I’m Here for Oonee
How bicycles, sustainability and activism led me to join this movement
My name is Yosef, and I am a transportation policy activist, committed to making cities more livable. I recently joined the Oonee team because I want to help realize this vision by deploying the bike and scooter parking & service infrastructure of the future.
Growing up in a traditional Jewish home in the Bronx, my parents instilled in me the values of social justice and leaving the world a better place than we found it. Although transportation was an everyday fact of life for me as is for every New Yorker, only in college did I develop a passion for cycling and realize that building toward a more sustainable and humane transportation could fulfill a vision for social justice.
My initial experiences riding a bike in Manhattan, however, were definitely not positive. Commuting via bike to Hunter College and navigating through New York’s chaotic streets as an inexperienced cyclist was harrowing and discouraging. Within the first week, my bike was stolen. Despite this, I resolved to keep going. I bought a new bike, continued riding and began to feel the joy and freedom that so many before me had experienced. I gained a new appreciation for the city and it’s interconnected neighborhoods through the eyes of a cyclists. More people should have access to this experience, without the bravery and steep learning curve that is so often required for cycling in our city.
I began connecting the dots between my newfound love for cycling and broader truths about the urban environment that humans gravitate towards. The places in cities in which people love to live and visit, are not-car dominated but rather designed around walking, biking, and transit. People are drawn to streets like Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue or Bleeker Street in Manhattan, but Queens Boulevard… not so much.
Not only could embracing cycling resolve challenges related to urban mobility, but it could lead to better, more livable streetscapes and neighborhoods.
The intersection between climate sustainability and transportation further solidified my interest in pursuing better urban mobility policies. On the Drawdown’s list of top 100 ways to reverse climate change, #37, #54, and #59, respectively, are mass transit, walkable cities, and bike infrastructure. By helping to solve one of these issues, I realized that I could do my small part in addressing humanity’s greatest challenge while also contributing to a happier and healthier urban lifestyle.
This pursuit led me to study abroad in Amsterdam, where I became a research assistant at the University of Amsterdam’s Urban Cycling Institute. In Amsterdam, I witnessed startling scenes of 8 year old children riding alongside their 80 year old grandparents, which appeared to the Dutch as normal, everyday occurrences. I also learned about the way the Dutch plan bike infrastructure including bike parking facilities to foster connections with public transit. I returned to North America more deeply inspired to transform our streets for people.
The places in cities in which people love to live and visit, are not-car dominated but rather designed around walking, biking, and transit. Cycling could solve urban mobility challenges and create better urban places.
Back in New York, I started volunteering with groups in the livable streets movement such as Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safe Streets, and Riders Alliance. Alongside other activists, we’ve made major strides winning campaigns for protected bike lanes, pedestrian improvements, and Congestion Pricing. I am indebted to this community of volunteer activists for providing me with a source of great meaning and purpose.
Through this community, I also learned about Oonee and connected with Shabazz. Though we first met at the Transportation Alternatives Bike Mayor Panel, we got to know each other better in the weeks after. I got to know him, Oonee and the overall mission that underpinned the project.
For me, Oonee was a natural extension of the community and the movement that I love. We all are working toward the goal of making our streets better for pedestrians and cyclists. Oonee’s role is building the future infrastructure for bikes and scooters.
Making micro mobility practical and safe enough for widespread adoption starts with solving two infrastructure challenges: protected bike lanes and secure parking. North American cities have started making progress on building out networks of protected bike lanes. Matching networks of secure and convenient bike parking are still remiss.
In Oonee’s straightforward mission of building a network of bike and scooter parking kiosks, I saw the solution.
As an urbanist, Oonee impressed me by the fact that each unit incorporates placemaking design aspects such as rooftop greenery and public seating. The philosophy of the project is as much about enhancing public spaces as it is about creating useful infrastructure for bicycles.
I also appreciate Oonee’s commitment to sound policy and best practices. We do this work because we are true believers in micro mobility’s potential to build better cities. We aim to solve the issue of bike parking because of our first-hand experiences as cyclists.
In joining Oonee, I aim to make the world a little better by providing the infrastructure that will allow micro mobility to grow and flourish.
We’re definitely underdogs in this fight. The path to success has and will likely continue to experience setbacks. Yet working together with my incredible colleagues Shabazz and Rashid, I am confident we can win. One thing I’ve learned throughout my journey is that the fight to reclaim our cities for pedestrians and cyclists isn’t easy, but it’s totally worth it.
