NYC Bike Path Experience by Loriann Joseph

On Saturday, September 13, 2014, I went bicycling on the NYC bike path that runs parallel to the Westside highway. I entered the bike path uptown near 95th Street and exited downtown at the Freedom Tower / World Financial Center area. My round trip was approximately 15 miles, which took me about two and half hours to complete. The weather was overcast and in the low 70's which made it ideal for bicycling. I will breakdown my experience into 2 categories, “Uptown Experience” (above 59th Street) and “Downtown Experience” (at or below 59th Street).

Uptown Experience

There are trees separating the actual bike path from the Westside Highway. As a result, bike trail users’ exposure to harmful emissions from the vehicles travelling on the highway, is significantly reduced.

In addition, certain sections of the bike path in this area have segregated “pedestrian only” paths which foster a leisure-oriented environment.

Downtown Experience

I experienced a change in the air quality once I got below 59th Street. The bike path in the downtown area comes in very close contact with vehicular traffic, which negatively impacts the air quality.

Traffic light features were added to the bike path in this area due to its close proximity to passing vehicles on the roadway. However, users tend not to obey the light features and rely on their own perception of danger.

The usage of the bike facility in lower Manhattan is mixed. Similar to upper Manhattan, I spotted pedestrians and joggers. For the first time, I could see mostly tourists commuting on Citi bikes between midtown and uptown. There were also bicyclists using the facilities for business related purposes. For example, I saw messengers from a company named Lacoste utilizing the bike path.

My overall experience on the bike path was pleasant. Despite the multi-usage of the path, the flow was good. With lack of access to the Citi-bike App, bike path users are at a loss as to the location of nearby docking stations. Therefore, coupled with the App, I would also like to see more signage along the path indicating where the nearest Citi bike dock stations are located, since only one docking station at Chambers Street is located on the path.

In an effort to make the bike system more cohesive with other modes, integration with other forms of transportation should be considered. Citi-bike docking facilities could be strategically set up near designated bus/train stations. This would encourage more usage if people perceived the facilities as being more accessible and user-friendly.

Bicycle Lane and Bike Share Policy Review by Slavica Mickovic

  

Over a year has passed since Citi Bike became part of the New York City transit program family and it has become indispensable to the city’s dwellers and visitors in rotation.

Despite the occasional negative reviews portrayed in the media, user statistics show that the program has been a tremendous success. To date, there are more than one hundred thousand annual members and over seven million rides taken. However positive the reputation, financial statistics reveal that the program is in jeopardy and in need of urgent support. Unlike other city transit family members, Citi Bike is unsubsidized. A 24-hour pass costs $10.00 and annual membership fee sells for $95.00; in short, this is not enough to keep the bikes rolling.

Sunday, September 7, 2014, was my first bike share ride experience and I could not have chosen a better day! The weather was beautiful, sunny and clear. My trip started at Columbus Circle just before 1:00 pm and it was there that I faced my first obstacle.

Buying a pass at the station kiosk was a bit frustrating- the system rejected my credit card twice before accepting another card. Then, the code was incorrect and I had to begin again. I overheard people who were waiting in line behind me saying that incorrect codes were a common occurrence and it often took two or three times before receiving one that worked. I was unsure at first, how the experience was going to turn out.

After checking all of the recommendations provided in the kiosk display, I chose to ride down 60th Street to 9th Avenue, and then south to 14th Street. I continued pedaling east down 14th Street and then ended my ride at the Jackson Square Park station at Greenwich Street and 8th Avenue. During the ride, I exchanged the bike once at a docking station- it was simple.

Despite a few bumps, I had a good experience, though I was slow to warm up. Since this was my first time riding a bike on the streets of New York City, it took me until my final destination to get comfortable and recognize the appeal. Unfortunately, the bike lanes I rode on were in the same sorry condition as the streets and avenues themselves, and there were too many delivery bikes riding in the wrong direction. However, as the time passed, I got used to the chaos and my fears melted away. These bike lanes allowed me to travel separate from traffic, above ground, and experience the excitement of the city around me. Once at my final destination I felt energized and free.

Over the following weekends, I took several more rides on various routes. A ride from Grand Central Station to 14^th Street and 8^th Avenue e.g., took only 10 minutes. Could it be faster with a cab? Perhaps not! Well, maybe less ‘sweaty’! Nonetheless these rides reinforced my initial feelings of the Citi Bike ride as a positive experience.

In large cities, such as New York City, bike sharing programs are absolutely vital to city dwellers and their well being. Should we expect that everything in a big city like this will run without a problem? Even the subways jam up from time to time. Perhaps there should be more policies to help the program thrive. And perhaps more road rules would need to be adopted. Maybe if people were given tickets for misbehaving, like the delivery people riding in the wrong direction, the money could be appropriated to subsidize the project. That is just one idea that I might entertain since I would like to see Citi Bike remain and even become an intermodal part of the transit family. As far as I’m concerned, I am planning to make bike-riding a part of my daily routine, and will most likely purchase my very own annual pass!

The previous text was written during the month of September, 2014. It is currently mid-November, 2014, and several important events and changes have happened in regard to the future of the bike sharing program in New York City.

First and foremost is the news that the bike share program is ‘growing up’, as it is growing in many cities in the United States. In New York City, a new generation of the bike share program is on its way, and the new proprietors have promised to double the size of the program by the end of 2017.

For New Yorkers, this means the addition of twelve thousand new bikes, the expansion of the current number of bike stations to over seven hundred, and expansion of services into new areas. New coverage areas would include 59^th Street to Harlem just above 125^th Street, expanded Brooklyn zones such as Greenpoint, and introduction into some areas in Queens such as Astoria and Long Island City.

At the same time, Mayor de Blasio launched his ‘Vision Zero Action Plan’, two-decade goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and serious injuries on New York City streets. In order to achieve this goal, many new measures and actions will need to take place. Some of these actions are already underway, such as the enactment of the speed-limit reduction law that should contribute significantly to safer streets for all participants. Many more actions and measures are needed.

One measure that could help achieve the Mayor’s goal would be to slow traffic through traffic-calming measures such as raised crosswalks and intersections, speed bumps and other measures outlined in the Urban Bikeway Design Guide (http://nacto.org/cities-for-cycling/design-guide/ ). Better education regarding bicycle driving and sharing the road through driving safety classes, public workshops, and school curricula would contribute to greater safety on shared city roads. Reducing the total number of motor vehicles in the city through planning and law enforcement would undoubtedly contribute to calmer, safer roads.

With safer streets and growing ridership on the way, improvements to the bike share program itself should be considered. One recommendation would be to increase the number of shared bikes within the vicinity of significant public transit hubs such as Penn Station, Grand Central Station, and the new Fulton Street Transit Center, to name just a few. Introducing signage indicating the locations of bike stations and adding timers on the bikes to help reduce overtime charges would increase the user-friendliness of the program. Posting a ‘hot-line’ at docking stations and on the program’s website for user comments could identify many more ideas to help the bike share program grow into an integral, safe and enjoyable part life in New York City.

Citi Bike blog project – Smart Transportation Choices

Citi Bike can be a smart transportation choice, but sometimes it’s not always ideal. When deciding on where I should bike, using the Citi Bike, I wanted to experience two distinct journeys. The first trip I chose was to go from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal (yes, there is a difference between a station and a terminal) thinking maybe this could be a viable connection between these two hubs of the city that for some reason have always eluded a direct connection. This trip I feel a lot of New Yorkers make and wanted to have a “commuter’s experience.” On the second trip, I wanted to see how a tourist would use Citi Bike and experience it that way, and so decided a nice leisure bike ride through Central Park would be a good option.

As any smart phoned millennial would do, I first downloaded the app so that I can see what options were offered to me.  The app offers the following information:

v  A map showing where stations are and how many bikes and docks are at that station

v  A timer so that I can avoid any overage charges.

v  A favorite’s option to save frequently used stations and places

v  A contact button that provides a phone number, an email, and a link to the Citi Bike website

v  Riding tips to include:

§  The rules for bike riding in NYC

§  A pre-check to do before you start riding

§  Safety tips

§  Reporting a problem

§  A NYC cycling map showing all established bike lanes

v  Settings button that allows you to choose:

§  Annual vs Short term membership

§  Miles vs Km

§  Regular vs 3D map

v  Getting started button allowing the first time user to browse:

§  How the bike share program works

§  FAQs

§  Application help

§  Pricing

 

Overall, the app is useful and informative. It allowed me to quickly get the gist of the bike share program prior to my ride.

Now that I felt comfortable with destinations and familiarity of the safety tips and routes that were so generously provided to me through the app, I embarked on getting my rental bike. My first impression of the touch screen at the pay kiosk is that it was slow and not accurate with the touch calibration. Which will only get worse as people continue to use it, because the area where the buttons on the screen will only get more and more worn. The amount of screens the rider encounters is a little overwhelming. Even at the hint of someone else wanting to get to the kiosk for a bike is enough to have anyone accept anything asked by Citi Bike.

“In the event that your bike is lost or stolen you will be indentured to Citi Bike as a bike stocker.” Accept!

But once I signed my life away and my credit card was charged I was well on my way to be annoyed by the many, many pedestrians that use the bike lane as an extension to the sidewalk. Thank goodness for the little bell on the handle, as I angrily warned people of my presence on the bike lane. As you can see in the first graph below it took nearly 15 minutes to the less than 2 miles between Penn Station and GCT. This was achieved by the use of my NYC grit that I’ve gained in previous years of bike riding in the city. I don’t think an average first time rider on the Citi Bike would have fared as well as I did. The hardest part was the loss of the bike lane in the two block stretch in front of the Port Authority Bus Terminal. There were a lot of cabs and confused bikers who were poured into one area to fend for themselves. I did make it to GCT with a group of five other Citi Bike riders who were doing the same thing I was doing and taking the bike to train station to be a “commuter”, so I was successful in my experience as a local. 

The second trip went much smoother. To get a second bike is much easier that the initial process of getting it. I simply just ran the same card I previously paid with and got a second pin code to access another bike. The ride was even nicer, it was a relaxing cycle in Central Park with no stops or distractions. I was forced to do a loop that brings me back to 59^th Street because there are no Citi Bike docking stations above this area. I figure once biking catches on and becomes profitable to Citi Bike it will expand its territory to 110^th Street. This will become the most popular way to get across town in the UWS and UES will be to bike across the park.

Over all I was quite happy with the decisions I made to see the two New Yorks that exist only blocks away from each other. A commuter who is just trying to get from point A to point B in the shortest time possible and a tourist who feels that they can probably see more of New York on a bike and take in the sights above ground rather than taking the subway and missing all the in between moments. I hope that Citi Bike does well and expands its capacity.

Recommendations I have for Citi Bike are to keep up with the advocacy to improve and install bike lanes in the city. This is what will make biking in the city safer, more appealing, and more reliable which will result in a profitable and successful bike share. Citi Bike needs to promote itself as the “link” between the other modes of transportation to fill in the void of where other public transit is lacking. As New York becomes more multimodal conscience and users of the public transit system see it as a viable extension of the already existing system it will see much more ridership. Another recommendation would to allow a way for those who do not have a credit card a means of obtaining a bike. This ultimately will affect the low income communities that Citi Bike will eventually move into. Empowering these group of people will have a positive impact on both the community and the bike share. 

cool looking bike.  probably designed by an Architect.
 and another cool looking bike,

which I would gladly rent if available in Manhattan:

My First Citi-Biking Experience in Lower Manhattan Area.

Ever since I have been in New York City, I wanted to experience a bicycle ride around the city. While I did ride bike for years in my home country, I could not really manage to get on the streets of New York to ride a bike. The course assignment gave me an opportunity to fulfill my prolonged dream of experiencing a bicycle ride around New York City. Being fairly new to the city my only concern was to be able to locate the routes properly. So, I decided to ask my husband if he could accompany me on this adventure, to which he enthusiastically agreed. My husband has been a regular biker for many years.

We wanted to make the exercise of studying the conditions of the bike routes in Lower Manhattan not only a learning experience, but also a memorable, fun event. Keeping that in mind, we chose a route that would encompass all kinds of roads: a protected bike lane, a standard bicycle lane, a shared lane and no bike lane. The Citi Bike communications media do a good job in educating the riders in how to UNLOCK, RIDE, and RETURN the Citi Bike. However, in my experience there is a wide scope for improvement at each of these three steps. 

Unlocking a Citi-Bike requires a one-day pass user to take a 24-hour pass, which gives the user unlimited rides for a day provided that the user recharges the Citi Bike every 30 minutes during the active use of the bike. To commence my journey, I went to the ticketing kiosk and followed the instructions shown on the screen, purchased the 24-hr pass, took the ride code receipt, entered the code at the docking station, and pulled the bike out of the docking station when the station light turned green. 

Since I was not accustomed to an international bike design, I took time to learn about the bike functionalities. It took me some time to figure out the location and functioning of the bell and the gear. My hubby was chuckling as if he had anticipated my anxiety. When I did locate the bell and rang it, it made a soft sound, which I think was not enough to alert the drivers, pedestrians, or other cyclists of the rider’s presence. Among other issues I noticed include the brakes, which were too tight, and the seat height adjustment lever, which required considerable force to activate. As I was prepared to rest the bike using a bike stand, I noticed that the bike stand was missing. Considering my unfamiliarity with the international bike model, initially I thought the stand must be located somewhere else, but that was not the case; the stand was really missing. I had to return the bike to the dock, so that I could find a better one. I tried to unlock another bike by using the same ride code, but wasn’t successful in my attempt. For a moment, I got goose bumps thinking that I lost my 10 dollars and I would need to buy another one-day pass. I rushed to the kiosk and looked for any instructions, but there were none that would resolve the issue. So, I called the helpline number. The Citi Bike customer service agent did answer the call quickly and guided me to request another ride code. While I was waiting in line to get the second ride code, I noticed a couple of riders had issues with getting their ride code receipts printed. Some didn’t even think of calling the Citi Bike customer service and left frustrated with the ticketing system. This time, it took some time to get the ride code receipt, but I finally got one. I quickly grabbed another bike, did a pre ride check, and began my ride marching towards Hudson River Park.

The first sigh of satisfaction came as I hit the protected bike lane of the Hudson River Park. The bike lane was well planned and well maintained. There were proper signage and signals for biker and pedestrian safety. The only exception was a non-working traffic light at the intersection of Chelsea pier and Hudson Greenway near pier 62. When I realized, it was 25 minutes past the original time. I was at the Chelsea pier and I had to rush to the nearest docking station, which I had to explore. I wished the Citi Bike would have put signage showing nearest bike stations along the Hudson Greenway.    

Fortunately, I came across with a biker who told me that the nearest Citi Bike station was at West 14 Street and 10^th Ave (High Line Park). I peddled as fast as I could to reach the docking station before I ran out of time. I noticed the dock was almost full. However, I was able to locate two empty docking ports. Unfortunately, I couldn’t dock my bike even after several trials. As I was scrambling to dock my bike, I saw an undocked bike at the station. Someone must have had a terrible experience docking the bike. I called the customer service hotline once again and explained the situation. The agent advised me to go one more block, and assured me that I would not be fined for the extra time considering the rare circumstances. I went one more block to dock my bike at the 14^th street and 9^th avenue. I experienced similar conditions at this station. However, I could manage to recharge my bike successfully and move on.

  

This time, I promised myself to prepare to recharge the bike every 20 minutes. The next recharging stop was at the Chambers Street. At this station, I and many others faced a bunch of issues. The station had couple of malfunctioning docking ports; the ticketing kiosk didn’t print the ride code on a couple of receipts, and there was a delay in printing the receipts.

As we moved to the south, we came across Vesey Street where we noticed that the bike lane was almost completely blocked by many pedestrians and the portable toilet cabins, which, clearly, ought not to be in the bike lanes. 

 

We continued our journey till Battery Park and started moving uptown on Church Street. As we made a right turn on Church Street, entering into Warren Street, we saw a discontinued bike lane as a result of construction work. The bikers had a narrow road to share with the regular traffic. 

  

We crossed City Hall Park to go to the Brooklyn Bridge. We noticed that no bike lane exists in this Park although the bikers are allowed inside the Park. We moved ahead to experience the most thrilling ride on the Brooklyn bridge. As expected, we encountered a variety of challenges riding on the bridge. At the entrance, the bike lane directions on the floor were not clearly marked. As I started ascending the bridge, I started recognizing one more issue with Citi Bike, i.e. the bike is not suitable for riding on the slopes as it demands excessive efforts. I had to stop at couple of places before I could finally complete the ride up the bridge. I also noticed that the safety cones indicating “Wet Paint” were obstructing the already narrow bike lane; a “Wet Paint” tape would have done a job, saving the space. I saw some bikers riding on the left side of the bike lane. Last but not the least, the pedestrian encroachment in the bike lane was frequent and obvious. Both the pedestrians and the bikers were yelling at each other, claiming the right of way of their respective lanes.

Banning the bikers on the bridge would help resolve the issue, especially on weekends when visitors are expected on the bridge in large numbers. The other solution is to detour the bicycle traffic via the Manhattan Bridge which has a well protected bike lane or by opening the lower part of Brooklyn Bridge for bikers.

After Brooklyn Bridge, we went to recharge the bike on Church Street and Leonard Street, where we noticed that the station neither had a protective barricade nor any marked lane to protect the bike dockers from getting hit by oncoming traffic. 

After recharging the bike, we continued on Church Street. On Church Street and in between Franklin Street and Leonard Street, we noticed a dangerous bike lane merging. The bikers are required to merge and switch the sides from right to left quickly within feet, beating the fast vehicular traffic. The bike lanes can be remapped to avoid the dangerous merging.

As we moved forward along Sixth Avenue, I saw many people violating the traffic rules, such as bikers not following the traffic signals, the cars encroaching upon bike lanes, the bus traffic occupying all the lanes, double-parked cars in bike lane, Taxi-drivers dropping off passengers in bike lanes, and oncoming bikers in the wrong direction.

We then moved to Carmine Street and 6^th Avenue to recharge the bike. We did not get a receipt and had to call customer service hot line again. The agent helped us punch in a temporary code and resolve the issue. Moving to the 6^th Avenue, we came across a bike station on 33^rd street where we recharged the bike. We noticed that the ticket kiosk was surrounded by a street vendor. There was no space to stand and get the bike pass from the kiosk. 

We then moved to the 6th avenue until 59th street and then turned left to complete the loop. To summarize, on Sunday, September 28th ,we started our tour from 11 Avenue and West 59th Street and continued on our way to the Hudson River Greenway, Battery Park city, Brooklyn Bridge, and returned to complete the loop via the Church street onto 6th avenue  up to 59th street. We began at 11.15 a.m and returned at 5.35 p.m with a good 6.20 hrs of riding around lower Manhattan. The whole experience was memorable and fun. 

Miscellaneous Issues and suggestions:

• 30 minute time limit is very challenging to cover some locations.
• Bike charging stations are very close in midtown like one could view two bike racks within one eye shot from a street, while at some locations they are 3 to 4 blocks apart.
• The Kiosk ticketing system need to be more efficient and smoothly working.
• Regular check of the bike conditions from Citi Bike is desired.
• Improving the design of citibike is desired.
• Signage for nearest Citi Bike station along the bike routes required.
• Providing station maps at the Citi Bike stations suggested.
• People should act responsibly; ensuring that the bike is docked in the station while returning, not banging in the bikes in rush at the docks, obey all the traffic rules and wear helmets while riding etc.
• Bike lane marking on the floor and roads are not visible at some locations.
• Well protected bike lanes on the busier streets of midtown are essential.
• Brooklyn Bridge bike lane need to be remapped through vehicular traffic below by providing protected bike lanes.

My bike experience in NYC

I am a thirty year old woman who moved to New York City four years ago. I am coming from Medellin, Colombia, a mountainous city in the heart of the Andean cordillera, and which has been developing its transportation system in an exemplar way within the country during the past decades. However, this is the first time in my life I have lived in a different city, and it is also the first time I am living in a city with a well-developed bike lane system.

I learned how to ride a bike when I was around 7 years old. My father taught me on the streets in my neighborhood. It was a private condo where the cars went in only for parking, so there were no hazards of been beaten by an automobile. Since that time I fell in love with biking, but unfortunately I rode my bike only until I became a teenager, because I stopped to play in my neighborhood. At that moment, I changed the security of my condo for the “wildness” of the city’s streets, where it was dangerous to ride a bike.

Once I arrived to New York, in September 2010, I started to discover a new kind of city with a lot of public spaces and bike lanes!  It took me about a year to buy my own bike, but I was using borrowed bikes in the meantime. I found biking an excellent way to explore this amazing city in my own way and rhythm.

The first place I lived, was Bushwick, northern Brooklyn. During the two years I lived there, I became accustomed to the relationship between car drivers and bike riders. I explored the variety of online maps and applications; in other words, it was a learning time. My rides were mostly dedicated to going to the beach (Rockaways and Coney Island), visit parks (mostly within Brooklyn), and I also went to the wildlife refuge in Jamaica bay, it was a great time. Then, when I started to make my life in the city, when my tourist period ended and I fell into the everyday routine between work, school and days off, I started to use my bike more regularly.

By this time I moved to Prospect Park South, Brooklyn, I found a job in Park Slope and I was already studying at City College. As consequence of the location of “my” places, my rate of bike riding is higher, with the exception of going to college (too far), and the coldest period of winter (too cold). This neighborhood is endowed with a complete and well-designed grid of bike lanes and bike paths. I was always using my bike, still to go to Manhattan. Certainly, thanks to this I had the opportunity to go to Manhattan a couple of days after Hurricane Sandy, one of the most apocalyptic experiences in my life. I saw the east village, china town and little Italy completely empty. It was a weird sensation, but once again I confirmed that the advantage of having a well-developed cycle paths and bike lanes allows citizens to explore the city and live it in a more deep way. This changes ones perception of the city’s dynamics and generates for the inhabitant an empathy for this urban environment; empathy that makes you conscious of your role as citizen. You fall in love with the city and engage it. This kind of feeling is the one we need in our attempt to develop a more sustainable city; a more livable city for its citizens.

Now, let’s try to see how the bike-sharing program of New York, called Citi-Bike, is contributing to the sustainability of the city. In first place, I must confess that I have never used the program. Never when I used to live in Brooklyn, and not now when I am living in Inwood, Manhattan. As you will see in the following map, the location of the Citi-Bike stations does not match with any of my everyday destinations, so that is why I never use it, without mentioning that I already have a bike.

However, before I write this post, I tried to find an opportunity to use it, only because I love to experience something before talking about it. But it was really impossible, first because I never go to the area where the Citi-Bike stations are located, and secondly, and most importantly, because I found out that it is not a cheap thing to do, and worse yet when you are a student that practically works for paying your studies. As is described in the Citi-Bike web page http://www.citibikenyc.com/pricing, you have three options for buying a ride: the 24 hour pass, the week pass, or the year membership; you need to pay the $9.95, $25 or $95 fee respectively (without tax) to have the right to ride the blue bike. But beware! You can only do it for 30 minutes uninterrupted, for the two first options, and for a 45 minute period for the membership. This means that if you do not return your bike before those 30 minutes, you will be charged for extra time, and that charge will increase exponentially the first couple of hours (you can check this more in detail in the web page link above).

 

Now the question was: how can I discover what people really think about Citi-Bike? Do they use it? So to answer this I went out, took pictures and interviewed some of my friends; well, to be honest, I actually tried to interview some people on the streets, but it seems like New Yorkers don't like cameras, although it can be hard to believe.

Here are the results, but first I have to warn you that I am not an expert in media, or in taking pictures, so please forgive the quality of the images.

This one was taken in Columbus Circle, a fancy tourist area where the main business is entertainment, hotels and stores. The users were wearing formal suits, which means that probably they work around the area, and for sure they have a membership, they acted like experienced people in using Citi-Bike. The bike lanes around this area are pretty well defined, and visible for riders.

Then I went to Tribeca, an arts and industrial business neighborhood. The bike lane wasn't that well defined, and the road was being repaired.

The current stations coincide with the most tourist oriented zones in the city (https://www.citibikenyc.com/stations). So here the question changes to, what is the real purpose of Citi-Bike? To serve to the citizens as a different option for transportation, or in being an attraction for tourists?

After listening to my friends (see the video below), I found that only one of them have used the program. The rest really do not know how Citi-Bike works. Also, many of them are afraid to ride a bike on the streets, and the ones who understand how it works, think that it is so expensive.

To watch the interview please refer to this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lF-d7UyVRY&feature=youtu.be

My impression of the program after I understood it, is that in order to make this a real strategy for reaching sustainable goals of the city, City-Bike has to be part of the public transportation system. From my point of view, Citi-Bike looks like a business opportunity under the name of “sustainability” rather than a strategy for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. I believe that a real sustainable transportation program should look for making the citizens' commutes more pleasant, while integrating green and alternative options.

I understand that Citi-Bike can represent advantages for some people who do not have enough space at home to store their bikes, and don’t like to leave them locked on the streets, so I don’t say that New York doesn’t need the program. But if I were a policymaker for the city, I would reinvent the program. It would be a city funded one, and its expansion design would be under a real sustainable transportation perspective, rather than merely a business approach. This perspective does not exclude an economic gain from it, as was described by some of those in the bike businesses in the city. The program will increase the public interest for bikes and in this way would stimulate the bike business. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/204474-as-bike-share-thrives-demand-for-rentals-dwindles/

In order to not affect the bike renting business for tourists, the program can be made only for NYC citizens, and those who want to use it should register themselves at the DOT to obtain the card for renting. That card can be used as a metro card too, with everything integrated and also, reducing waste!

On October 27, “Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation that will lower the default speed limit in New York City from 30 to 25 miles per hour. This means that beginning November 7, the speed limit on all streets will be 25 mph.” (http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/493-14/mayor-de-blasio-signs-new-law-lowering-new-york-city-s-default-speed-limit-25-mph#/0). This decision was taken based on the understanding about how motor vehicle collisions can cause permanent bodily injury or even death.  

To understand how this works, the Effects of Vehicle Speed on Pedestrian Fatalities were published by the Bicycling Education and Advocacy in North Carolina. The following table shows how, when a pedestrian is struck, the likelihood of death increases faster than the percentage increase in vehicle speed, in a nonlinear fashion:

Source: http://humantransport.org/sidewalks/SpeedKills.htm

From this findings we understand that a 5 mph reduction is really significant. At the same time, because of the fact that “New York City is dedicated to make streets as safe as possible for pedestrians, motorists, cyclists, and all who share the road” (Melissa Mark-Viverito); people like my friends are going to be much more confident at the time of riding their bikes around the city. Once Vision Zero has been completely adopted by all the car drivers in New York; a public bike-sharing program will be welcome, and for sure, will be used by City inhabitants.

  

Finally, I have to say that I love this city and I wish someday my city, Medellin, reaches the level of bike lane development that we can find here (we already started with a bike sharing program too!). But as all us know, we can always make it better.