Friday, May 24, 2013

Early verdict on Citi Bikes: Kids love 'em!



Students from (the middle school housed at?) PS 19 have discovered the Citi Bikes, which arrived on East 11th Street near First Avenue.

Look at those happy faces!

Video via MoRUS.

27 comments:

Spike said...

cue nygrump

creature said...

At least I'm not the only one excited by this.

Crazy Eddie said...

Of course they dig em for now. As the handout spot Du Jour, not to actually ride them. Check it out, they seem to be goofing on em (my opinion). In a week, they won’t even know they exist.

Anonymous said...

Right Spike, because its privatization of public property, because it excludes people under 16, because kids are entitled to all the same privileges of adults. Right.

I think a lot of local teens might be asking their parents for a membership. Something tells me they don't have any hangups about loss of parking or corporate shilling. Anyways for the kids who could be served by this, who would otherwise have to suffer on the slow and erratic crosstown bus service for getting to and from school, I am glad.

nygrump said...

Well Spike, when these kids aren't getting ushered to the front of the line at Disney World, they are whipping out their black amex's and enjoying the ride ...

Anonymous said...

Are these kids old enough / big enough to ride and safely control a 45 pound bike? Or is this more a petting zoo-like photo op?

Anonymous said...

I think this is a good signal for the people who suffer from nostalgia! Life goes on without you.

Anonymous said...

I expect some of these kids will have their parents grab them memberships. I also hope the DOE sponsors student membership the same way they give out metrocards to students. I'm guessing students would rather bike than take a slow-ass crosstown bus (and would rather have 4-5 communal bikes than allow one selfish person to park on the street).

Kyle said...

Point of clarification - these are not PS 19 kids. They are students from the junior high school that shares the building with PS 19.

Anonymous said...

Why are they installing the bikes on a weekend most people leave town?

Anonymous said...

OMG!!! I hope they Purell those things! I would imagine these CitiBike stands are going to become a hangout for kids to smoke cigs on and break stuff. Im still waiting for the picz when a juiced up jerzee resident gets annihilated and starts ripping the bikes up for no reason other than being a primate.

Crazy Eddie said...

Got to laugh here. If any of you think that NYC urban kids are going to have their parents buy them memberships for these Blue Demons, then you have no idea what it's to be raised here as a kid. NYC kids riding bikes to school? What kind of a dumb suburban mindset is that?

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:37am "Why are they installing the bikes on a weekend most people leave town?"

Work out a few kinks in the system when demand is lower probably...

Anonymous said...

Don't you have to be over 18 to rent these bikes? I am pretty sure there is an age requirement.

Anonymous said...

parents wont be getting memberships for kids because of the hefty late fees if you take a bike for more than 45 minutes

xootrman said...

I see this has great potential as a "Fight Obesity" campaign. These bikes double as exercise machines.

Anonymous said...

@Crazy Eddie "NYC kids riding bikes to school? What kind of a dumb suburban mindset is that?"

Perhaps, but wouldn't this be a better city if the streets were safer for bikers and pedestrians? In many cities around the world, people ride bicycles. It's only the American selfish cities that cling to their cars in lieu of public transportation.

Anonymous said...

Exactly, kids. Whether you're a kid or a kidult. Just another shiny toy to play with and forgotten once the luster and novelty wears out. Good luck kids, have fun.

Anonymous said...

You have to be 16 years old.

Anonymous said...

Summer of the Blue Demons!

Anonymous said...

Just wait until the massive head injuries start piling up. NYC is in for a slew of lawsuits on this. NYC is not, never has been and never will be condusive to bike riding. It's an automobile city and was never designed for bikes. let's wait for the body bags to prove this.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2:11, NYC is not an automobile city, not Manhattan, in any case. Automobile cities have concentric rings of highways around them, linked with thoroughfares running into the center. If anything, Manhattan is a pedestrian city.

Anonymous said...

Its an automobile city that predates the automobile by a couple of centuries, OK!

Anonymous said...

If you don't like kids riding bikes to school then you should mooove! ;)

blue glass said...

while i am not a fan of citibikes i think these kids are great.
they are having a harmless good time.
maybe some other kids will not be so kind to the bikes. for now enjoy these kids and their joy and smile with them.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 2:44: see that's the problem. Manhattan is not a city. The working class and middle class live in the boroughs and many require cars to get around. Making it harder to drive and park in Manhattan; making tolls more expensive and jacking up the rates on parking meters serves to exclude a large group of people. Congratulations on your part in this process.

MosaicManNYC said...

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