Citi Bike will expand ahead of L-mageddon time

We joined @NYC_DOT this morning to make a BIG announcement about our plans for the upcoming L train disruption.

We’re adding not only more bikes and stations, but special pedal-assist bikes to travel over the Williamsburg bridge ⚡️⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Ym0VDJJyjb

— Citi Bike (@CitiBikeNYC) June 27, 2018

Citi Bike will add more than 1,200 new bikes and 2,500 docking stations next spring ahead of the L-train shutdown.

Here are more details about the increased Citi Bike presence via a news release from the Mayor's office:

More Citi Bikes, denser coverage: In Citi Bike’s busiest areas, cycling is expected to expand dramatically with the L train’s disruption next year. The first stage of the City’s plan to increase capacity in Citi Bike’s existing service area will focus in Manhattan between Canal Street and 59th Street and the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, where Citi Bike will offer denser coverage with 2,500 new docks and 1,250 new bicycles.

The process of providing denser coverage is known as “infill,” and will involve both new docking stations and enlarging current stations. DOT and Citi Bike will coordinate a robust community engagement process. working closely with local elected officials, community groups as well as the affected community boards – Brooklyn Community Board 1 and Manhattan Community Boards 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

And...

More Citi Bike valet stations: In anticipation of the L train disruption, Citi Bike expects to add as many as ten new valet stations, located in areas heavily affected by the L train disruption, including Williamsburg, the Lower East Side, along the 14th Street corridor and adjacent to East River ferry stops in both Brooklyn and Manhattan.

And...

Citi Bike pedal-assist “Shuttle Service”: Citi Bike announced that it would add a temporary, additional 1,000 pedal-assist bicycle “Shuttle Service” to its fleet during the L train closure, which would designate four conveniently-located pedal-assist docking stations — two in Williamsburg and two in lower Manhattan for their exclusive use. “Shuttle Service” bicycles could only be rented and returned to these stations.

During a City Council hearing yesterday, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said alternative subway routes would carry 70 percent to 80 percent of the displaced riders entering Manhattan, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Fifteen percent of commuters are expected to use buses, 5 percent additional ferry service and 3 percent to 5 percent bikes, per Trottenberg.

The shutdown of the L — between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue to repair the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel — is expected to last 15 months with a start date of April 2019.