In late March, we cut the ribbon on New York’s newest bike parking station at the Midtown Bus Terminal. While commuters may rejoice at the provision of any new secure bike parking in the nation’s largest business district, this facility represents something special; the first next generation Oonee Pod.
The Pod is our medium density station that aims to provide secure bike parking capacity to plazas, extra-wide sidewalks, campuses and other marquee urban spaces. First launched in 2018, the classic Pod has been tested in locations across the New York/New Jersey region, including Downtown Manhattan, Journal Square and Downtown Brooklyn.
Armed with years of experience and feedback from riders and the residents of these communities, we set out in 2020 to redesign the Oonee Pod for the next decade of deployments in New York, New Jersey and beyond. This wasn’t a simple evolution, we went back to the drawing board and re-designed the Pod from scratch, making thousands of improvements large and small along the way.
Features
When designing the newest addition to the Oonee family, we carefully studied successes that made the classic model so successful, we also examined the friction points that presented opportunities for improvement. This process resulted in a number of key changes that are both visible and under the hood.
Fresh Design
When designing the newest addition to the Oonee family, we carefully studied successes that made the classic design so successful, and we also studied the friction points that presented opportunities for improvement. This process resulted in a number of key changes that are both visible and under the hood.
The refreshed design profile is, perhaps, the most notable change. We incorporated premium materials such as glass, aluminum and customized textured surfaces into the new design in order to achieve a premium look that could compliment marquee streetscapes.
The interior has also been completely redesigned from the ground up to provide a brighter, more accessible experience to cyclists. New features include 80% more lighting, level flooring, interior cladding and 40% more greater daylight through the use of glass instead of perforated steel.
Premium Surfaces and Go’n Digital
Switching to LED & LCD digital signage technology enabled us to retain most of the surface area for architecture and public art. In the case of our launches at the Midtown Bus Terminal and our upcoming launch in Hudson Square, the digital screens are elevated onto a specialized smart encasing.
In the future, these optional attachments will be able to house traffic and pedestrian counting sensors in addition to the screens.
Better Exit and Entry
We regarded the doors of a classic pod as an area for improvement. In operations, riders would have to open the door outward with a handle from the exterior and push the door open from the interior. Not only was this range of motion awkward for people standing entering from the outside, but it affected loading during peak times; when riders were exiting and entering at the same time.
The new Pod utilizes electric doors that are especially designed to optimize entry and exit, especially for multiple users at a time. From the outside, the doors can be unlocked via the app or with a keycard while riders can exit via an exit button on the inside.
An additional sensor located on the interior provides riders with an additional option to exit, by waving their hand at the door. This will enable users who are exiting with a bike to waive their hand at the door instead of reaching for a button. This makes it remarkably easier for users to exit while moving a heavier, longer object like a bike.
Giving Riders a Lift
We began piloting the Oonee Lift racks at Barclays Center and Journal Square in 2021 with the goal of providing an assisted-lift function that would make vertical racks more accessible to users with heavier bikes or to those who just didn’t feel like hoisting.
The new generation of Oonee Pod makes these innovations standard, with fifty percent of the interior space reserved for assisted lift racks. Oonee Lifts can accommodate bikes of up to 75 lbs
Experimental Smart, Self-Locking Racks
In partnership with Linka, we are pleased to introduce smart racks to our facilities. These racks, which are located at every parking space, will provide users with an additional layer of security or will allow them not to have to bring their locks at all.
Eventually, this new technology will be standard in every Oonee facility and will serve as the basis for additional services (i.e. maintenance & repair) that can be provided to the bikes parked in the Pod.
We’re especially proud to be partnered with Linka, which was developed and founded in New York City. Mohamed Mohamed, the company’s founder, hails from Queens, and began developing smart rack technology in response to his realization that travel would be so much easier for his father, if he could just use an e-bike without the fear of it being stolen.
App Based
A new mobile app dramatically improves accessibility to the public and, for the first time, enables “on-demand” usage. This means its possible for users to sign up and use the Pod on the spot in a matter of minutes.
This app, which is in beta mode, will also make it easier for users to access the growing network of stations across the region. The mobile app can be found in the App Store (IOS) or on the Google Play Store (Android).
The mobile app will be in beta to start. This will help us understand how users are interacting with the system and to inform UX and functionality priority as we build out the full V1.
Public Art and Creating New Opportunities
Artistic impression lays at the soul of any great streetscape environment and so we’re taking care to integrate it with our new generation of Pods. We will accomplish this by giving paid opportunities to community artists to design graphics, murals and sculptures for Pod and the areas that are adjacent to the Pod. We will specifically aim to provide opportunities to BIPOC and underrepresented groups as part of this initiative.
In addition to the well paid opportunity, we hope this initiative can help provide artists with opportunity for long-term exposure in highly visible public spaces. If you know artists that may be a good fit for this program, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@ooneepod.com
We’re pleased to announce that Naderson St. Pierre was selected to provide public artwork at the Midtown Bus Terminal. Naderson was born in Haiti and moved to Orlando and then New York to pursue his career as an artist. He currently resides in the Cypress Hills section of Brooklyn.
You can follow his journey on Instagram at @oursols
Other notable upgrades & features
- Improved Leveling System: The new Pod can go more places thanks to an improved leveling system that provides greater stability for the structure and a more streamlined experience on the interior for users.
- Improved Security Monitoring: We’ve completely re-designed the interior security monitoring system for greater effectiveness.
- Improved Weather Resistance & Ventilation: The new pods adopt a double layer of perforated steel mesh instead of open air slats for ventilation. This approach maintains airflow, while also ensuring that bikes & scooters inside are less affected by inclement weather. In addition to ventilation, the new Pods also include an experimental ventilation and scent management system that is designed to improve the experience of users while within the interior.
- Certified Compliant with Building Construction Code: Like the classic Pod, our next generation facilities have been reviewed and certified by architects as compliant with New York State building codes, specifically against seismic, snow, wind and car impact effects.
- Improved Installation: The superstructure of the new Pods can be erected in just a day, ensuring minimal disruption to property, operations and traffic. Like the classic Pod, these next generation facilities require no foundation work or invasive infrastructures or foundations.
In addition to the facility that’s already been installed at the Midtown Bus Terminal, several other facilities are poised for deployment:
- Hudson Square: With power installation now complete, final installation will begin at the Hudson & Canal on Saturday, May 13th with service scheduled to start within three weeks.
- Jersey City: Several Pods are under construction currently for our Jersey City deployments and are slated for deployment during the summer. The Jersey City Pods contain even more refinements and customizations, designed to meet the specific realities of that individual community.
We will have more updates on these deployments soon!
Sidebar: We’re in the process of conducting a round of investment. If you love this work and are interested in investing in a growth orientated startup then please drop us a note at info@ooneepod.com
