|  There
is a very real conflict between two positive environmental practices
in our city centers; the planting and maintenance of street trees
and the increased use of bicycles for commuting, business and recreational
purposes. Trees New York has found that, due to a lack of bike parking,
street trees are often used for bike storage. This common practice
causes physical harm to the trees. The problem is particularly serious
for young trees, which are easily damaged by bark stripping. These
trees can die within a year of the initial
damage.
 In
response to this problem, TNY held a student competition to design
a bike rack that doubles as a tree guard. The project objective
is to ameliorate the harm done to street trees as a result of bike
usage by creating a practical, durable design that can be adapted
to a variety of community conditions throughout the U.S.'s city
and town centers and beyond. (See the competition website, www.designentrees.com,
for additional information about the student competition and its
goals.)
The "Call for Entries" elicited 85 creative and
innovative design solutions. Two winning designs were chosen, and
one of the prototype units was manufactured this past August. It
was installed in Manhattan's East Village (at the corner of 3rd
Avenue and 8th Street) where there is heavy bicycle traffic. Evaluation
of the device has begun to determine the final design/product; TNY
is requesting feedback from bicyclists and pedestrians in the community.
Following the period of evaluation, TNY will make necessary changes
to the design, and go into full-scale production. Please feel free
to go check out the prototype (bearing in mind that the final product
will have a more durable coating, cleaner welding, will be a bit
taller, etc..) and let us know what you think.
 In
conjunction with the project, TNY produced a pamphlet about the
dangers of chaining bicycles to trees. If you would like pamphlets
to distribute in your neighborhood, please call or email TNY. We're
really excited about this project and can't wait to start getting
the units out on the streets. If you have any questions, please
call us at (212) 227-1887 or email us(treesny@treesny.com).
Download
catalog here!
Call for special pricing
 
|
