Greenpoint Bikes: BiCi

In New York City, green is the new black, and in order to implement progressive visions of environmental, ecological and social sustainability, comprehensive infrastructure is necessary. On Monday morning, in a step towards expanded rights for pedestrians and cyclists, the City Council passed the bicycle access bill, making it easier for those commuting to work by bicycle to safely stow their stallions indoors. And, just one month ago, a couple of Greenpointers took it upon themselves to make sure that once the proper legislation is in place, cyclists, business owners and advocates have an advisory resource to implement their plans. Enter Bicycle Infrastructure Change and Innovations—affectionately termed BICI for short—North Brooklyn’s newest transportation consulting firm.

BiCi aims to help corporations, educational institutions, and other entities reach their sustainable transportation goals by promoting improved infrastructure, programming and planning. The services offered will range in scale from bicycle master planning to secure storage room design; from feasibility studies to wayfinding signs.

Though BiCi incorporated as a business just a few weeks ago, the idea has been brewing for nearly two years, beginning when founders Emily Louise Allen and Mark Simpson met as students at New York University and both landed jobs working as transportation consultants on the University’s Sustainability Task Force. Allen and Simpson received a grant to develop a bicycle recycling program at NYU, during which they would tag abandoned bicycles on campus and, if they were not claimed in a timely fashion, would hold refurbishing workshops at Times Up!, a cycling advocacy organization nearby, after which each participant would receive their very own revamped bicycle. The grant also paid for Allen and Simpson to conduct cycling case studies on and around the NYU campus and compile a “state of cycling” report, in which they outlined specific recommendations for improving the University’s overall cycling culture and environment, as well as strategies for recruiting more riders and keeping them as safe and comfortable on the road as possible. However, after NYU failed to implement their recommendations, Allen and Simpson decided to do it themselves.

“Ultimately, we decided that if we really wanted to make an impact, we had to do it professionally,” said Allen, who recently passed her Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) exam, certifying her as a professional in the field of urban design and planning. And thus, BiCi was born. And as of Monday evening, they are off to a running start, when Allen and Simpson were officially contracted by the city of Fayetteville, Arkansaw to build a series of innovative and socially sustainable bike racks that double as pieces of makeshift street furniture. And that’s just the beginning. Allen and Simpson are planning to reach out to universities and educational institutions in urban areas and offer their consulting services, aiding colleges across the country in maximizing their potential for promoting cycling and sustainable modes of transportation. Ultimately though, it boils down to promoting a shift away from thinking of bicycles as dirty or lesser forms of transit, and towards a future where cyclists are given the rights and privileges they deserve, beginning with increased access to buildings thanks to the recent passage of 871 A in the City Council. BiCi hopes to also lend their services to help guide business owners in the right direction as they begin to grant cyclists the right to bring their bikes indoors.

“In an urban context, cycling occupies a cultural role as a sustainable mode of transit,” Simpson said. “There are a lot of antiquated ideals that deems bicycling as unprofessional or unclean, and we want to move away from that. The bicycle could be the keystone to solving 20th century problems brought on by automobiles, and there’s a lot of support for these ideals. We want to facilitate that shift in mindset. We want to be the bridge between the government and private citizens.”

“We also want to get as many people on the road as possible,” Allen continued. “Bicycling is no longer a fringe form of transportation. In an urban setting especially, cycling is a viable option: In a compact city like Manhattan, it makes it easy to move around. Also, it allows you to interact with your environment in a way you could never on the subway or in a car. We’re working to undo 50 years of automobile culture.”

While undoing the four-wheeled legacy of megalomaniacal automobile enthusiast Robert Moses could take a while, with a brand new bike rack contract, government legislative support and a passion for bi-peds, BiCi isn’t wasting any time taking the streets by storm, two wheels at a time.