Noted

[Random Citi Bike photo on St. Mark's Place]

Men's Health editor-in-chief Matt Bean used a handheld germ counter to swab a number of surfaces in New York City.

Per his research:

The device ranks how germy the surface of an item is, depending on the bacteria and biological material it finds. The lower the rating, the fewer germs it has. If something gets a rating of 50, it shouldn’t touch your food.

The title for the grossest public object in New York City goes to Citi Bikes. Turns out, the handlebars on these communal bikes are less hygienic than the hold bars on subway trains — 45 times germier to be exact.

Here are the results for the other objects Bean tested:

1. Citi Bike handlebar - 1,512

2. Starbucks door handle - 1,090

3. LinkNYC kiosk - 807

4. Taxi handle - 424

5. Grand Central door knob - 45

Meanwhile, Recode has a piece today titled "A bike-sharing war is coming to the U.S. as investors pour money into new entrants."

May not happen here just yet, though. Motivate, the company behind Citi Bike, has an exclusive contract with NYC through 2029.

H/T Gothamist!

Today in Citi Bike, noosa yoghurt combo freebies

Via the EVG inbox... received multiple times...

Citi Bike will be free to all in New York City on August 2 [ed note: today!], thanks to an innovative partnership between noosa yoghurt, a thick and velvety combination of tart and sweet unlike any other yoghurt brand, and Citi Bike.

Riders can beat the summer heat and power up in between rides at noosa yoghurt sampling events and breakfast bars located throughout Manhattan.

The free ride day is the marquee event in a summer-long partnership between noosa yoghurt and Citi Bike. noosa installed its branding at 40 Citi Bike stations throughout the system in June, which will remain through September 3 to bring its delicious, farm fresh yoghurt from the Colorado mountains to the streets of New York City.

New Yorkers and visitors who want to take advantage of the free ride day can sign up through the Citi Bike app, where they will receive a free code to use at any dock in the service area for a half-hour at a time. The noosa Free Day Pass in the app will expire at 11:59 pm on August 2nd.

Citi Bike research: 'Bikes are being used for errands and commuting'

[Citi Bike photo today by Daniel]

NYU’s Rudin Center for Transportation examined how people are using Citi Bikes. The Daily News got the first look at the research, which hasn't been publicly released just yet.

Per the News:

The vast majority of Citi Bike trips, 98 percent, are shorter than 45 minutes, and nearly half clock in at less than 10 minutes.

“People are using Citi Bike in short distances that are perhaps too short to jump on a subway, but may be too long to walk,” said Rudin Assistant Director Sarah Kaufman. “Citi Bike introduces a new option that ... really cuts down on travel times.”

The stats show the bikes are being used for errands and commuting, rather than leisurely cruising.

“It’s not being used by tourists, it’s being used by commuters and regular New Yorkers,” Kaufman said.

Citi Bike shuts down ahead of the storm

[Photo from Jan. 31 by Derek Berg]

Here's the official word from Citi Bike:

Due to heavy snow in the forecast, we will temporarily close the Citi Bike system starting at 11:00 PM tonight, Wednesday February 8. What does that mean for you? No bikes can be rented after the temporary closure has begun, though bikes that are in use can be returned to any Citi Bike station with an available dock.

The amount of snow and changing weather conditions will determine when it is safe to re-open.

They will post updates on Twitter tomorrow ...

What are those green bicycle lights on Citi Bike?

Via the EVG inbox today...

As part of an ongoing commitment to safer cycling in New York, the Citi Bike program is installing an innovative new safety feature — the Blaze Laserlight on 250 bikes this winter, Citi Bike and Blaze leadership announced today.

This pilot program aims to make Citi Bike riders more visible to drivers and pedestrians, creating safer conditions on the road and providing greater peace of mind to all.

Extensive research on the Laserlight on London’s bike share fleet revealed that a cyclist with a Laserlight at night is even more visible than a cyclist in daytime.

The vast majority of London bus drivers surveyed said the light made it easier to notice and react to cyclists at night, while 75% of cyclists felt more confident cycling with a Laserlight.

“By incorporating Blaze’s lights into the bike, we aim to keep New Yorkers on foot, behind the wheel and riding a Citi Bike safer and to improve the rider experience overall so that people of all backgrounds are inspired to try New York City’s popular bike share program,” said Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, operators of the Citi Bike program. “Bike share is an extremely safe way to get around, and we are proud to work with Blaze to welcome every rider to Citi Bike while helping our city get ever closer to our Vision Zero goals.”

Year-end Citi Bike stats: 14 million trips (bike trips)

[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.

Citi Bike rider gets a ticket for not stopping at the crosswalk on 14th Street and 1st Avenue

Via YouTube and Kactapuss today:

On my ride to work I see the police light up a woman who biked past the crosswalk to the corner. They gave her a red light ticket even though she did not cross through the intersection.

Citi Bike temporarily bumped from 4th Street for curb work

[Photo by Derek Berg]

Workers yesterday packed up the Citi Bike docking station on Fourth Street and Second Avenue...


[Photo by DB]


...and took it off to parts unknown, though only temporarily...

Station Update: E 4th St & 2nd Ave has been removed for the next month due to construction.

— Citi Bike (@CitiBikeNYC) July 11, 2016

Signs on the block point to a an expansion of the curb line, which Citi Bike officials optimistically believe/hope will last just a month...

About the Citi Bike docking station outside the New York City Marble Cemetery

We noted the arrival of a Citi Bike docking station the other day outside the New York City Marble Cemetery on Second Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue...



For starters, it is only temporary, having moved from Second Avenue and Second Street outside Rosie's to make way for ongoing work by the city's Department of Design and Construction.

We wondered if maybe Cemetery officials requested this. (Handy for their Neighborhood Open days.) Or if not, how a Citi Bike docking station ends up in your front yard, so to speak.

Here's what Colleen Iverson, director of the New York City Marble Cemetery, had to say about it.

"No, we very much did not request this. We were contacted by a Citi Bike rep in April regarding a temporary placement and we requested to meet on site with them to discuss it. The meeting never took place as we were told the temporary location looked like it was no longer needed. We relaxed and thought we'd had a narrow escape. But, it seems it was only a postponement. We received zero notice of the installation."

A Citi Bike rep who contacted the Cemetery in April apologized for "an internal communication failure." Still, Iverson described the process as "being informed, not consulted."

"I did mention, to no avail, that part of the operation of a historic landmark site that doesn't have the resources to be open every day is to ensure a clear view from the sidewalk and that an eye catching row of bright blue detracts significantly from a visitor experiencing a view showing both the historic nature and the natural beauty of the grounds," Iverson said.

The docking station for 31 bikes is expected to be outside the historic cemetery founded in 1831 through the end of August.

Said Iverson: "We are not anti-bike but as far as the pros and cons and relative merits of different forms of transportation goes, the cemetery would have to say it sees itself as firmly pro-horse and buggy."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Picturesque New York City Marble Cemetery getting a Citi Bike docking station out front (50 comments)

[Updated] Picturesque New York City Marble Cemetery getting a Citi Bike docking station out front

This is happening outside the historic cemetery founded in 1831, and located at 52-74 E. Second St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Perhaps the Cemetery organizers requested a docking station ... make it easier for people to visit during its Neighborhood Open Days... but nothing like a docking station to ruin a view.

Photo by EVG contributor James Maher

Updated 1:30 p.m.

A few readers believe this is temporary... because construction has temporarily displaced the docking station on Second Avenue and Second Street...

Updated 7/9

Cemetery officials did NOT request the docking station... They did not even receive any notice of the docking station's arrival. I'll do a separate post on this...

[Updated] New installation on Astor Place that you can take for a spin

[Photo by Sparber]

Uh, sorry... not the Alamo ... workers today put in a Citi Bike docking station on the under-renovation Cooper Square-Astor Place...


[Photo by Vinny & O]


[V&O]

I believe they just relocated this one from in front of Kmart... (and wasn't there one in front of Cooper Union a few years back?)

Updated 7:55 p.m.

Citi Bike says that this is a temporary relocation... due to the construction outside the uptown 6 stop...

Report: Citi Bike mechanics question the integrity and safety of the new bikes

[Photo on 7th and A by Derek Berg]

The design of the newer-model Citi Bikes are being questioned — by Citi Bikes' own mechanics.

According to an email that the company's unionized mechanics sent to management, as reported by Gothamist:

"We tried to warn management many months ago about these safety issues with the new bikes but were completely ignored," wrote one mechanic and TWU representative in an e-mail to his coworkers last month (he asked that his name be withheld for fear of employer retaliation). "We do not want to be blamed for the catastrophic failure that is the Motivate bike."

In late March, Citi Bike pulled 1,000 bikes from its fleet for maintenance:

“We have determined that the forks in our new bike fleet — the part that holds the front wheel in place — have been wearing faster than expected,” Citi Bike said in its email.

But, according to the email from mechanics, this problem was just the beginning, as the Daily News first reported:

“It's not from high usage,” a Citi Bike staffer with knowledge of its fleet told the Daily News. “To a lot of the mechanics, it means that the company is interested in replenishing the system with bikes of lower quality.”

Parts that hold the rear wheel in place on the new bikes were becoming “skewed and uneven” to the point that it could result in “catastrophic axle breaks and premature hub/wheel failure,” according to the email.

A Citi Bike spokesperson issued this statement to Gothamist yesterday: "The new line of Citi Bikes are very popular with riders with a sleeker, more comfortable design. Like with any innovation we've learned lessons and are making improvements to durability, but all Citi Bikes on the road are extremely safe — with nearly 28 million rides and no fatalities."

Tomorrow on Earth Day, you can (legally) ride a Citi Bike for free

Come ride with us on Aprill 22! #CarFreeNYC https://t.co/hGNcgRpmot pic.twitter.com/Zl4y1HnhJ7

— Citi Bike (@CitiBikeNYC) April 16, 2016

Find the details here.

Per Gothamist: "Signing up is simple and doesn't appear to have any strings attached: enter your email and name on Citi Bike's website (you can opt out of promotional mailings), and you'll be sent a code to redeem a 24-hour access pass that'll be valid at any of Citi Bike's stations..."

It's also an (optional) Car-Free Earth Day.

Annual Citi Bike membership will increase 4% in 2016

[Photo by Derek Berg]

Here's the official word from Citi Bike:

Beginning on March 1 2016, annual memberships will increase from $149 to $155 to keep up with the costs of administering a growing and improving system at the level of quality riders have come to expect from Citi Bike. Annual members will also have the option to pay in monthly installments of $14.95, with an annual commitment.

NYCHA residents will continue to receive discounted $60 annual memberships and, for the first time, will have the option of paying for their membership in $5 monthly installments.

They also note that the Citi Bike network is 40 percent larger today than it was at this time in 2015 ... with 100-plus more stations on the way in 2016.

Just picking up some breakfast before heading out to LaGuardia

Cooper Square and St. Mark's Place this morning... (and there aren't actually any docking stations at LaGuardia. Closest you'll get is 21st Street and 41st Avenue in Long Island City...)

[Updated] Citi Bike will be back in action tomorrow morning with limited service

[EVG photo on 6th and B from Saturday night]

Citi Bike officials shut down the grid last Friday night ahead of the blizzard... now they are ready to start up part of the system again tomorrow morning.

Here's the official CB message via Facebook:

Citi Bike will re-open tomorrow, Wednesday, 1/27/16 at 6:00 AM with *limited service*. Please check the station map or mobile app for up-to-date station information. Stations in blue are in-service, grey stations still need to be cleared. Snow removal will continue until all stations are cleared. AM Valet Service will be available as scheduled at Pearl & Hanover. AM Valet Service will not be offered at Penn Station or Port Authority. PM Valet Service will be available at all three stations. We appreciate your continued patience and understanding as we dig out!

Here's the link to the station map to check tomorrow morning.

Not sure about other docking stations around here... but the one on East Seventh Street and Avenue A looks ready for action...

Tuesday!



Today!




Updated 1/27

I looked at the station map out of curiosity... you can see the local docking stations that are (and are not!) in service as of this morning... 7th Street and A and East 10th Street along Tompkins Square Park are among those dispensing the bikes...



Bottom two Citi Bike photos by Derek Berg

Citi Bike shutting down tonight at 11 ahead of possible blizzard, non-blizzard

[Photo last week by Derek Berg]

In case you were going to use a Citi Bike to get around tomorrow or to help transport home the pallet of bread from Key Food... here's some FYI via the CB people:

Due to heavy snow in the forecast, we will temporarily close the Citi Bike system starting at 11 tonight, Friday January 22. What does that mean for you? No bikes can be rented after the temporary closure has begun, though bikes that are in use can be returned to any Citi Bike station with an available dock.

The amount of snow and changing weather conditions will determine when it is safe to re-open. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the nifty yellow alert banner on the Citi Bike website for updates and details on reopening the system.

2015 Citi Bike recap: 10 million-plus trips

[Photo from Dec. 15 on 7th and A by Derek Berg]

On Thursday afternoon, the 10 millionth trip was taken on a Citi Bike.

On this occasion, Mayor de Blasio and Citi Bike released a statement:

Ridership increased 24 percent in 2015 – including seven days in which ridership exceeded 50,000 trips, twice during the Papal visit in September.

Citi Bike has far and away the highest ridership volume of any bike share system in the nation, and is on par with the largest bike share systems in the Western hemisphere. There have been nearly 9 million trips taken on Mexico City’s similarly sized EcoBici bike share in 2015, and London’s larger Santander Cycle Hire was on pace for 9,943,074 trips in 2015.

As for the 10 millionth trip taker, he or she is receiving a free year of membership, plus three gift memberships to share with family and friends, per the statement.

Some Citi Bike docking station details for the week

[File photo by Derek Berg]

An FYI gleaned via the Citi Bike Tumblr:

We will have some temporary challenges in the East Village due to construction projects. This will affect our normal valet schedule.

East Seventh Street and Avenue A:
• Docking station will be removed Monday 10/26 through Friday 10/30
• PM valet cancelled at this station and moved to East 10th Street and Avenue A (M-F from 7-10:30 PM)
• East 14th St and Avenue B will continue to operate valet service M-F from 7-11 PM through the winter

East Ninth Street and Avenue C:
• Removed Monday 10/26 for private construction
• Station should return in two weeks, but exact install date TBD

Updated 8:50 a.m.

Mike H. on East 9th Street shares this photo of workers loading up the docking station on Ninth and C...

Noted

[Photo from June by Derek Berg]

More people are stealing Citi Bikes, according to the Post today.

The number of Citi Bikes stolen from docking stations and off the street has skyrocketed this year compared with 2014, with a 100 percent jump in Manhattan.

So far this year, 476 Citi Bikes have been stolen throughout the city, compared with 300 in 2014, an increase of nearly 60 percent.

There are also more bikes in circulation… anyway, according to Post:

Many riders fail to dock their bikes properly or leave them sitting on the street while they run an errand. And that’s when thieves most often strike.

“Some dope with a Citi Bike leaves it unattended while going into a store or something, and a perp comes up and steals it,” a police source said.

So, as a reminder, don't leave the bikes unattended. Or put them on a fence.