By Helaina Hovitz

Last week, 330 CitiBike stations were installed in Manhattan and Brooklyn, garnering a reaction from most Manhattanites that can essentially be boiled down to this: not on my block.

Or, at least, not where it’s currently installed.

The CitiBike program, also called Bike Share, will place bike rental stations throughout parts of the city, allowing riders to pick up a bike at one location and drop it off at any other CitiBike spot.

Sponsored by CitiBank, the program is under the purview of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

On Thursday, May 2nd, Community Board 2 held a meeting at P.S. 41 to give West Village residents a chance to voice their concerns about the Bike Share program, but it wasn’t just West Villagers who showed up to gripe. People from all over the city came to speak their peace about the program — but some of it wasn’t so peaceful.

Chair David Gruber said that the board received 160 calls and emails, 70 percent of which were negative comments.

“The DOT chose not to come to this meeting, we don’t know why,” he said.

“People are upset about the size and volume, and once we saw it in place, we realized red dots on a map aren’t the same as something actually being on a street and installed,” Gruber said of the major complaints about Bike Share.

While most people in attendance said that while they actually weren’t “against” the program, they weren’t happy with the way it was being implemented.

“I’m shocked that this showed up on my block. The magnitude of it and the lack of notice provided to residents by DOT is unconscionable. They’re too big and too clunky on residential streets, and the community was not properly informed,” said West Village resident Lisa Cannistraci, who spoke for many when she added that “they obstruct building entranceways,” a problem that will worsen when the stations are filled with an average of 40 bikes each at the end of the month.

While many in attendance weren’t opposed to the bikes or the bike program, they were “opposed to the way that the city handled placing the bike racks around the city — mainly, in front of their entranceways.”
The bike racks on Barrow Street, for example, are located directly in front of residential buildings with 170 units. Residents claim that elderly people can’t get to their Access a Ride busses, and that ambulances can’t access the building, either.

“That means elderly and children will have to navigate around the bikes to get a cab or Access A Ride. We’re not opposed to the rack, but it needs to be moved, and we have alternative locations in mind,” said Cannistraci. “These bike stations located on historic landmarked blocks are a travesty. They need to be moved to more commercial locations, perhaps in front of the Citibanks, since this is their project.

West Village resident Charlie Decker, 69, wasn’t just concerned about the rack placement, though; he thinks that allowing inexperienced riders to hop on bikes whenever they feel like it, especially after they’ve had a few drinks, is a recipe for disaster.

CitiBike stations will be placed throughout downtown Manhattan.

“It’s dangerous to promote neophytes grabbing a bike in New York, especially tourists. Are you going to wait until 10 people are slaughtered to see that? Inexperienced bikers are going to get hurt riding around New York City,” he said.

Bikes lined the fence outside, and pro Citi Bikers with signs lined themselves up in front of the school’s entrance, eagerly awaiting press.

Hilda Cohen, who works in the West Village and lives in Fort Greene, said that those showing up to protest on Thursday were most likely absent at meetings held to discuss the plans.

“We’ve been involved since 2011, and we’ve been here every step of the way. We’re excited,” said Cohen. “I’ve never experienced a more inclusive community process than the one they did with Bike Share.

Jane Brown, who lives on West 4th between 7th Ave South and W. 10th, said that sanitation trucks haven’t been able to get through the racks, and piles of trash and water have been attracting mice.

“There’s no way for them to clean. It’s a health hazard. Someone’s going to get hit by a fire truck this summer pulling out,” Brown said. “If they’re benefiting and making money off of it, why doesn’t Citibank but them in front of their branches? Let them see the trash, the water, and the mice.“

Residents of 99 Bank Street, among other West Village Streets, countered that they were never alerted of their block being a potential location in the first place, that it was never a red dot on the map they were given.

Ed Zimbalatti, board president of 99 Bank Street, filed a lawsuit last week that has been re-filed as a petition. “The space in front of our building was never designated as a planned site. There was no outreach, it just showed up. Who made this decision, after all this outreach? That’s what we want to know,” said Zimbalatti.

In the middle of the night, a portion of the racks were removed and, for some reason, replaced by a giant slab of rock.

“Clearly there were a lot of plants here,” said Jeff Barr, referring to the group standing with signs and countering their comments to reporters. Barr, who filed the lawsuit at 99 Bank, spoke while leaning on his own bike.

“They’re a great way to ride around, but this location was not properly thought out. The size of the stations are too big for where they are,” Barr said. “Nobody wants to stop the program. But it’s not safe. People will ride on the sidewalk to pull up to the posts.”

His sentiment was echoed by Decker, who expressed concern that “people are going to be popping out of nowhere, buses and trucks are going to be swerving and hitting either them, buildings, or pedestrians.”

Inside, the criticism continued.

“It’s going to be creating more traffic and congestion, and I don’t know how green that amount of pollution is,” said Marna Lawrence. “I also have an objection about using public land for private gain. Citibank has no right to steal public space.”

Michael Murphy, communications director of Transportation Alternatives, a biking/walking/mass transit advocacy group, said that he thinks “the burden of proof lies with the people raising these phantom concerns.”

“Since none of the other major cities currently operating a bike share program endure these problems, what possible reason do we have to think we will in New York City?” he said. “This isn’t a he said/she said situation – we can actually look at the cities where this program is underway and verify whether or not these concerns make any sense.”

The DOT did not respond to specific questions regarding community members’ concerns about safety of riders, garbage truck and emergency vehicle access, or whether some bike rack locations might be relocated. A spokesman said that Citi Bike in conjunction with DOT held 400 meetings with community boards to determine the best locations for the racks, and also consulted the 65,000 online requests and comments.

By Mayor Bloomberg’s estimates, the program will be “great for local businesses” and generate 170 new jobs along with $36 million in revenue for “the city.”

Still, citizens of Gotham remain skeptical.

“I’ll bet you Mayor Bloomberg has never been on a bike in New York City in his life,” Decker challenged on his way out. “And if he has, it wasn’t without an entourage of ten people riding around him.”

The New York Times and other news outlets reported that around 4:30 p.m. last Thursday, a horse pulling a driver and two passengers got spooked in Columbus Circle and bolted, eventually shedding his carriage, which toppled over. The 6-year-old horse, named Oreo, wasn’t seriously hurt, but did have to be sedated by police with a tranquilizer, and his rampage damaged two cars and injured three people before he was caught on Ninth Avenue.

Upper West Side Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal pointed to the incident as the latest reason to support her bill to ban the carriages in New York.

“I have been calling for an end to a practice that places profit above safety—the safety of the horses and the unsuspecting public for years,” Rosenthal said in a statement. “If an industry is incapable of preventing recurring accidents, the State has a responsibility to step in. We have been lucky up to this point, but our luck is bound to run out.”

Bike Share Pushed Back to Spring
Hopeful cyclists looking forward to taking advantage of the city’s bike share will have to nix their dreams of riding through the crisp fall weather this year. The Department of Transportation announced that the city’s Bike Share program will be delayed—again—and will not be implemented until March 2013. The program, sponsored by Citi with a $41 million investment, will launch with its initial phase of 7,000 bikes at 420 stations spread throughout Midtown and Lower Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

“New York City demands a world-class bike share system, and we need to ensure that Citi Bike launches as flawlessly as New Yorkers expect on Day One,” DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said in a statement.

The delay has been blamed on software issues related to the payment and tracking system that Citi Bike will use.

Tavern on the Green Operator Named
The Department of Parks and Recreation announced that they will be awarding a 20-year licensing agreement to the Emerald Green Group, a Philadelphia-based company, to operate and maintain a restaurant at the former Tavern on the Green location.

The selected operator, the Emerald Green Group, swayed the city with its proposal focusing on locally sourced food and a 200-300 person outdoor seating area.

“We are pleased to select the Emerald Green Group as the new operator of Tavern on the Green,” Commissioner Adrian Benepe said. “They have done an outstanding job with Beau Monde in Philadelphia, and their vision for the iconic Tavern on the Green will create a casual restaurant and outdoor café that everyday parkgoers, neighbors and visitors can enjoy.”
The new restaurant is scheduled to open in fall of next year.

Espaillat Gets Major Endorsement
City & State reports that the McManus Political Club, the oldest and only citywide political club in New York, has decided to endorse Sen. Adriano Espaillat’s re-election bid, Espaillat’s campaign said. “As the oldest political club in New York, we know a great elected official when we see one,” the club said in a statement provided by Espaillat’s campaign. “Senator Espaillat has been a strong fighter for New York’s working families. He understands the challenges and opportunities our state faces, and he has demonstrated the leadership needed to move New York forward.” Influential in areas like Hell’s Kitchen, a new part of Espaillat’s Senate district, the club could help Espaillat shore up support there against his opponent, Assemblyman Guillermo Linares. In the latest filing period, Espaillat raised $45,390 and has $38,000 on hand, while Linares raised $28,850, and has $82,000 on hand. Of course, Espaillat’s depleted cash reserves are due in part to a closely contested congressional primary against Rep. Charlie Rangel.

Senate Debate Turns the Heat on Hoylman
City & State reports that Brad Hoylman, a candidate for the seat to be vacated by state Sen. Tom Duane, faced questions earlier this week from Democratic primary opponents about his former job at the Partnership for New York City, a pro-business group where he was a vice president and general counsel. At debate, one candidate, Tom Greco, asked Hoylman what he did to save St. Vincent’s Hospital, since Bill Rudin, the developer behind a controversial plan to redevelop the shuttered hospital, was on the Partnership’s board. Another candidate, Tanika Inlaw, criticized Hoylman’s ties to big business, saying she has no “special interests” backing her. Hoylman, a community board chairman who has the backing of Duane and other members of the party establishment, sought to distance himself from the Partnership, saying the city gives away too many incentives to companies and calling for an end to a carried interest deduction benefiting the city’s many billionaires. He also noted his years of work on affordable housing, public education and open space. “I think my record in the community speaks for itself,” he said.

By Rebecca Harris

Columbus Circle, a popular access point at the southwest corner of Central Park, regularly swarms with aggressive bike rental merchants, hounding passersby like handbag salesmen peddling their wares on Canal Street. Desperate to make sales as it is, some of these people fear their livelihoods will be threatened when Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new Citi Bike program takes effect.

The bike share is being billed a commuting alternative for New York City natives, designed for short-term bike use only—a mode of transportation from point A to point B, with individual rides over 30 or 45 minutes, depending on the package purchased, incurring overtime charges. It follows a model that has been used with success by cities across the United States and around the world.

“It’s just like you would use the subway—it’s a public transportation system,” said Michael Murphy, communications director for Transportation Alternatives, an organization that advocates non-motorized means of traveling within the city.

In theory, Citi Bike would not be used for leisurely, lengthy rides through Central Park. Still, with rates comparable to those of local rental stores and the availability of a 24-hour pass, some out-of-town riders said they would be tempted to opt for the hassle-free city option.

“If they were safe, convenient and affordable, I would very likely use [Citi Bikes] instead,” said one woman, a Charlotte, N.C., native who was biking with her family last week in Central Park. “Especially if you could just stick your credit card in and go and avoid having people harassing you like they do here, it would be much less of a hassle.”

She noted that Charlotte had recently launched a pilot test of their own bike share—the program officially opened on Wednesday—and praised the system, which follows a similar model to its New York counterpart.

John Henderson, a lifetime New Yorker and an employee at Central Park Bike Rentals, said that although he believes the program will be good for the city, he is afraid that it could “tremendously and negatively impact” how he makes his living.

“It’s going to take the food out of our mouths, really,” he said. “This is how we make our livelihood, how we make our trade. It’s going to be very difficult for us.”

Other vendors said they cannot know what the bike share has in store for their business until it happens, but hope that if the program truly caters to locals and not to tourists, it will not chip away too much at their customer base.

Andrew McKenzie, an employee at Bike & Roll, the only establishment at Columbus Circle at which available bikes rest in a visible bay rather than an off-site location, expressed confidence that Bike & Roll will not suffer extensively from the competition Citi Bike might pose.

“We’re already established, people know about us. We do have locals come here and we have locations all over the city,” he said. “We really offer the same services that the Citi Bike share will. We have good visibility, people can see all of our bikes here, they can pay with a credit card. It’s convenient and we’re well-known.”

Still, McKenzie’s optimism will be put to the test once Citi Bike is up and running. Many customers renting bikes to ride in Central Park, including visitors whose home cities have successful bike share programs underway, said emphatically that they would choose to rent bikes from the city if given the option.

Helen Marmilic, another tourist who ventured to Central Park last week to bike, said she and her husband would choose a city bike option over a local rental establishment because of a presumed upgrade in quality.

“I would be more likely to use the city bikes because I assume they would be better quality,” she said. “We’re avid bike riders, and let’s just say these [local rental] bikes leave a lot to be desired.”

The couple, who hails from Melbourne, Australia, also has experience with a bike share of their own. Melbourne launched its program in 2010, and Marmilic said her family has frequently made use of the option at home.

One bike renter expressed skepticism that Citi Bike would be implemented at all in the near future, citing repeated delays that have stalled the program this summer. The program had an initial launch scheduled for July; it was later pushed back to August. Now, the city will not give an exact start date. The Department of Transportation said last week that a launch plan was underway, but did not provide further details as to the cause or extent of the delay.

“The delay has sparked such questioning and interest because of overwhelming demand for this program,” Murphy said. “I hope they meet that demand as quickly as they can, but I would rather they do it right than do it fast.”

When the program does launch, there will be no bike stations located on the Upper West Side. The most uptown docking bay is located just on the southeast edge of Central Park, and the tentative map on the Citi Bike website shows two locations at Columbus Circle. The DOT received numerous suggestions for locations in the neighborhood further uptown but did not answer questions about how the decision was made to keep bike sharing out of the Upper West Side for now.

Murphy said he believes the complete absence of stations further uptown is a result of lower demand for a bike share in those neighborhoods. He added that he hopes the docking bays will eventually expand to all parts of the city.

“They can’t just drop them out of the sky all at once. The rollout is starting in locations where there is more demonstrated demand, around the Central Business District,” he said. “We hope to eventually have a five-borough bike share program, but obviously that will have to happen in stages.”

Father Fagan Park in Soho. Photo by James Kelleher.

By Alissa Fleck and Paul Bisceglio

Public outcry has prompted the Department of Transportation (DOT) and CitiBank to decide against installing one of their forthcoming 600 Citi Bike rental stations in Father Fagan Park, a small public square at the corner of Prince Street and Sixth Avenue in Soho.

Citizens banded together with the SoHo Alliance and Community Board 2 to oppose the installation on the grounds that the neighborhood’s green space is already limited and that a commercial presence would disrespect the park’s status as a memorial. The park is named for Father Richard Fagan, a former member of nearby St. Anthony’s Church who gave his life in a rectory fire while rescuing two people. Three pear trees in the park commemorate three firefighters who died while extinguishing the 1994 blaze.

The DOT was at first reluctant to relocate the station. According to SoHo Alliance Director Sean Sweeney, two separate DOT officers made it clear to the Alliance in emails a few weeks ago that they had no intention of changing their plans. Later, the DOT said it would consider relocating the station after the park’s proposed $1.5 million reconstruction in two years.

The Soho community continued to pressure the DOT, however, and attracted media attention to the issue when Father Joe Lorenzo, a pastor at St. Anthony’s, spoke out against the installation, arguing that the rental station would cheapen the park’s meaning to the neighborhood.

Sweeney told Our Town Downtown, “It’s not just a park issue. It’s a matter of respect, of memorializing the community’s heroes.”
DOT representatives met with CB2 last Friday and, after discussion, agreed to find a different location for the bikes.
The new spot has yet to be announced, but CB2 suggested using a section of the alternate side parking on MacDougal Street or the sidewalk on Houston Street between MacDougal Street and Sixth Avenue.

“Soho is pleased that DOT has listened to our requests to preserve our park and respect our community members,” said the SoHo Alliance in a release.

This is not the first time a proposed Citi Bike placement has been met with vigorous opposition. Plans to install docking stations in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza across from the United Nations building were opposed because it would disrupt the atmosphere of the plaza and create unnecessary congestion.

Victoria Weil, president of Friends of Bogardus Garden, was also not happy about the station planned for the pedestrian plaza at Chambers and Reade streets that her group oversees. She told the Tribeca Trib she saw accidents on the horizon in the small, already cluttered space.

While the DOT spent months listening to community concerns, Kate Fillin-Yeh, director of the bike share program, told CB1 they were trying to install a station every 1,000 feet, which does not leave a lot of space for dissent.

Responding to requests from the Community Board and local civic groups, as well as the current pastor of St. Anthony’s, Father Fagan’s church, the DOT has now agreed to move the intrusive station out of the memorial park.

We should all applaud Community Board 2 for its unwavering support of its neighborhood’s effort to prevent the disruption of a cherished neighborhood space.

We should all commend the DOT for joining them.
And we should all expect this to serve as an example for another cherished quiet refuge, Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, named in memory of another heroic public servant, the secretary general of the United Nations, who was killed in a plane crash in 1961 on his way to a peace mission to the Congo.
—Carol Ann Rinzler

Dangerous Ride
To the Editor:
Something was noticeably absent in the letter by H.B. Willis in response to “Going the Way of Horse and Buggy” (June 28): a disclosure. The writer is from Louisiana, not New York City. His motivation is to protect his own business interests, which are more than 1,000 miles from Manhattan and worlds apart in some ways.

Willis assures that horses cannot be “disposed of in an inhumane manner” based on New York City ordinances. From his vantage point, it’s cut-and-dried. But there is nothing in current New York City law to prevent carriage horses from going to auctions frequented by kill buyers. The tiny New York City carriage trade is well aware of a loophole that excuses sellers from any accountability in providing the city with documentation of sales occurring outside of New York City.

Gotham is the topic at hand, not Louisiana. New York City has certain conditions—namely, traffic—that cannot be altered in a way that would make the operation of horse-drawn carriages humane or safe. Horse-drawn carriages in traffic endanger both the horses and public safety. A year ago, we saw serious accidents involving both of these types of risks, both within a 10-day period. In one, a terrified carriage horse bolted and crashed into a parked car; in another, a taxicab crashed into a carriage, seriously injuring three tourists from Ohio and inflicting a head injury that nearly killed the carriage driver.

Carriages are flimsy and offer no protection during a crash. Given that there is no mechanism or requirement for reporting accidents to the city agencies that share industry oversight, some accidents go unreported. How many? Tourists have a right to know just how dangerous these rides really are.

—Mary V. Culpepper
Coalition To Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages (NYC)

Via Citi Bike

By Paul Bisceglio

Where are all the bikes?

New Yorkers expected to see 7,000 more of them at this point in the summer, but now Citi Bike, the city’s new bike share program, has been delayed for unspecified reasons.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg confirmed in a radio interview on Friday that the city was unsure of when the new fleet of bicycles would be available to the eager public for rent.

“Still working, trying to get it done,” he said. “With any big system there’s always things that you’ve got to make sure work before you turn it on. We’re not going to turn it on until it’s ready.”

Department of Transportation spokesman Seth Solomonow echoed Bloomberg in a statement. “We’re working on the launch plan and will update the public as soon as we finalize all the details,” he said.

The Citi Bike initiative aims to have 10,000 bikes on city streets with 600 moveable docking stations by the end of next summer. Users will pay a daily, monthly or annual fee to have 24-hour access to the bikes, which they can ride of up to 45 minutes per session without additional charge.

Citi Bike’s website, which previously said “Citi Bike is launching in July!,” now promises that the program is “coming soon to a street near you.” The program’s Twitter feed said earlier in the month, “look for the launch in August,” but an official date remains to be set.

This station is one of roughly 53 that are expected to come to Manhattan’s East Side between East 13th and 60th streets. Opponents are concerned that placing the stations, which would hold 74 bikes combined, in the plaza will take away from the character of the spot, a serene resting place in the midst of the city’s bustle. They fear that placing bike share stations there would create congestion and disrupt pedestrians in the plaza.

“It’s a plaza, not for heavy sport. It’s for people to have space to walk,” said Sherill Kazan, president of the Friends of Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza. “If we have to run for our lives, who needs it? We’re supposed to try to make peace in other countries. Let’s have some peace here at home.”

Bruce A. Silberblatt, vice president and zoning, land use and transportation chairman of the Turtle Bay Association, also thinks the bikes would interrupt the natural feel of Dag Hammarskjöld.

“We worked very hard in the 1990s to get this thing created. It became an instant gathering space for the whole community,” Silberblatt said. “[This is] the potential destruction of a community centerpiece.”

He believes the Department of Transportation (DOT) hasn’t been clear about the number of bike share docks that will be placed in the plaza. Originally, according to Silberblatt, the DOT said that the largest station would have only 20 docks. But many of the proposed bike stations—including the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza one—are set to be far larger. Silberblatt would feel more comfortable with the stations, he said, if each held only 10 bikes.

Neither Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza nor anywhere in Turtle Bay is an appropriate place for large stations, as Silberblatt sees it.
“I can’t approve any big stands anywhere in our neighborhood,” Silberblatt said. “We are a primarily residential neighborhood. Our main priority right now is to keep Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza they way it is and not have it overrun by rental bicycles.”
Romeo Mizzaro, a local resident, sees another potential danger with placing the stations in the plaza.

“Do you see all the little kids over here?” he asked, pointing out that local schoolchildren often pass through the plaza. “There are kids in the park all the time—little kids—and it could be dangerous.”

But Ann Seligman, a local resident and member of Community Board 6’s Transportation Committee, doesn’t see the problem and believes that the bike share docks are a good fit for Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza. The argument that the bikes would disrupt the plaza’s peaceful setting is not true, according to Seligman.

“I’ve been here about 15 years and I would not say it’s serene,” Seligman said. “It’s very nice, but it’s more bustling than serene.”
She also points out that the stations are portable and can be taken away on days that they may be too much of a nuisance.
“The first few days of the [U.N.] General Assembly, when Obama is in town, things get really hairy, and maybe they could remove them for one week,” Seligman said.

Others agree that the bike share would make Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza a buzzing place, but not necessarily a chaotic one.
“I wouldn’t think it would be a problem,” said Rich Ruderman, a local resident. “It’s a positive thing. It would bring more people around.”
Seligman believes that in this case, it’s important to give the bike share a chance and see how it goes.
“One of the things we can do in the city is try things, and if they don’t work, they don’t have to be there forever,” she said. “As an individual, it’s good to be open to trying new things.”

Illustration by Brian Taylor

It’s still the early part of the season, the good part, when summer hours kick into effect (for the luckiest among us), before the tourist invasion starts and the city starts to heat up and emit that special odor that’s uniquely New York in August.

There’s no better time to be in the city for those who love culture or the outdoors. Every street corner seems to sing with its own event or festivity, and even the most jaded New Yorker can find something to pique their interest.

Those fortunate enough to live here are in the epicenter of a marathon celebration that runs all the way through the dog days of August.
Inside, we’ve created a handy-dandy guide to the best live concerts, film festivals, theater openings, museum shows, outdoor events, summer reading series and more that will help you plot out the next few months of your life.

So heat up the grill and pour yourself a cold one. We hope you’ll find something that will brighten your summer within these pages.

-Allen Houston, Executive Editor of Manhattan Media

Music
Top 10 Concerts
Reading Summer Film
Film
Best June Events for Kids
Cultural Events & Festivals
Hamptons Events
Celebrity Summer Guide
Out of Town
Summer Reading Series
Theater
Eats & Drinks
Top Food of Summer
Museums
Outdoor
Bike Share
Top Bike Trails
TV Guide

Summer Guide was compiled by Allen Houston, Marissa Maier, Megan Bungeroth, Adam Rathe, Robby Ritaco, Laura Shin, Armond White, Regan Hofmann, Rachel Khona, Angela Barbuti, Sean Creamer, Anam Baig, Andrew Rice, Magdalena Burnham, Doug Strassler, Max Sarinsky, Whitney Casser, Robin Elisabeth Kilmer and Andrew Bartel, Ed Johnson

What is a Bike Share Program?
Bike sharing is essentially a self-serve bike rental. Members go to any one of the electronic docks to withdraw a bike and deposit at another dock when they’re done. Cycling is not only healthy, it’s often quicker than public transportation—and a lot more fun! Now, commuters can enjoy the benefits of riding a bike without having to worry about storage or maintenance.

How many bikes are there?
There will be 10,000 bicycles around the city, with over 600 docking stations to facilitate rental and return.

How do I become a member?
People interested in renting a bike through the program use the automated kiosks at every dock to purchase a daily or weekly pass with a credit card; they’re then given an access code. Those who’d like an annual membership sign up online and receive a special key in the mail that allows them to unlock the bikes.

How much does it cost?
The base prices for membership are $9.95 for 24 hours, $25 for a week and $95 for an annual membership. However, the cost also includes ride charges of up to $4 for 60 minutes, $13 for 90 minutes, $25 for 120 minutes and $13 for each additional 30 minutes over two hours.

How does it work?
Riders get the first 30 minutes of their ride free, while annual members get 45 minutes. Most bike trips in the city are under two miles and take less than half an hour. People who wish to take longer rides simply have to dock their bike and then rent out another one straight away.

What happens if I go over the limit?
People who hold onto their bikes too long get charged an incremental fee the longer the bikes are out of the system. This is designed to prevent theft of the bicycles more than anything. If you’re nearing the end of your time and the closest dock is full, there is an option to gain an additional courtesy time to find another dock.

How will I know if there are bikes or empty docks nearby?
Each kiosk will have its own map. In addition, CitiBike will also releases a smart phone app called SpotCycle, which will provide real-time bike and dock availability.

What’s to stop someone from stealing a bike?

Users are supposed to leave their bikes at the docking stations when they’re finished. If they try to bring the bikes home, they’ll soon face a rather large credit card bill. The bike parts have no resale value, and each bike is equipped with a GPS.

A workshop to prepare for the bike show program. PHOTO COURTESY OF DOT

By Laura Shin

Small groups of Upper West Side residents recently huddled around maps of their neighborhood and discussed where they believed would be the best locations for bike stations, hitting city streets this July with the launch of the NYC Bike Share program.

“I think the bike share is wonderful and way overdue,” said Michael Rosenthal, a cyclist of 46 years who attended the planning workshop.

Announced last September, NYC Bike Share will bring 600 stations and 10,000 bikes to Manhattan and Brooklyn. Users will be able to pick up a bike from any of the self-service stations, ride it around and return it to any station within 24 hours.

“Let’s say you take the subway to work. It’s a beautiful day out and you want to ride a bike back home. With Bike Share, you can do that,” Nina Haiman, a city Department of Transportation (DOT) representative, said at the workshop.

The program will be run by Alta Bicycle Share and funded entirely by user fees and private sponsors. Since the program’s announcement, DOT and Alta have hosted numerous demonstrations and planning workshops around the city.

Each community board included in the bike share program had its own workshop where community members were invited to offer their input on which sidewalks or streets they would like to see a bike station. The Upper West Side Community Planning Workshop was the last of 13 workshops.

Alison Cohen, president of Alta, said there are many reasons why New York is a great city for a bike share.

“There are tons of opportunities to shave minutes off of short commutes that are not well connected by public transit, such as the crosstown trip in Manhattan,” she said.

“The city is flat and densely populated, and most people don’t have space in their apartments to store bikes,” she added.

NYC Bike Share will offer annual, weekly and 24-hour memberships. No matter which you choose, the first 45 minutes of every trip is free, Haiman said. After your 45 minutes are up, you will be charged a rate based on the type of membership.

Scott Gastel, a DOT spokesman, said the most common question New Yorkers ask is what happens when there are no bicycles available at a station. The station kiosks will offer real-time availability of bikes at nearby stations, Gastel said.

Bike Share’s website and smart phone app will also offer real-time information on bike and station availability.

One concern raised at the workshop was the fact that Bike Share would not offer helmets.

“I’m worried it might encourage people to ride without helmets,” said Rosenthal, who added that he might not be alive today if it weren’t for helmets.

Haiman explained that there is currently no safe, hygienic way to offer shared helmets, but that Bike Share will strongly encourage riders to wear helmets and refer them to nearby bike shops where they can buy one.

Bike Share will cover Manhattan up to 79th Street and reach into parts of Brooklyn. If it is successful, it will expand to other parts of the city, Haiman said.

And while the planning process for choosing locations has been very thorough, the stations can be easily moved if a location doesn’t work out, Haiman said. The solar-powered stations only take 20 minutes to install and require no digging or roadwork.

As for the bikes, they will have step-through frames, three speeds, front and rear LED lights that are constantly on for safety and an adjustable seat. New Yorkers can check out the bikes at an open house hosted by the DOT May 5 at the Grand Central Library from 2-4 p.m.
For more bike coverage visit nypress.com.