A daily hassle for locals, the parking congestion on Bogart Street is just one of the problem areas that could get more bike racks through the Fixcity.org pilot project. — Photo by Diego Cupolo

When’s the last time you used a bike rack in Bushwick? There are a few by the Morgan Avenue L station, but bikers just about anywhere else in the neighborhood are forced to use street signs, gates, and small trees. 

The lack of proper bicycle parking is a growing problem in North Brooklyn, an area where bike ridership continues to climb, and, by enlisting your help, the creators of Fixcity.org are hoping to bring slick new bike racks to the places that need them the most.  

"The DOT commissioner has always supported pedestrian-bike friendly initiatives and wants to provide resources to encourage city bikers," said Lily Bernheimer, project manager for Fixcity.org and community producer for Livable Streets, an initiative to reclaim urban space from cars. "We are developing this project to help guide those resources to the right places and make everything run a lot smoother." 

The interactive web site lets visitors pinpoint areas that could use more bicycle parking on a collaborative map. Once complete, the map will be fine-tuned and presented to the DOT as one big package – a method that will be far more efficient than individual requests by disorganized residents, according to Bernheimer.  

But it’s not as simple as it may sound, as the guidelines for installing bike racks are very strict. So much so, that Bernheimer made an entertaining short video to show how to find the perfect spot for a bike rack. 

For now, the pilot project will be limited to Brooklyn Community Board 1 (basically, everything north of Flushing Avenue), but Bernheimer said she plans on expanding Fixcity.org’s range in the near future and visitors can still make suggestions outside CB1.  

After learning about the project, some Bushwickers said they were happy that bicycle parking was getting attention, but others were less enthusiastic. 

"That doesn’t excite me so much, you can always find a pole to lock your bike on," said resident Daniel Rogers. 

To promote the effort, Fixcity.org is hosting a tournament this Sunday where participants can win prizes by finding the best spots for future bike racks in North Brooklyn. For more information, contact info@fixcity.org.