New York has lagged behind other world megacities when it comes to mass bicycle-sharing scheme. This month of May, the NYC Citi Bike Program will be launched and New Yorkers, out-of-towners and tourists alike will have the chance to avail of around 6,000 three-gear rides at stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The program will cover Queens in the future when there are 10,000 bikes and 600 stations available for public use.
Though the launch date was twice delayed, organizers are optimistic that this would appeal to commuters in New York because they will have easy access to bicycles and they would not need to worry about theft, storage, and most important of all, parking.
Why only now?
The program is a perfectly in tune with NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s call for a fitter and healthier lifestyle. And surveys have revealed that a majority of New York residents (70%) are agreeable to the scheme, though there have been complaints that the stations encroach on the available space and that they are “eyesores.”
Bike sharing programs have been in place in more than 500 cities all around the world. Hangzhou, China has almost 70,000 bikes and 3,000 stations in the program while Paris, France has 28,000 with 1,800 docking sites. New Yorkers have long been resistant to the idea for many reasons, one of which was identified by Mayor Bloomberg, and that is safety issues. In the past five years, the city had to add 300 miles of bike lanes plus an additional 200 miles of routes and greenways in parks.
Fees
The annual membership fee amounts to a very affordable $95. A one-day only 24-hour pass would cost $9.95 while a weekly pass would set commuters back $25.This program will be launched by NYC Bike Share LLC, which is based in Brooklyn. It is a subsidiary of Alta Bicycle Share of Portland, Oregon. Purchasing of stations, equipment and other basic requirements is done with the services of a private company, Goldman Sachs financing. Citibank is a corporate sponsor of the program.
For a healthier (and safer) lifestyle
Aside from the fact that biking is a healthy activity and is good for the body, Mayor Bloomberg has stressed the fact that more bikers on the streets of NYC would mean less human fatalities due to serious traffic accidents. Bloomberg added that travel by bicycle is equivalent to zero emissions which is good for the environment and bike travel would definitely reduce the wear and tear that bridges and roads bear. And perhaps, most importantly, more bikes on the road means less cars and a reduction in automotive traffic.
NYC is known for many things, including its infamous and perilous yellow cabs. Perhaps the streets of New York will find a more positive reputation once the bike-share program kicks off. The bikes may be used for the these primary purposes: short rides, leisure travels, and trips to and from other existing means of transportation, and linking other transport hubs (e.g. waterfronts) that do not have comprehensive subway services.
Photo Credit: Bikeshare Demo in Times Square
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