NEW YORK CITY - Have you ever wished for a fast-lane on a busy sidewalk for your morning commute, or maybe a wider, more luxurious lane to enjoy a weekend stroll? Now some New Yorkers can make these dreams a reality with Stryde, the pedestrian-technology (“PedTech”) startup backed by high-profile founders of Lyft, AirBnb and other venture capitalists aiming to extend the transportation revolution onto the very streets themselves.
“Stryde will establish a new standard for urban ambulation,” according to founder Jack Valentine, a former executive at Peloton. “We will provide the infrastructure to traverse our amazing city by foot without delay or distraction with and experience that will delight every New Yorker, who can afford it.” The velvet-roped lanes will feature a premium concrete foundation specifically designed for high-end footwear, so that even the wobbliest Louboutins can strut without worry of an errant subway grate or freshly dropped gum.
“The real benefit is the door-to-door distraction free guarantee,” says Joanna Wasserman, a finance professional and early participant in Stryde’s pilot program. “Whether I’m no the phone conducting business or going to brunch with friends, I absolutely cannot afford to be distracted,” referring to the other 1.6 million residents with whom she shares Manhattan, “or harassed by the vagrants outside of Blue Bottle.” No walkways under the Stryde program will either feature or even accommodate the homeless or indigent residents of the streets it covers, whom the company has graciously moved to the other side of the street.
With offerings for everyone, Stryde is on track to launch a pilot program this Spring, a network of velvet-roped sidewalk partitions spanning high-traffic lanes in Midtown. The initial routes will cover 14th and 57th Streets between 8th and 1st Avenues, connected by a through-way on the Avenue of the Americas, also known as 6th Avenue. For those traveling in pairs, Stryde Groups offers double-shoulder-width lanes to “accommodate open-air interpersonal connections,” without interrupting conversation to walk single-file. For more price-conscious consumers, a freemium version is available; enabled by ads, the Stryde Lyte service offers all the same features although members are constantly accosted by canvassers for Green Peace and The United Way.
Regardless of which plan customers choose, Mr. Valentine is confident that Stryde will provide, “a pedestrian experience that is everything but pedestrian.”