Showing posts with label Citi Bikes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Citi Bikes. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Citi Bikes with larger baskets are now roaming the streets



Citi Bike yesterday unveiled more than 100 new bikes with larger, three-sided baskets, as seen here docked outside Cooper Union.

Motivate, Citi Bike's (now former) parent company, reportedly tested the baskets with riders and received a positive response. They'll be standard on new bikes now, per Streetsblog.



Unlike the old design (done this way to prevent people from dumping garbage in them, as Streetsblog noted)...


[Image via Citi Bike]

... the larger size will likely make it easier to transport pizzas and, maybe, mattresses...


[Photo on St. Mark's Place from 2013 by Julius Klein]

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Citi Bike will expand ahead of L-mageddon time


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.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Noted

This gap is easy

A post shared by All Citi (@citibikeboyz) on


From the Post:

Daredevil Lower East Side cyclists are turning clunky, notoriously heavy CitiBikes into their personal stunt bikes, pulling off gravity-defying stunts with wheelies across alleys and jumps off stairs, then posting videos of the free-wheeling antics to an Instagram account called “Citibikeboyz.”

The ‘boyz’ behind the account say they actually feel safer jumping over a curb or doing a wheelie on the 45-pound, carefully-designed rides.

A post shared by All Citi (@citibikeboyz) on


And by the way, Sunday marks Citi Bike's fifth anniversary in the City...there will be cake...

Monday, December 18, 2017

Citi Bike of the day



A reader shared this photo from 11th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... previously.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Citi Bike of the day



Spotted on Allen and Stanton on the LES... at least you wouldn't have to adjust the seat. Or worry about the tire pressure.

Monday, October 23, 2017

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!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

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.

Monday, January 16, 2017

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.”

Thursday, December 29, 2016

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.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

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...


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...



Thursday, July 7, 2016

[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...



Tuesday, May 24, 2016

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."

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

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.

Saturday, February 6, 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...)

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

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.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Citi Bike Pride

Happy Pride NYC! @Citibank and @citibike #ridewithpride

A photo posted by @citibike on



The LGBT Pride Month bikes debuted this morning at Union Square... and the bikes will remain in the system for two weeks, according to the Citi Bike Instagram account.

Monday, June 8, 2015

New butt-friendly Citi Bikes on the way


[Image via Citi Bike]

Some 2,400 newly designed Citi Bikes are on the way.

Here's the Citi Bike blog with details:

The new bike was designed through a rigorous process based on an analysis of years of bike maintenance and performance records. The bikes feature redesigned, and in some cases higher-quality, parts which will improve each bike’s overall durability and the ease of repair. The bikes also feature a new seat to prevent water from pooling when it rains, a sturdier kick-stand and better gearing for urban riding. Citi Bikes will spend more time on the street and less time in the repair shop, improving the experience for every Citi Bike rider.

And!

The new bikes were designed in a collaborative process between world-renowned bike designer, Ben Serotta, and lead mechanics from across the bike share systems that Motivate operates. Mr. Serotta’s bikes have featured prominently in many international competitions including the Olympics.

The Daily News took a new bike out for a spin, and "found the ride smoother, and the gear system easier to switch."

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Your chance to (legally) ride a Citi Bike for free tomorrow


[Citi Bike photo by Derek Berg]

Here are the details via the EVG inbox...

On Thursday May 14, Switzerland Tourism invites New Yorkers to experience the fun and freedom of bicycling in honor of Bike-to-Work Week. From 12:01 am to 11:59 pm, Citi Bike day-passes will be available for free at any Citi Bike station kiosk. This is the first time a partner has provided a free day of Citi Bike passes.

What makes Switzerland the perfect partner for Citi Bike? Easy: Switzerland offers 5,600 miles of cycling routes and 2,800 miles of biking trails as part of a program called SwitzerlandMobility. Switzerland is the place to go for anyone who wants to swap NYC's high-rise buildings for stunning mountain scenery and city bike lanes for well-marked cycling and mountain bike routes which crisscross a land full of surprises.

To ride New York City free on May 14 from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM, riders just need to swipe a credit card and select the 24-Hour Access Pass option. No promo code is needed. A $101 security hold may be placed on the card. Standard overtime fees apply to trips that last longer than 30 minutes.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

A Citi Bike winter update

[Photo on East 4th Street by Derek Berg]

An EVG reader shared this Citi Bike email update from yesterday... which discussed what the bike-renting/sharing/whatever! has been up to this winter...

Overhauling bikes: We’ve overhauled more than 2,800 bikes since November and are on track to overhaul our entire fleet before the start of peak riding season. This means in addition to fixing anything that’s broken, we’re also replacing cracked seats, fixing or replacing broken bells, checking and fixing brakes, fixing hubs so bikes shift more smoothly and giving the bikes a thorough cleaning to reduce further wear and tear caused when grit gets into the chain and other moving parts. We want your spring rides to be smooth and comfortable. Once our fleet is in good repair, we aim to keep it that way. Starting this spring we will also increase our collection and repair efforts to ensure that broken bikes are quickly identified, removed, repaired and promptly put back into service.

Fixing docking points: We’ve repaired over 1,500 docking points since November and are on track to start the spring with our docks in good working order. If you experience a broken docking point, we want to know about it. Report the station name and the number on the side of the dock to our Customer Service team by phone or email.

Planning for expansion: The first Citi Bike expansion stations are planned for installation this year in Long Island City, Greenpoint and more in Williamsburg and Bed-Stuy. These station locations have been selected through a community planning process lead by NYCDOT and involving the local Community Boards and local residents that took place starting before Citi Bike’s launch.


Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Noted



Spotted this morning on St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue… photo by Derek Berg