From the Post today:
A two-wheeled tsunami is about to hit New York — and Mayor Bloomberg couldn’t be more pleased.
A giddy Bloomberg yesterday promised that the perpetually delayed bike-share program would flood the city’s already-packed streets with more bikes than Beijing.
“It’s going to be increased by tens of thousands,” the mayor said of the future bike-share New York on his weekly WOR radio show. “Every city that’s done this, it is phenomenally popular.”
Previously on EV Grieve:
Here are your East Village bike share locations, probably
h/t THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N.
What the city will need:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1nalV9tlyM
I'm really excited for this and think it will be great - I'm optimistic that it will also decrease the number of bikers riding the wrong way (as there will be too much downstream for them to salmon against)
ReplyDeleteI just wish the bikes werent so ugly. Maybe someone will develop a bike beautification kit that riders can download, print and affix to the bikes?
david
Another fail for the people of New York City under the Bloomberg administration.
ReplyDeletewarning!
ReplyDeletesmurf attack!
This initiative is dangerous for the general public. It's too many bikes to force onto the general public at once. Even Bloomberg admits the police can't be bothered with policing the dangerous riders already on the streets.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm nuts but somehow I don't think it will be that bad.
ReplyDeleteDavid, bike-share bikes are probably deliberately designed ugly, to make them less attractive to thieves. The share bikes will probably be heavy too, and possibly use proprietary parts for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteThey will definitely have built in GPS locators. Good for theft prevention and providing data on where people are riding so the city can plan bike networks.
The Post is so sloppy that they twice ran the same irrelevant quote from some plumber in Brooklyn. So, to start off, they're editorially disgraceful.
ReplyDeleteOverall, people have a very good idea how this is going to go because Chicago, DC, Montreal, London, and Paris already have large bikeshare systems. If any of those cities burns to the ground overnight because of bike bedlam, the Post will be sure to let you know. Otherwise, it probably will be a good thing for the city and will probably be a huge boost to some people who live/work distant from the subway or shopping. There is no big downside; cancelling bikeshare will not significantly prevent injuries or deaths, it'll just stop people from using bicycles.
Can the DOT back up their claim that "New York City demands a world-class bike share system"? I don't recall ever hearing about such a demand not seeing any petitions asking for such a program let alone 7,000 bikes at 420 stations. [Source]
ReplyDeleteBloomberg admitted on his radio show the police have "a lot of things to do" other than deal with the current bike problems. Adding thousands of bikes to the streets in such a short period of time seems really irresponsible and will no doubt impact safety of both the pedestrians and people on bikes.
RE: Safety - So far, the increase in bike riders has led to a per capita decrease in accidents. Additionally the new bike lanes have decreased accidents for bikers as well as pedestrians (including ped vs car)
ReplyDeleteDavid
Great. Now I'm going to have to wear a helmet crossing Allen, which is ground zero for light-running, wrong-way riding, smug jerks. I was actually followed and menaced by one the other day, whom I had the temerity to yell at when he nearly ran me over.
ReplyDeleteSeems like it's going to cost a lot for short rides. More than other cities.
ReplyDeleteWill that GPS thingie work from the bottom of the River ?
ReplyDelete"So far, the increase in bike riders has led to a per capita decrease in accidents."
ReplyDeleteWhat source are you quoting?
Yup, this bike endeavor is being treated as a revenue generator. The prices they are charging for rentals are WAY out of line compared to other cities. Not just "New York" out of line... way out of line.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am certain there are more bike vs. pedestrian accidents now than there used to be. More bikes means... more pedestrian injuries.
This sucks in multiple ways.
@dwg - For NYers (annual members) It's free for up to 45mins...
ReplyDeleteDavid
For a lot of New Yorkers the last thing they'll see before they die is the Citi logo. Cool!
ReplyDeleteThis is way too much too soon- they should start with a few stations and gradually increase them as people get used to them. I am not looking forward to the increased congestion, increased number of clueless people riding around like it's a lazy Sunday in a quiant town and the huge loss of parking spots.
ReplyDelete@anon 6:30pm - It's not exactly 'free' if you have to pay $95 for an Annual Membership.. (Sorry, I couldn't let that slide)
ReplyDelete6 things. Anyone who compares this to Montreal, DC, London, Paris, etc. is shortsighted. The bikers there are much more respectful -- they stop at stop lights (they don't get off the bike and walk the bike thru the stop light when there's no against traffic, except in London where they do get off the bike...) yield to the pedestrians who have the right of way, even yield to those who aren't paying attention but don't yell at them. In NYC most of the bikers have this sense of entitlement just because they have their own bike lanes and think they can do whatever they want and that everyone should yield for them.)
ReplyDeleteB. NYC is far larger city, populationwise, than aforementioned cities. On a workday weekdays, NYC has a lot of people coming from the tri-state area either as commuters or to make deliveries. One cannot rely solely on bicycles to get around.
3. NYC is (or used to be) NYC. It had its own personality, character, and uniqueness. It's not a European city, a suburb, or any other U.S. cities. But Bloomberg is making it just like any other place in the world. He has no sense of individuality thus making NYC an image of itself.
D. When was the last time Bloomberg wasn't giddy about his pet project?
5. Back before there were bike lanes, the bikers knew how to weave in, out, and around of the pedestrians and cars. It was an organized chaos. They didn't yell or scream to those who got in their way. If anything, they apologized. Unlike today that most are maniacal and psycopathic bike riders. Then again, most of NYC consists of these narcissistic Bloomberg spawn.
F. Yeah, this'll work-out... eventually, but it's because it's being shoved down our throat, and not by choice, adaptation, or evolution.
The Mayans had it all wrong. The end of the world actually begins the day that Bloomberg's bike sharing apocalypse begins, and it will forever be known as "BIKEMAGGEDON"
ReplyDeleteFipper, I give you credit for your numbering and lettering system, but other than that, I take issue with your usage of the word "most". Most NYC bikers are neither maniacal nor psychopathic. There's dick bikers, there's dick drivers, and there's dick pedestrians, but the majority of each group are good people. Don't wallow in the negativity.
ReplyDeleteBring on the bikes!
@THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N
ReplyDeleteSee http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikestats.shtml
Wow, haters. This is the one really visionary thing Bloomberg's done -- at least the one thing that's going in the right direction. It's going to make walking and biking hugely safer in this town, and it's going to do that in large part by slowing down vehicular traffic. Give me a break with the "New York has it's own distinct personality and it's a traffic law-less town where the car is king and we like it that way and bike lovers are just stupid gentrifying rich hipsterz" crap. NYC is a great walking city and a great biking city -- or will be, once we put in the infrastructure. It's a terrible place to put a car. Cars are killing us. And for every smug salmoning idiot cruising past the crosswalk, there's three dozen aggressive, dangerous motorists whose sense of entitlement is boundless (and half of 'em don't even pay taxes to fix the roads their expensive rides tear up). Just stop. This is happening. Good for Bloomberg. Good for all of us.
ReplyDelete"Phenomenally popular" with who, precisely? Not me,that's for sure. I wish Bloomturd would just pack his bags and skedaddle back to Beantown; he's wrought enough permanent havoc to my beloved city (where the new Miss America, Miss New York, was born in friggin' Alabama, for Chrissakes).
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting that the nyc.gov website does NOT give access to the actual yearly bicycle crash data? They give ONE year (2011) but the other years are not there. Gee, I wonder why? Maybe there is a trend they don't want anybody to notice?
ReplyDelete(And yes, I see the nice graph that purports to show how "safe" everything has become. As someone with a graduate degree in statistics I can tell you about "safety indexes". Meanwhile one trip walking across 2nd avenue tells me how much more dangerous things have actually become. And now it will get worse)
@BT
ReplyDelete> They give ONE year (2011) but the
> other years are not there. Gee, I
> wonder why?
Because the law requiring the reporting of crashes was only passed in 2011...
There is more history here:
http://www.transalt.org/files/resources/blueprint/chapter17/table17.html
David
e said,
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed your number/lettering system. But this comment did make me roll my eyes into the back of my head:
"Back before there were bike lanes, the bikers knew how to weave in, out, and around of the pedestrians and cars. It was an organized chaos."
You would think there would be one thing that all the commenters here could get excited about. Apparently the bike share isn't it though.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a great idea and I can't wait to seem my commute to Union Square chopped by 2/3rds.....
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
ReplyDeletevii. Bike lanes support a sense of entitlement and holier-than-thou obnoxious behaviour. Also, bike lanes seem to foster a false sense of protection for drivers and riders alike -- paint on the street is no substitute for awareness and defensive riding/driving.
ReplyDeleteThe hipsters do not stop at red lights, be cautious on stop signs, or yield to pedestrians because their bikes are fixies. How the f*#% does one stop with those bikes. Only a matter of time when their eyes will be rolling behind the back of their heads when they hit a pedestrian, a post, or get hit by a car. And NYC isn't Amsterdam.
Hands down the most major issue i have with this is that most people are not batting an eye at the fact that THE ENTIRE CITY IS GOING TO BE DROWNED IN BLUE CITIBIKE LOGOS AND BIKE STATIONS.
ReplyDeleteThat map is INSANE.
Terifying actually.
This is going to VASTLY and PERMANENTLY change the way the entire city looks - or should we just call it the Citi at this point????
Corporate f*cking wh0re that bloomtard, are we all this complacent to be postively drowned in marketing??? and could you think of a worse beneficiary???
Citibank does NOTHING for the city - the city does for THEM.
What a bunch of bullsh*t this is.
PS - I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST BIKES.
h.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing against bikes either. I have something against rogue bikers who has a sense of entitlement to the road just because they they have their own lanes. And sense of entitlement does not necessarily mean just the riches. Read.
Not really a comment on the bikeshare system but it bums me out a little to see that many people are so out of touch with the plain simple joy of riding a bicycle. Not to mention the practicality. It really beats walking or busing especially on those crosstown trips. Try it sometime, you can take 9th St, ride from Ave A to the Hudson. Ride at a reasonable, safe, considerate speed, hell you can ride your grandma's old cruiser, and still watch the sorry M8 bus eat your dust.
ReplyDelete@Anon 4:33 I agree with you that riding a bike is a simple joy. I love riding my bike along the East River during the summer and enjoying the views of the river, the bridges and the parks. It's a peaceful and much needed escape from the city.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I don't think letting 7,000 bikes loose on the city all at once is going to be good for anyone - the pedestrians, the other bikers, or vehicles.
Without a doubt there will be a publicist pitching bike and bike related stories to the media which means every trendy moron who reads Time Out New York or clicks on a banner ad is now going to be hopping on a Citi bike, merrily texting their way across the city. Basically all the people who should not be walking, let alone riding a bike, are now going to making this city a living hell to get around.
As far as the DOT is concerned, I don't buy their BS like "New York City demands a world-class bike share system" or their one year statistics on bike safety. How is anyone supposed to take those statistics seriously after Bloomberg himself said the police are too busy to keep up with the bike issues. And what is the "problem" they are trying to correct with this anyway. WHAT IS THE POINT???
On any given say it's safer to cross the Gaza Strip than cross Second Avenue between St. Marks and 11th Street. People on bikes come at me from so many different directions I now go a block out of my way to cross that street. It's that bad.
What's almost never mentioned is that the startup and maintenance costs are very big, so that in some of the other cities (such as Montreal), bike-share programs have lost millions of dollars, and had to be bailed out at taxpayers' expense. The Citi branding will be doubly ironic, if/when that happens.
ReplyDelete