Coordinated Street Furniture
DOT is engaged in an ambitious project to unify the look and feel of New York City's street furniture. This project was designed to improve the aesthetic quality of our streetscape and the quality of life for pedestrians and transit riders citywide.
In July 2005, after an extensive competitive bid process, DOT awarded a franchise to Cemusa, a Spanish street furniture company, to design, manufacture, install and maintain the street furniture at no cost to the City. In exchange, the City allows Cemusa to sell advertising space on the structures within clearly defined limits. Cemusa partnered with Grimshaw Architects to create sleek, elegant structures made from high-quality materials to withstand the rigors of New York City's sidewalks. This award-winning family of designs is already improving our streetscape and has become an iconic thread in the City's fabric.
Bus shelters
DOT has replaced almost every pre-existing bus shelter and has installed numerous additional bus shelters at locations throughout the five boroughs. It will soon reach its goal of 3,500 bus shelter installations. DOT worked closely with community leaders to identify the best locations for additional shelters to ensure that new locations best serve each community and the riding public. For the first time ever, all of the City's bus shelters offer seating, especially important for the elderly and disabled.
Bus shelter siting
Shelters are available in 5 sizes: regular, narrow, short, little and double. Siting criteria include:
- Clear Path: With few exceptions, shelters must allow a minimum clear path of 7 feet in width.
- Clearance from Curb: All shelters must allow a straight unobstructed path of at least 3 feet between the shelter and the curb.
- Other minimum distances:
- 10 feet from fire hydrants or standpipes
- 5 feet from tree trunks, canopies, tree pits, or cellar doors
- 3 feet from street lights or traffic signal poles
- 2 feet from ventilation grates or street signs
News Stands
DOT is replacing every existing news stand at no cost to newsstand operators. Additional stands are installed as new licenses are granted by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Cemusa maintains the exterior of all news stands including regular cleaning and graffiti removal.
News Stand Siting
News stands are available in nine sizes, including widths of 4, 5, and 6 feet and lengths of 8, 10 and 12 feet. Siting Criteria include:
- Clear Path: News stands must allow a minimum clear path of 9.5 feet in width.
- Clearance from Curb: All news stands must allow a straight unobstructed path of at least 1.5 feet between the stand and the curb.
Automatic public toilets
In response to the lack of public restrooms in New York City, DOT has asked Cemusa to install 20 automatic public toilets (APTs). These state-of-the-art facilities offer comfort, hygiene, accessibility, and security to the public, within a modern design. Engineered to self-sanitize after each use, the APTs are serviced twice a day for inspection and system maintenance, affording the people of New York a safe and valuable convenience. DOT works closely with local community boards and other stakeholders to solicit recommendations for new sites for each of these amenities.
Cemusa, which was purchased by another street furniture company, JCDecaux, N.A. in late 2015, has installed the city's first four automatic public toilets in Madison Square Park and Plaza de las Americas in Manhattan, Corona Plaza in Queens and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. A fifth APT will soon open in Fordham Plaza in the Bronx. DOT is actively seeking additional sites for installation of the remaining automatic public toilets.
Automatic public toilet siting
The footprint of the automatic public toilets is 6 feet 7 inches x 12 feet. Siting criteria include:
- Clear Path: automatic public toilets must allow a minimum clear path of 8 feet in width in front of the APT and a minimum of 5 feet on all other sides..
- Clearance from Curb: All APTs must allow a straight, unobstructed path of at least 1.5 feet between the APT and the curb.
- Other Minimum Distances:
- 10 feet from fire hydrants or standpipes
- 5 feet from tree trunks or canopies
- 3 feet from street lights or traffic signal poles
- 2 feet from ventilation grates, street signs or cellar doors
- Permissible Locations:
- On wide streets, only in commercial, manufacturing or mixed use districts
- On sidewalks or plazas adjacent to property owned or leased by a government agency or public authority, or under the jurisdiction of the EDC.
- On traffic islands or public places bounded on all sides by mapped streets under DOT jurisdiction.
- On or adjacent to parks property of playgrounds, subject to the approval of the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Sheltered Bike Parking
In response to the ever growing number of cyclists and an increased desire to promote cycling as a healthy, environmentally-sustainable form of transportation, DOT has worked with Cemusa to install 19 Bicycle Parking Structures around the City. Each shelter contains stainless steel bike racks for eight bikes. The design closely resembles the award-winning Bus Shelter, using the same high-quality materials, including stainless steel bike racks. The ad panels display the annual NYC Cycling Map and the other public service campaigns. These structures will do more than just provide parking - they send a message that the City encourages cycling.
These structures also complement DOT's existing sidewalk bicycle rack program.
Suggest a Location
DOT believes strongly in actively engaging neighborhood communities in decision-making processes that impact local residents. As such, we have sought, and will continue to seek, input from interested parties throughout the duration of the Coordinated Street Furniture Franchise. If you are interested in recommending a location, please review DOT's technical siting criteria then submit your recommendation in writing via e-mail to streetfurniture@dot.nyc.gov or contact your local community board with your request.
New Bus Stop Shelter Sites
DOT has worked with local bodies to solicit recommendations for new shelter locations. We will continue to work to ensure that new shelter locations best serve each community and the riding public, while meeting technical siting requirements. As part of the new franchise agreement, all new shelters will include benches. The Department is happy to provide this valuable amenity to the public.