Two New York City agencies kicked a hornet’s nest on Wednesday after the Department of Buildings boosted a Department of Transportation post on X claiming the city would pull out bike racks to make way for more curbside car parking. The blunt message, opening with a chirpy “Bye Bye Bikes,” drew instant heat from cyclists and street-safety advocates. The retweet appeared on April 1, 2026.
Bye Bye Bikes! We’re removing bike racks to make room for more car parking. Why use so much curb space exclusively for stori…
— Department of Buildings (@nyc_buildings) April 1, 2026
The Department of Buildings retweeted a post from the Department of Transportation on X that said the agency would “remove bike racks to make room for more car parking,” according to the Department of Buildings' post on X. The original DOT account, which DOB credited in its retweet, framed the move as a curb-management decision to reassign limited curb space. Local riders quickly pointed out that the post offered no clues about which racks might disappear or whether any replacements were in the pipeline.
DOT bike parking rollout and the awkward contrast
The timing of that message clashes with a recent DOT effort to grow secure bike parking around the city. The agency announced plans last year for a network of 500 secure bike-parking locations and other storage programs, according to NYC DOT. DOT materials also state that the agency installs and maintains CityRacks and bike corrals and invites the public to suggest new locations.
Advocates and council members push back
Advocates have long warned that piecemeal tweaks to curb rules can end up prioritizing car storage over safer, greener uses of the curb, a concern reflected in local coverage of recent proposals and notification bills, Streetsblog reported. Some council members have backed measures that would require notice when parking is repurposed, arguing that residents deserve a heads-up before the city reassigns public curb space.
How riders can respond
New Yorkers who want to weigh in can suggest bike parking locations or flag damaged or abandoned racks through NYC DOT’s bicycle parking page or by filing a 311 request, according to NYC DOT. The agency’s guidance lays out how to propose sidewalk or curbside racks and how reported abandoned bikes are processed.
For now, the retweet has left more questions than answers about where racks would be removed and who would decide which blocks lose bike infrastructure, with cyclists watching closely to see whether this was the rollout of a real policy or just a very bad look. We will update this story if city agencies provide additional details or a formal policy explanation.
