[Photo from July by Derek Berg]
Mayor de Blasio released some year-end stats-n-stuff about Citi Bike this morning.
To the news release!
Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that Citi Bike had set another ridership record in 2016, with nearly 14 million trips – shattering the record set in 2015 by more than 4 million. The Citi Bike program, the largest bike-share program in North America, now regularly serves over 60,000 trips per day – on par with Boro Taxis and the Staten Island Ferry. By one estimate, this year’s record number of Citi Bike trips have kept New Yorkers out of carbon-producing vehicles, sparing nearly 5,000 tons of CO² out of New York City’s air.
And!
Citi Bike served more than 60,000 trips on 23 different days this year; on October 19, riders completed nearly 70,000 trips – a one-day system record. Operated by Motivate, a national leader in bike share, Citi Bike continues to attract the highest ridership volume of any bike share system in North America. This year’s record represents a 40 percent increase over the previous year, an indication that Citi Bike’s popularity continues to surge all across the city.
And!
The Citi Bike program also added 139 stations and 2,000 bikes to its fleet in 2016 – expanding the network from Harlem to Red Hook in the second phase of an expansion plan that will double the size of the bike share network from 6,000 to 12,000 bikes by 2017. Citi Bike will continue to expand to Astoria, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights in the coming year.
Gothamist's coverage of the announcement noted ...
Citi Bike currently costs $12/day (unlimited 30-minute rides) or $177 for an annual membership (unlimited 45-minute rides). There are also lower-cost options for NYCHA residents and IDNYC holders, as well as some credit union members, Oxford health plan participants and Citi card holders. For comparison, currently one subway ride is $2.75 and a monthly unlimited pass (not including new card fee) is $116.50.
Spoiler Alert - grouchy comment below :)
ReplyDeleteI am a native New Yorker who relies on mass transit - bus and subway - and walking. Don't know how to drive.
Very unhappy with the policy and resource support (initiated by Mayor Bloomberg) going to cycling and cycling infrastructure while at the same time, particularly since about 2010, there have been cuts in bus service and routes (note that some Manhattan bus routes changed to accommodate bike lanes and tourist pedestrian plazas), worsening of subway service and increase in fares.
Worth noting that given NYC demographic shifts (particularly increase in affluent millennials) increase in affluent residents and the tsunami of luxury real estate, the cycling infrastructure is more beneficial to affluent people who live close to work and play(ie short commutes, get stuff delivered and don't need to shop/schlep etc)
Lower income folks, especially as they are forced out further and further, need reliable and affordable bus and subway service, not biycles.
In NYC cyclists are not former car drivers, they are former mass transit users. So cycling does not reduce traffic.
What would reduce traffic would be if folks sharply curtailed buying stuff to be delivered - ie Amazon, Google Express, Fresh Direct, Blue Apron etc - and curtailed Uber use.
Yes I know bus and subway funding comes from the MTA etc and cycling mostly from DOT....
Will leave observations about the egregious behavior of many cyclists, including tourists, to someone else - except to say that as a pedestrian, at this point feel more likely to be hit by a cyclist than a car.
Despite Bloomberg selling out to corporate as always with the name -- even though that bank doesn't support it now -- the program is a great success for a variety of reasons, including exercise, saving money on cabs, relieving crowding on public transportation, providing a non polluting form of transportation that millions of people use, etc. Is it perfect? Of course not, as the cheery commentors on this site will remind us.
ReplyDeleteNoone is asking for the program to be perfect" whatever that means, but we are asking for one that works as promised and yet never has. For instance, even though the weather is warmer this winter, and there have been no big snowstorms. you'll notice that CitiBkke has taken many of the bikes off the streets leading to many empty racks. If CitiBke is such a big success then why can't they even keep a few bikes in the racks on warm winter days? No bikes means more cabs rides, more traffic, more crowded buses and trains. Plus they are still asking for big city subsidies to add the bike racks in the outer boroughs and Uptown Manhattan that were supposed to be installed for free by now. No subsidies for CitiBike until they can prove they can run the program as promised and also make a profit some day which they can share with the city.
ReplyDeleteAnon 12:53 PM: Having been hit by a texting driver in this city, I assure you that making contact with a multi-ton vehicle should be of much greater concern to you than some annoying cyclists. I don't like those who don't follow the rules either, but let's not pretend that there's any kind of equivalency between harm caused by car drivers versus by cyclists.
ReplyDelete@12:53 PM Ignorent and offensive (given the number of people maimed or snuffed out every single day by motor vehicle drivers who just make everything worse for everybody, and couldn't give a shit.)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your bubble
anonymous 3:18
ReplyDeletethere are many bike accidents that are not reported - bikers don't have a license or insurance. the police are rarely called and injuries do not always show up immediately - a bicycle knocked me over and i did not have a knee problem until several days later - and for the record it caused permanent knee damage.
at one point emergency rooms were keeping track of bicycle accidents. i don't know what happened to that study or information. might be interesting.
it certainly would help if bikers obeyed the traffic rules, went in the direction of traffic, did not use the sidewalks as faster roads, and were generally polite and considerate instead of superior and arrogant.
At 12:53, Anonymous said:
ReplyDeleteat this point feel more likely to be hit by a cyclist than a car.
Well, in that case, you're more likely to survive, plus your injuries, if any will be less earth-shattering—and therefore cost less and require less—if any—time in the ER. And that's good news. (See Anon. 3:18 PM.)
I too was knocked unconscious by a driver for a month, and sustained multiple skeletal injuries, some of which required traction and left scars. (Not to mention the scarring in my brain!) When I was knocked down by a bike—who was going downtown on 1st avenue—it was annoying and inconvenient, but not earth-shattering. There's a difference.
I agree 100% with 12:53pm - I feel FAR more likely to be hit (and left in the road) by a bike rider than a vehicle, partly b/c bikes are SILENT (until the rider screams "fuck you!" into your ear as they ride off). PLUS it is absolutely true that bike riders blow through red lights and ride in the wrong direction massively more than cars/trucks/etc.
ReplyDeleteAs a senior citizen, I am well aware of the bus cutbacks that 12:53pm describes, and it is maddening to wait 20-30 minutes for PUBLIC transportation in all kinds of weather at the bus stop. Some of us can't afford taxis, and are impaired in our ability to do the stairs to/from the subway - so buses are our lifeline (though our needs are apparently not among NYC's priorities).
And I also agree with 3:18pm - damage does not necessarily show up immediately, and statistics are very hard to come by on this (and I suspect that is NYC's doing, b/c they're so gung-ho on Citibike and biking in general that they don't want reliable stats to be published).
There are people on bikes who shouldn't even be out & about on foot, they're so oblivious to others (and to rules).
I wonder what NYC is going to be like in 20 years, when everyone is that much older - will everyone over 60 just have to leave b/c if you don't bike, you won't be able to get around well?
Citibike is great. The bikes run out during peak commute times and there can be problems "parking" but it's a fantastic service.
ReplyDeleteIf we really want to reduce traffic we need to prohibit the use of motor vehicles to emergency and service personnel only and impose a strict curfew the rest of the population. That means no crossing state lines, or potentially, even leaving your local "social network" without a permit. It's not like most of you are going to have jobs in the future anyway, so you won't have anywhere to go, and those of you that do have jobs won't have to leave your pod because everything will be performed remotely.
ReplyDeleteOr, we could just do what my uncle Joe did and just fucking kill everybody. I'm flexible on this issue.
In either case, enjoy your future.
Earlier this year I had to help an older woman who was hit by a speeding bicycle on 1st Ave at 2nd st. When I found her she was fetal in the bike lane and crying like a child. She had a massive head wound and she had to go to the hospital. Automobile drivers seem to be slightly more concerned with pedestrian lives and rights-of-way than do the majority of the bicycle riders. I know how difficult it can be to navigate pedestrian traffic as a bicyclist myself, as people are constantly jumping into the bike lane (if one even exists) and generally unaware of their surroundings, but there needs to be some enforcement of wrong way and right of way violations by bicyclists. It's chaos and it's dangerous. I've been hit twice by delivery guys on electric bikes, going the wrong way down 1st Ave.
ReplyDeletethis concludes my latest rant. thank you.
Anon 5.44: "Automobile drivers seem to be slightly more concerned with pedestrian lives and rights-of-way than do the majority of the bicycle riders."
ReplyDeleteReally? So how come automobile drivers kill a couple hundred people, and maim thousands, in this city each year?
Little boy hit and killed tonight.
ReplyDeleteWonder what kind of vehicle the person who killed him was operating?
Oh well, no big deal. There will be another tomorrow.
Oops. My bad. I left out a woman also killed tonight. (separate from the little boy who was killed).
ReplyDeleteYah. Bicycles really are the problem here, aren't they?
We all know that cars are dangerous too. Paying attention to the changing bicycle safety needs of this city does not take away from the severity of the dangers of automobiles. Let us talk about problems so that we can move towards resolution. Be pissed if you're pissed, but be constructive.
ReplyDeleteNo question that a vehicle hit poses more danger to a person than a bicycle hit. And that deaths are tragic and senseless.
ReplyDeleteBut in NYC, the number of pedestrian vehicle fatalities is relatively low compared with the number of vehicles/vehicle trips.
The vehicle fatality rate is much higher in other places.
For the elderly, a hit by a bicycle can have permanent consequences leading to a slow death. same situation when an elderly person falls trying to avoid a bicycle. This happens more than we realize - but is not reflected in any data. Bicycles going through red lights and going the wrong way really are dangerous - dangerous to pedestrians and potentially causing additional danger when vehicles swerve or stop short to avoid a bicyclist who is going through a red light or going the wrong way.
In smaller cities like Minneapolis and DC bicyclist are respectful of pedestrians. But that is not the ethos in NYC unfortunately.
Definitely agree that the cyclists are a dangerous nuisance. Also, I wonder how much money the Citibike program is losing. If it were making money, that useless old foghorn DiBlasio would absolutely be crowing about it.
ReplyDelete@8:14am: Thank you for saying what needs to be said (even if none of the bike riders is listening). You expressed it more clearly than I could have.
ReplyDeleteYay for them and everything but I want/need to point out that Citibikers tend to be real jerks, riding around as if they are encased in some sort of invisible entitlement bubble, blithely rolling through red lights cutting off pedestrians at the nose, going the wrong way and hogging the lane while doing so (any enlightened person understands that if you must salmon for a block or two, at least you yield to people going the correct direction). Riding in flip flops. Riding their precious children on the handlebar basket, which is only safety rated for like 25 lbs. Trying to cut off turning cars by approaching in their blind spot. Just all manner of flippant, inconsiderate (not to mention idiotic, safety-flouting) behavior. It is a good thing that those stupid clunky bikes are actually engineered for low-speed, what with their insanely heavy weight and phony gear-shifting. Otherwise we'd have a real problem on our hands, and not just the nuisance that we currently put up with. Seriously Citibikers please get a clue about how mature people ride bikes. You're stupid, most of you.
ReplyDeleteThe police need to more actively prosecute bike riders running red lights etc. It would make a large difference in the quality of life for pedestrians.
ReplyDeleteUnlike most CitiBike riders, we make sure that our entitlement bubbles are clearly visible at all times.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Sincerely,
The Trump and Kushner families
@ 12:25 PM: Any enlightened person doesn't ride the wrong way down the street (I didn't know there was a word for it).
ReplyDeleteOh, blessed mother of Satan. Listen to you all. "Two wheels bad! Four wheels good!" "No! Four wheels bad! Two wheels good!"
ReplyDeleteThe common denominator you common po-taters is that people are douchecanoes, whether they're riding bikes or driving cars, paddling their doucheycanoes wide and far.
Citibikers tend to be real jerks, riding around as if they are encased in some sort of invisible entitlement bubble, blithely rolling through red lights cutting off pedestrians at the nose, going the wrong way and hogging the lane while doing so (any enlightened person understands that if you must salmon for a block or two, at least you yield to people going the correct direction). Riding in flip flops. Riding their precious children on the handlebar basket, which is only safety rated for like 25 lbs.
ReplyDeleteA good percentage of $hitibikers are tourists from other places, and could give a fuck what we think of them.
Although getting hit by a car is lethal, getting hit by a bike is still perilous. One day riding in the city, I actually got hit by an impatient cunt trying to slalom me and we got tangled and I fell on my leg. The bitch made up some shit saying she had cancer and fled the scene on her bike. I managed to walk off and proceeded riding again. As I was riding uphill, I felt something dislocate in my right leg and I suddenly felt a numbing pain. I got off at Gramercy to sit down and I couldn't get up again and wound up in that emergency center where st. vincent's use to be. I missed work for a week. If I had not been riding in the city for 30 years, I probably would have been crippled.
ReplyDeleteThese Shitibikes are a fucking nuisance and it's wreaking havoc on all forms of commute. The majority of these shitibikers are reckless assholes that think they are lance armstrong, they cut you off and 80% of them are scofflaws. The lot of them are actually yuppie scumbags and they are pretty ruthless when they run lights and when people are crossing and they don't give a fuck either. I have yet to see one of them pulled over by a police car yet. They are as bad as these app food delivery bikers, especially the ones that have illegal motors.
The bike lanes have become extended sidewalks and have become impediments to delivery vehicles, buses, and emergency vehicles.
And here's the kicker, because now there are more people biking than before, the bike lanes are no longer ample, and have to be redone to accommodate them. The majority of lanes were obviously shoddily done, because I have seen massive cracks and actual potholes on them. How does a pothole get on the bike lane?
And they only exist as a cudgel for gentrification. For to get any improvements or alternative means of transportation to poor neighborhoods, the lower classes have to be banished from the towns where they have roots in.
Sorry @5:41 AM but there are too many stupid people here unable to accept that a bike sharing infrastructure is a positive thing for this city. It represents change to them, and therefore it's a bad thing. They then project their disdain for that change on people who use that system (and ride bicycles in general) in a sweeping generalization about certain people.
ReplyDeleteI've lived here 40 years. Out of the thousands and thousands of automobiles that I have seen run red lights I have never seen a cop pull over a car for such an infraction. However when it comes to cyclists, I've witnessed at least half dozen such pull-overs. (though on the other hand, I've also never seen a cop pullover a delivery guy riding on sidewalk) (delivery guys are not "cyclists" they are "delivery guys")
Anyway, people here here just want to close their eyes to the real problem, and project it onto some other group. (where have we seen that before?)