move south along the Greenway bike path and keep an eye out for students at the Trapeze School New York swinging back and forth like a bunch of swashbuckling pirates at Houston and West streets. But the best way to appreciate Manhattan’s shoreline is from the South Street Seaport (southstreetseaport.com).
Destination: Drop off the bike at South Street and Gouverneur Lane. The food-friendly folks responsible for Brooklyn Flea have curated SmorgasBar at the Seaport, which runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday (till 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday) and has some of our favorite food and drink vendors, such as Asia Dog, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Blue Marble Ice Cream and many others. But the Seaport is all about the views, so stop by the Topsider bar at the shipping containers at Fulton and South streets.



120  How to secure Free helmets to a Bike


Another great idea from Melbourne Australia bikeshare

They give out helmets for free, and then ask that you secure the free helmet to the bike/dock.  If you check out this video, you'll see that their docks/bikes look just like our docks/bikes.

 Additionally they offer over FIFTY locations throughout Melbourne where you can buy a helmet for $5.00 

 I was thinking how can you sell helmets for $5.00 turns out they can be bought direct from China for  as low as $1.50 each

In Melbourne as stated above,  there are fifty locations where you can buy a helmet for $5.00 . What about an alternative, $1.00 to rent a helmet from a store, and you get .50 cents back if you return it. Helmets can only be bought at this price if you possess a key. -and you are limited to the amount of helmets you can take out before you return them(see #121). Citibike can supply helmets to the stores for a low enough cost (free?) to assure they will always make money on the sales.


121 Multi User Keys
The suggestion was made before that the Citibike key can have more uses  than the one it presently has, #120 above  is one use,  here's an idea from Montreal's Bikeshare

The multi-users key is a BIXI membership designed to be shared among your employees for their business needs. See the advantages:
- 1 hour allowed for every trip instead of 45 minutes with the one-year regular membership;
- all trips made with the key will appear on your personal space on the web site;
- corporate responsability: use a corporate credit card to activate your multi-users account.
Cost: $230 per key, taxes included link

122 The Tricycle Option for people with Disabilities
 
From Madison Wisconsin B-Cycle
(Waterloo, WI – April 17, 2013) B-cycle, one of the nation’s leading providers of bike sharing systems, today announced the introduction of the “B-Trike,” the first fully integrated bike share tricycle. Madison B-cycle is currently street testing the B-Trike.  It will soon be made available to all B-cycle systems. The B-Trike provides public bike share access to those that are not comfortable riding a two-wheeled bike.

 The B-Trike is a commitment that I made to advocate Laureen Ferris from the City and County of Denver who championed for persons with disabilities,” said Bob Burns, President of B-cycle, LLC. link

123 Are there bike-share bicycles built for two so we can team up and get through this together?
One user per bike. And no, users are not permitted to ride on another user’s handlebars. -New York Observer

Why not? If there are tricycle bikes for the disabled at bikeshares, why not tandem bikes?
Charles Catherine and his wife Alexandra stand next to their new donated bike — a replacement for a tandem two-wheeler stolen last week.
Kind-hearted Daily News readers touched by the story of a callous thief who stole a beloved tandem bike from a blind East Harlem resident have deluged the disabled man with new two-wheelers and offers of cash.


124 Multicity key
It may not be possible to dock your bike in Washington, but using your key on a Washington DC dock and visa versa is a possibility.NYC bikeshare is part of Alta which has systems in several other cities. their competitor B-cycle does this already.

 (Waterloo, WI – March 15, 2013)    B-cycle, one of the nation’s leading providers of bike sharing systems, today announced its “B-connected” annual membership initiative between 15 of its B-cycle systems. Starting today, annual members traveling to specified B-cycle systems across the U.S. can use their annual membership to check out bikes in any of the participating cities just as they do in their home city. link


125 Free Demo Fridays
Hold Citibike demos at select  Docks on Fridays , give free one day passes* to those who come, that's what Aspen's We-Cycles do

Learn all about how WE-cycle works at our FREE DEMO FRIDAYS, starting June 21st and running throughout July.  Free demos are hosted by WE-cycle staff from 12:00 - 1:00pm at select stations around town and are open to all. Participants will be granted a FREE WE-cycle day pass to try it out on us! Click here to view our Current Events calendar and find the next Free Demo Friday station location. link

*Thinking of joining Citi Bike, New York City’s new bike share system? Attend a Citi Bike Street Skills class for a short session that includes bike share basics, like pricing and station locations, as well as essential street riding tips. Every participant will leave with a free 24-hour pass to Citi Bike, worth $9.95!

126 Special Events Kiosks 



link


This seem like a good idea. Unfortunately no mention here is made of what a special events kiosk would be.

127 Helmet Vault

link

Helmet Hub 
For Boston, an MIT designed helmet vending  machine 


128 Are there bike-share Geniuses to help troubleshoot how to learn to ride a bike-share bike?
It is understood that only people who already know how to ride bikes will participate in the program.

Funny Observer bike sharing article. However, you can take lessons, free. A New York City nonprofit has classes for adults & kids who need better bike riding skills, or who need to actually learn how to ride. The classes are conducted at several locations under the auspices of Bike New York. There has been such a big response that many classes are fully subscribed, but keep checking at http://
www.bikenewyork.org/education/  NY Observer
 (At the least this should be posted at Kiosks )

129 Free Bike Locks

Are bikes provided with a lock?

If this were Switzerland, the answer would be maybe.

Bikes at stations with a touch screen have a lock on the frame that can be used to secure the bike. You must always carry the key with you and leave it in the lock when you return the bike. Do not lock the frame when you return the bike.
Bikes at stations with a totem are not provided with a lock. We strongly advise you to bring a lock with you if you want to make any stops on your journey other than at PubliBike stations. Bike locks are available free of charge (on payment of a deposit) from certain partners located near our stations ("Maison du vélo" in Lausanne, tourist office in Fribourg, Yverdon-les-Bains, Morges, Aigle, Nyon, Bulle, Estavayer-le-Lac, Avenches and Morat). The list of sales points is shown on each station totem and on the list of sales points
-Publi bike



130 Add a tablet PC 
 As long as were adding seating to the Kiosks, what about adding Tablet PC's for use by neighborhood residents.

And then there's what they are going in Denmark...



 GOBIKE riders will have real time information at their figure tips with a touch screen computer between the handle bars as they negotiate the one of the world's leading cycle-friendly cities.


The on-board computer will plan your route with a map display. It can give real-time transport schedule information with ticketing integration. It can furnish information on activities in areas through which you are cycling. Real-time bike and docking station availability is displayed as well.

In Copehagen Gobikes have a tablet PC on them. This is one intelligent bike.   For bikers this allows route planning, guided tours and train timetables.  Could this be made available to non-bikers through purchase of a special bikeshare key?


131 Offer Financial Literacy Course
In D.C. this issue was addressed via the Bank on D.C. initiative, in which low-income residents received a free Capital Bikeshare membership after completing a financial literacy course. Liability for the membership was shared by the individual, the city, a bank and Alta Bicycle Share, the Portland, Oregon-based company that runs the D.C. system and will be operating Chicago’s as well. link


132 Collect No parking Tickets
This fellow collected  2 tickets for illegal parking at a dock



133 Advertise trips to far away exotic locations
The sign says...."Enjoy a Heavenly ride to Hell's Kitchen"


134 Play Garbage toss

I wonder how the garbage was dealt with in the past with automobiles parked here? Was there enough room for the sanatation men to get through then? Or did people always play garbage toss here?


135 Kiosk's maps printout
Portable Kiosks maps at every dock.


Was at a kiosk on Rivington St, fellow asks if there are kiosks in Washington Square. He has a smartphone but google maps is still downloading. And what about the 50% of the population that doesn't have a smartphone?  I




136 Bike washing stations




137 Disposable and collapsible  helmets

Newspapers are collected and blended with water to create a pulp. No bleaching or adhesive is added although an organic and food safe additive is also combined that ensures the helmets water resistance for up to 6 hours of rain. Natural pigments to communicate helmet size is also added.  link

 
Michael-Rose-folding-helmet
Michael Rose, a 3rd year design student from De Montfort University in the UK, recently designed a helmet with a collapsible polypropylene centre structure. According to Michael, “38% of helmet users have issues with storage and carrying of a helmet and 23% of people blame the inconvenience of a regular helmet for not wearing one.” His design reduces to less than half the original size when folded and has passed a 1 meter drop with a weighted head-form (based on the EN1078 testing standards). . See additional images and drawings from the project on his Coroflot page.


138 Bike Kiosk Insurance
Boris Bike in London offer free Liability insurance.  Why not in NYC. If not free how about as an add on to purchase  at the kiosk

From London:


You are covered through the insurer RSA for the following amount if you accidentally cause damage to someone or something else while using the cycle.
 £2,000,000 liability cover for each incident
Excess: You will be responsible for paying a £250 excess for each claim.

What's not covered

Personal accident insurance is not included. You may wish to take out your own insurance for this. Some cycling organisations include it in their membership benefits.
link



139 Eyes on the Street Part 2 (see #54)
They attract a stream of diverse users at all times of day & night: A truly great place facilitates a mix of uses over time; if there’s nothing to keep a space active at night, it can create uncomfortable or even unsafe conditions for passersby, and detract from the entire community. Bike share stations ensure a steady flow of people through a space even after dark, keeping “eyes on the street” and making other constructive after-hours uses more likely. This extends the usefulness of a place as a social hub for the surrounding community. . link

140 Leave Flyers for Citibike Users
141 Get written about in the NY Times
 The Many Uses of the New Hitching Post Bike-Sharing Docks Also Serve as Gyms or Trash Cans






142 Substitute fire Hydrant
low enough for a dog to swathe almost the entire surface with urine. NYT

143  Dip Bars
Two men were recently spotted using empty station docks in Midtown as dip bars for upper body toning. . NYT

144 Changing Room
In front of Grand Central Terminal last week, a man used a bike kiosk as a changing room, claiming part of the station to spread out his gym bag, peel off a sweat-stained T-shirt, apply deodorant and throw on a fresh top. . NYT


145  Garbage Pail
perhaps if real garbage pails were placed adjacent to the docks this would't occur.
And while few New Yorkers are brazen enough to litter on the hoods of parked cars, the bike stations installed in their stead have attracted all manner of urban waste. At a single station in Brooklyn last week, near Fulton Street and Flatbush Avenue, the menu included rotting strawberries, pale fries, an empty can of an alcoholic energy drink and a crushed pack of cigarettes — all scattered atop unoccupied spaces. . NYT

146  Gathering Spot for Children



Bike sharing’s most enterprising users seem to reside in Chinatown, or at least play there, beside a park near Canal and Forsyth Streets. A station at that location, where the locked bikes face one another in neat rows, has become a gathering spot for children without bikes of their own. They ride in place, as many as 10 at a time, ringing the bells until their fingers tire. Or an adult approaches.
. NYT




147 They act as casual landmarks that concentrate activity: Bike share stations, with their colorful bikes and signage, help to make a place more comfortable and navigable for people who might not be familiar with a neighborhood. Think of the relief you felt the last time you were walking around, lost, and stumbled onto a subway or bus station; transit nodes help to re-orient us when we get turned around, chipping away at the sense of alienation that sometimes accompanies visiting a new place. The visual impact of these stations is also great for surrounding businesses and attractions, as the identifying signage and maps often highlight nearby points of interest. link



148 Citiparks Over 1,000,000 Seated
Picture
http://fineartamerica.com

Mc Donalds lets people know that over 99 billion have beens served. How many  people can be seated if real seats are put in at Citibike Kiosks? Yjis time lapse video shows the useage of a Pop-up cafe in NYC. This one seats 12 and 96 people were counted  here.



-Currently we have 300+ Citibike kiosks
If each sit 10 people per day that's 3000 people seated per day.
At 20 it would become 6000 per day.
Figuring 200 reasonable weather  days per year,  that's over 1 million people per year.

-When Citibike reaches its next goal of 600 Kiosks these figures would double to 6,000 and 12,000 people per day.


149 Rain Cover Dispensers
I biked up to 34th st the other day. Then it started raining and stopped. Would have biked back, but bike seats were wet.  I had no way to dry it off  If a plastic rain cover dispenser were at the kiosk, I would have been able to bike home.

150 Telephone Booth
currently if you are at a Citibike Kiosk and need to call Citibike, you need a cellphone. If for any reason you do not have a cellphone with you you are out of luck. NYC will be installing new telephone in 2014. By placing them near the Citibike Kiosks. It would solve the communications issue. With an LCD screen it would also allow for much better wayfinding then the printed maps now at the kiosks.

NYFi payphone concept


151 Bike Kiosk Status Lite

Mount a status light atop the docking station’s solar panel (see mockup below).
Bike Share Station Status LightThis is a somewhat low-tech solution, and is not a replacement for the website or mobile apps. It is meant to be used in conjunction with the maps by a user in the immediate vicinity of several docking stations. Users walking or riding around an area would be able to see from a distance whether the docking station has bikes and docks available.
The light would glow green if the there are both bikes and docks at that station and red if the station is either empty or full. It might be good to have an additional color, such as amber. This would allow for all statuses to be displayed (full, empty or otherwise). But, this additional information might be confusing and it might be best to keep it simple. link
Original Photo by *Bitch Cakes* on Flickr

152 Author in Residence
 

 Garrett Buhl Robinson has been author in residence at the plaza in front of the Schwarzman library building for almost a year now.  I asked him if he'd consider becoming Author in Residence and reading from his works  for a day,  at a Citibike Docking Station. He answered yes.  I'll be posting a picture when this occurs.



The Poet from Alabama. Meet Garrett Buhl Robinson and listen to his southern drawl read poetry that might as well be music for the soul. He’s not Shakespeare but his genius and passion for the word will move you the way any great poet would. The man who hopped on a coal train and hitchhiked around the country tells his story and brings to life what many people would envy, the freedom to write with no holes barred. link


Update sept 23, 2013 
As mentioned above Garrett Buhl Robinson became author in residence at the Mid-Manhattan Mibrary biklet on Parking day,  Sept 20, 2013

 


153 Make A Movie
This one is titled:CitiBikes are a Pain in the Ass

154 Hold a convention of Superheroes & Sesame Street Characters

DSC06339

link

155 start a moving Company

 citibike_mattress
 link

201 Create a informal communications and design  system
Janette Sadik-Khan said the following about turning back seats to signify a problem with a bike(item 27) ...

"It is something that's done in other cities," said NYC Department of Transportation commissioner . "It's part of the lore that's getting passed along. We think it's helpful when New Yorkers help us manage the system better...and if New Yorkers can help pinpoint the problem, so much the better."  link

There are at least 2 ways  Citibike kiosks are "designed"  , the top down formal one from the people who control a project and the bottom up informal one created by the usersThis document is meant, among other things,  to record and retransmit some of the informal/crowd sourced  ideas that are occurring at the Citibike kiosks. If you have a  Citibike kiosk use tips  that you'd like to share email it to :  wtgichelsea    (..at..)  yahoo.com


If you have advice on Bikeshare to share...
With bike share beginning in NYC, potentially thousands of people will be biking New York who haven't ever done so before. They need advice. Let's give them some. Listen to some tips -- and upload your own -- inside.

The Transportation Nation Bike Advice Project

  Wear shiny things, bright neon  things so  less cars try to hit you.

Your Bike Share Questions, Answered

link
...



202 The Whole is More Than the Sum of Its Parks
Some city planners would like to use parklets more assertively. “So far each one has been something in and of itself, but we’re beginning to think about their potential as tools for larger change,” says David Alumbaugh, who directs the department’s City Design Group, which includes the parklets team. He contemplates using a series of parklets as a way to pull people into neighborhoods that otherwise might be avoided by outsiders, or concentrating them in such a way as to form a sort of traffic-calming system: “There might be ways to tie several of these spaces together…. A few years ago, any proposal to do something in the street was met with such resistance. Now that they’re popular, it’s ‘Why not do more?’”   link

Transformed to a park, one Citibike Kiosk adds little to the City's open space needs. taken together and combined with an areas other open space entities they have the power to transform a area from a neighborhood to a park.

There are about
-20 City parks in and around Chelsea
-28 Secret parks
-40 Citibenches
-5 Plazas

The bikes on this map  are Chelsea's Citibike stations. There are over 25 of them scattered throughout Chelsea. DOT's goal has been to place these stations within  1000 feet of each other.  By transforming these spaces to parklets and adding them to Chelsea's existing public outdoor seating, it will  go  a long way to meeting the criteria mentioned above  in A Pattern Language of a  park within a 3 minute walk of all  residents


View Park Chelsea-Chelsea's Age Friendly Park in a larger map


As mentioned before seating is the most common use of parks. So each entity will have seating. Other functionality can be scattered among kiosks, some may have reading rooms, other games tables, still others art exhibitions.or gardens  What will occur at any bike kiosk parklet will be based on what block residents want it to be for their block, but together these small parklets   will tie together to form a larger park for the community they are in.




Some  Examples of Transforming   Existing Outdoor Space into Seating  Space 
Here's some folks who are re imagining sidewalk sheds to seating and eating locations.

Softwalks
photo Copyright Softwalks

The Softwalks design fold up when not in use

eating at a sidewalk shed with a  Softwalks counter installed

Softwalks adds functionality to sidewalk sheds, could a modified version add seating to Citibike stations? Would a folding seat at the docks be better than a fixed seat?
 link



Here's West 77th Street and Columbus Ave,   before and after it was transformed into a seating area
Before

After



Fire hydrant Seat Design
Here are two fire hydrant seat designs. The first a petal design, gives people a place to pause or rest on. It is similar in function to the pedistrian use that is currently made of Citibike kiosks




















































































The Petal concept allows those with limited mobility to take a leaning rest on a fire hydrant
 The "Petal" seating concept recognizes the fact that those with limited mobility often need a place to pause or rest. This simple analog solution integrates a fire hydrant with a seat, effectively using existing infrastructure without affecting its functionality. .link

The Second design actually allows people to sit on the hydrant.

 Fire Hydrant Seat

Fire hydrants. They’re red. They give firefighters access to water to put out fires. Dogs pee on them. They work pretty good for what they’re meant to do. But what about the offseason? What happens to lawn chairs in the winter? They get put in the shed. What about fire hydrants when there’s no fire? I know, let’s sit on it. Let’s sit on the fire hydrant. But wait! It isn’t comfortable at all! What can be done?
By jove I know what we can do, make it more sit-friendly! Designer Xiaoman Wang observed in his area of residence the strange phenomenon of people sitting on fire hydrants as seats. Everywhere XW looked, there was someone resting their feet with a nice butt-to-hydrant sit.

Fire Hydrant Seat




IBM People for Smarter Cities billboard
link
The Future
Thousands of Parklets/Community Spaces



proposed_phasing.jpg
The first phase of the Citibike program has the potential to add hundreds of parklets to NYC.
An enlarged Citibike  system could go from 10,000 to 49,000 bikes. If this occurs we'd go from 600 bike stations to 3,000. If bike stations acted as seating/community spaces that would be 3,000 throughout the city(and up to 3000 bioswales, and community emergency hubs) .Add that to the 1500 Citibenches, and we're talking 4500 "convenience store parks" throughout  the city. .   link







Visit the Capital Bikeshare Online Shop!


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(not yet processed)  Produce  bicycles with their own built in dock
Dock kiosks in NYC exist every 1000 feet or so and each dock holds a lot of bikes. . What about a model that would put the dock electronics in the bike, this would allow for less bikes per dock, and more dock locations. (and less complaints that there are 40 docks blocking the front of my building.). Here's viaCycle.


Sing Along Spot

Parklet Speaker Series

Treasure Hunt

display awards  that are given for # of miles ridden (like lottery winners at stores)

 Flea Market
 Car Parking Map

 
 http://www.transportphoto.net/photo.aspx?id=447126681&c=Barcelona
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bicycle rain canopy

http://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/2007/08/26/bicycle-rain-protection/



 a light signal that tells you if bikes are available from a block away
 http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/02/4-quirky-ideas-revolutionize-bike-sharing/4636/