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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2002
PR-218-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG SUBMITS COORDINATED
STREET FURNITURE FRANCHISE AUTHORIZING RESOLUTION

Franchise to Include Bus Shelters, Newsstands,
and Automatic Public Toilets

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today submitted an authorizing resolution and associated legislation to the City Council that will allow for the creation of a coordinated street furniture franchise which will include bus shelters, newsstands, and automatic public toilets. The authorizing resolution also allows for additional public service structures such as news-racks and benches. The street furniture franchise would reduce clutter on streets, improve the appearance of the streetscape, provide a financial incentive for the maintenance of street furniture through a franchise agreement with a private company, and generate revenue for the City.

"A coordinated street furniture franchise will promote continuity along City streetscapes," Mayor Bloomberg said. "The franchise will greatly enhance the aesthetic appeal and appearance of our neighborhoods, and provide an important public service for all New Yorkers. I encourage the City Council to act quickly in facilitating the process of bringing this initiative to fruition."

"This Administration is committed to enhancing New York City's image and status as the Capital of the World," Deputy Mayor Daniel E. Doctoroff said. "Projects such as this one allow the City to systematically coordinate physical structures in public spaces and improve the quality of life for all those who live in, work in, or visit this City."

"The New York City Department of Transportation is looking forward to working cooperatively with the City Council on this important authorizing resolution," Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall said. "More coordinated street furniture will translate into safer and more orderly sidewalks, which ultimately benefit pedestrians. We certainly support any and every effort to enhance pedestrian safety."

A street furniture franchise would be issued to a private company to design, install, and maintain street furniture. The franchisee would cover capital and maintenance costs by selling advertising on the structures, and the City receives a fee from the franchisee. Once the authorizing resolution is approved, the Department of Transportation will release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for interested potential franchisees. In the past five years, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco have released coordinated street furniture RFP's and signed contracts with private companies, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the municipalities. The City adopted an authorizing resolution for a street furniture franchise in 1995, which led to the release of an RFP in 1997, but a franchise was never awarded.

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Edward Skyler / Jerry Russo
(212) 788-2958