HOT PODS
Bike storage startup opens fi rst Brooklyn vault
BY BEN VERDE
In pod we trust!
Bike-riding Brooklynites
fi nally have a safe and dry
place to stow their ride if they
want to hop on the train at the
borough’s biggest transit hub,
thanks to one entrepreneur’s
bike storage system.
Brooklyn’s fi rst Oonee Pod,
a modular bicycle vault that debuted
in Manhattan last year,
is open for business outside Atlantic
Terminal in Fort Greene.
The pod is the brain-child
of Shabazz Stuart, a Crown
Heights native who says providing
safe storage for those who
choose to move around the city
effi ciently is the next step towards
becoming a 21st-century
city.
“We need to start to treat
those who embrace and utilize
mobility alternatives as fi rstclass
citizens,” Stuart said at
the pods opening on Friday.
Cyclists who want to stash
their ride can book a little
peace of mind through an app
called Brivo OnAir. Bike storage
in the pod is completely free
of charge, according to Oonee
employees.
The pod business model relies
on leasing out the pods’
exterior to advertisers, allowing
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12-Month
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COURIER LIFE, D 6 ECEMBER 20-26, 2019
Stuart to keep the rack free
for cyclists, while providing
something with more aesthetic
charm than a strictly utilitarian
parking garage, Stuart told
the Brooklyn Paper in January.
The pod contains 20 racks,
includes e-bike charging, and
THE PODFATHER: Shabazz Stuart shows off the fi rst Oonee Pod in Kings
County. Photo by Ben Verde
has plantings and phone chargers
on the outside, which Stuart
says helps it service the urban
environment in more ways
than just storing bikes.
“If this infrastructure is going
to thrive in cities and public
spaces, we need to think about
the folks who walk by it on a
regular basis,” he said.
None of this would have
been necessary though if Atlantic
Yards/Pacifi c Park developer
Bruce Ratner had
followed through on his promise
to include 400 secure bike
parking spaces in the Barclays
Center Arena, as reported
by the Atlantic Yard/Pacifi c
Park report. Ratner opted instead
to install 100 outdoor
racks, including 44 a few feet
from where Brooklyn’s fi rst
Oonee now stands.
The Oonee Pod is on Atlantic Avenue near Fort Greene Place, across the
street from the Barclays Center. Photo by Ben Verde
For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch,
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1) New money only. APY effective December 2, 2019. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of
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