Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Reports: Hurricane Sandy damages bike-share program equipment; more delays?

[Citi Bike NYC]

There are multiple published reports this afternoon that Hurricane Sandy has likely added another delay to the city's already-delayed bike-share program. Per the Post:

Bikes and electronic docking components for the program are being stored in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which took on four to six feet of water during the storm surge two weeks ago.

Officials at the Transportation Department say they are now "assessing" the damage.

They won't say if the first of 10,000 street bikes that were supposed to hit the streets starting in March will be rolled out on schedule.

The Times has more details here.

18 comments:

glamma said...

instant karma.
oh how i pray that this godawful assault on the city (and in particular the east village) never sees the light of day.
Take that shameless citi marketing campaign / rip-off tourist crap and shove it where the sun don't shine!
i am considering starting a facebook group to protest this!

Pumpkin Patch said...

If only there had been some warning of Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent storm surge these bikes could have been saved.

King Lear's Jester said...

There was a warning of Hurricane Sandy. Zone A had a mandatory evacuation. But the patch only sees or hears what she wants to hear.

BBnet3000 said...

glamma,

Id rather have tourists on bikes than on double decker buses. Plus the knock-on effect of building more support for safer streets.

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

Boo hoo.

Pumpkin Patch said...

King Lear's Jester, that's the joke.

;(

Anonymous said...

Aw not this shit again! People who wanna ride ought just buy themselves a mid-cheap jalopy bike, and a kryptonite lock and be done with it.

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

And I'd rather have no tourists, on bike, bus, rickshaw or donkey. Period.

Anonymous said...

No tourists or the resident tourists!

VH McKenzie said...

@Pumpkin Patch -- I heard your sarcasm, the joke was not lost on us all......!

Anonymous said...

If you study the pricing, you see that it is set up to discourage tourists and is meant for use by New Yorkers for short trips. The pricing makes it very expensive to hang on to the bike for more than a 45 minute ride. Tourists will keep renting from the business that rent bikes to them for long rides. I think people will love it. Can you imagine instead of getting on the lumbering crosstown M14/M21, just to hop on a train, you can just bike there and then leave it.

Makeout said...

@Anon 7:14- Two Kryptos if you wanna hang on to yo shit!

glamma said...

BBnet,

Have you seen the map of locations? Do you understand that the entire east village with be absolutely plastered with citibike logos? I think there are 3 racks slated for ave c bet 5th & 7th st ALONE.
I don't know if people really understand the sheer scale and permanance this will have on our neighborhood.
If it a shameless marketing ploy, designed, as everything is these days, for tourists & transients rather than residents.
The Bloomberg administration's mission #1 is the slow stripping away of civil liberties and basic services for residents of NYC. We are the thorn in his side.
Have you noticed that all social programs are being slashed, hospitals are being closed, etc etc, etc, while wmillions in taxpayer money is spent on tourist attractions and projects designed to "beautify" an already beautiful city?
I do agree that the double deckers are awful. Plundering down 1st, staring at us like we are animals in a zoo.
I never hesitate to to give them the finger when I see them passing by.

Travelin' Man said...

@Anon 9:44,

Having "studied the pricing" I concluded that my unlimited Metrocard will get me on one of the lumbering crosstown buses if I'm desperate enough to use a bus instead of subway, but won't get me 15 minutes on a "citibike".

Anonymous said...

@Glamma - dont disagree with your comments but I dont see what they have to do with bike share.

idea #1 - Print out your own designs on stickers and affix to the bikes you ride...

Anonymous said...

@Travelin' Man
$95 a year buys you unlimited use of the bikes for under 45 minutes per ride. http://citibikenyc.com/pricing

BT said...

Compared to Paris, the prices are double to triple (or for a day pass, TEN TIMES) to what they are charging in that country. And the bikes in Paris DO NOT HAVE CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP.

As they say on the internet WTF?????


Here's a pretty much "Apples to Apples" comparison of NYC vs Paris for this service:


NYC:

- 1 year fee: $95
- 1st additional hour: $9
- Each additional hour: $18
- ONE DAY PASS: $25

Paris (France, not Texas):

- 1 year fee: $50
- 1st hour after 45 mins: $2.50
- "Each Additional Hour": $5.00
- ONE DAY PASS: $2

How they can run the service in Paris for LESS THAN HALF the cost than they are charging here - and without the ugly corporate sponsorship?

glamma said...

Because their mayor isn't a shameless corporate wh0re?