NYC bike share starts tomorrow

[PamNY]

The NY Post is very anti-bicycle. Did you see their story wherein the owner of a bike shop that rents bikes to tourists wailed that the bike share program will put him out of business? The Post neglected to mention that with a day pass, you are limited to 30 minute rides. So tourists would have to dash from rack to rack, in 30-minute segments. Not really a fun day out.

I saw lots of people riding Citibikes, some obviously commuters, on the west side greenway this afternoon.

[PamNY]

Newsflash: People seem to like bikes.

I saw several almost-empty Citibike racks today, and the bikes were everywhere. My anecdata suggests bike share is going to be a success.

[PamNY]

From Jon Stewart's Daily Show -- reactions to Citibike. It's irreverent and hilarious. Dorothy Rabinowitz of the WSJ editorial board calls the bike lobby an "all-powerful enterprise."

http://www.hulu.com/watch/498676

[ny biker]

I haven't seen last night's Daily Show, but I watched part of the WSJ video a few days ago. I couldn't make it through the whole thing. When the slightly less anti-bike "inteviewer" quoted the statistics on the number of pedestrians killed in NYC by motor vehicle vs the 0 pedestrians killed by bicycle over the same time period, she completely glossed over the stats and insisted the bikes were the real danger. The woman is a loon. BSNYC has been all over her for days now.

Meanwhile, Capital Bikeshare has moved to my neighborhood in Arlington VA. For background, my 'hood is consists of townhouses and garden-style condos (2-3 story apartment buildings with 4-6 units per building) that were built during WWII. I did think the first CaBi station that they set up was at a bad corner due to sight-line issues and needing orange traffic cones to keep cars from crashing into it, and I read in the neighborhood newsletter today that I'm not alone in that opinion. So CaBi will be moving the station to the opposite side of the street. I'm not sure that will remove the need for the orange cones, but since it's a T-intersection it will make things safer for pedestrians and motorists. However the newsletter article also mentioned that some people think the bikeshare station is not in keeping with the historic feel of the neighborhood. So CitiBike is not alone in having these problems.

My own objection to using CaBi is that in most cases I could walk to where I need to be faster than I could walk to the nearest CaBi station, get a bike, ride it to the CaBi station nearest my destination and then walk from there to where I need to be. I know it works for many other people in this area, but so far it's not for me.

[rebeccaC]

I'd love some pictures of this. Haven't posted to this thread before today because we certainly have nothing similar, but have followed with great interest. Thanks for this thread.

and then there is this

[PamNY]

Love the photo of an almost-empty bike station. I've seen quite a few of those. Mia is hilarious.

Two photos from the location nearest me. I wish there were more space for carrying things on the bike. Those racks aren't very big -- though I've seen fairly large backpacks jammed in them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8867349@N08/8979823083/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8867349...n/photostream/

I still haven't tried one of these bikes and I'm not sure whether I will join the program. I might use them for shopping. It's a slight hassle to get my own bike down on the elevator and out through two heavy doors. It would be really convenient to grab one of these bikes and go -- there are bike stations handy in all the places I'd shop, so I'd return the first bike and get another one for the trip home -- no locking up.

Bike share is $95 a year, and subway fare is $2.50 one way, so it's a bargain if you use it much at all.

Also -- this is subjective, and maybe silly -- but people riding these bikes look so happy.

[PamNY]

I did a Citibike test ride today. The bike was reasonably comfortable (well, not the saddle). Gearing is really low -- I wobbled at first. I'm still undecided about signing up.

Saw two bikes with the saddles turned backwards -- and here's the reason for that:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/06/citi-bike/

[tulip]

And you can use bikeshare when you visit other cities--exploring by bike is the best way to learn a place.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miniti...usaolp00000003

[Jolt]

I did a Citibike test ride today. The bike was reasonably comfortable (well, not the saddle). Gearing is really low -- I wobbled at first. I'm still undecided about signing up.

Saw two bikes with the saddles turned backwards -- and here's the reason for that:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/06/citi-bike/

I did a test ride of the bikeshare in Boston this weekend...I found the gearing really low on those bikes as well. Didn't feel like I could get enough speed even in the highest gear to feel confident in traffic. That said, it's somewhat understandable that the bikes would be geared on the low side for people who aren't used to riding and don't want to work up a sweat on their way to work etc. What I didn't understand was why the grip shifter was backwards...

[PamNY]

Here's a wild turkey with a Citibike rack in the distance. Zelda the turkey has lived in Battery Park since 2003.

I see Zelda often, but not until yesterday did I get a chance to photograph her with an obviously urban background. I was absurdly pleased that a Citibike rack was in the mix.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8867349@N08/9902839354/

On a serious note, a blog post about Citibike success and expansion plans.

http://www.citylimits.org/blog/blog/...e#.UkCf0FNdCaQ

[Boudicca]

The NY Post is very anti-bicycle. Did you see their story wherein the owner of a bike shop that rents bikes to tourists wailed that the bike share program will put him out of business? The Post neglected to mention that with a day pass, you are limited to 30 minute rides. So tourists would have to dash from rack to rack, in 30-minute segments. Not really a fun day out.

If New York is anything like Toronto you'll find the stories coming soon about the people who did not realise that and then get dinged with big bills. I've seen people riding our Bixi bikes out along the waterfront, several miles from the nearest docking station. I told a couple of people one time and they were baffled. "But we bought a day pass." Well, no, you didn't. You bought a pass allowing an unlimited number of 30 minute rides.

[PamNY]

News story about bike "shops" being hurt by competition from Citibike. I put shop in quotes because I'm not sure all the rental operations around Central Park come from a legitimate bike store.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/2013...for-citi-bikes

I am surprised at how many tourists seem to be using Citibikes (this is anecdata based on me observing people and deciding they look like tourists). Maybe they just pay the overtime fees? I cannot imagine that a bike ride broken into thirty-minute chunks, which you'd have to do to avoid overtime charges, is much fun.

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

[tulip]

News story about bike "shops" being hurt by competition from Citibike. I put shop in quotes because I'm not sure all the rental operations around Central Park come from a legitimate bike store.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/2013...for-citi-bikes

I am surprised at how many tourists seem to be using Citibikes (this is anecdata based on me observing people and deciding they look like tourists). Maybe they just pay the overtime fees? I cannot imagine that a bike ride broken into thirty-minute chunks, which you'd have to do to avoid overtime charges, is much fun.

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

Ongoing now: http://mobilitylab.org/2013/06/20/ne...f-the-station/

[rebeccaC]

Ongoing now: http://mobilitylab.org/2013/06/20/ne...f-the-station/

I WANNA do that!!!!!!!...is there a link in the article to the blog that i'm not seeing

Sounds like a great trip, enjoy!

[tulip]

I WANNA do that!!!!!!!...is there a link in the article to the blog that i'm not seeing

Sounds like a great trip, enjoy!

It'll be updated throughout the summer. Not sure of the schedule.