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The program will be run by Alta Bicycle Share, a company that already manages the bicycle share programs in Washington D.C., Boston, and Melbourne, Australia. The program will feature a total of 10,000 bicycles available at stations throughout Manhattan as well as in Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Park Slope, downtown Brooklyn, and areas in between.
Alta Bicycle Share will raise a private investment of $50 million to fund costs for this program, and not use taxpayer dollars. To become a member it will cost an annual fee of $100. Members will be able to use bikes for up to 30 minutes for no additional charge. Alta has still not announced how much it will cost beyond that time, but in Washington DC users pay $1.50 for 30 minutes to one hour, $3.00 for up to 90 minutes, and $6.00 for every 90 minutes after that. There will also be daily and short-term rates for first time users.
The city Department of Transportation has set up a website for NYC residents to vote on sites where the city should place bike share stations. Tribeca proves to become a very popular hub for bike share traffic with plenty of stations voted on close to residences and workplaces. Weather permitting, getting from point A to point B may become a much easier task this summer for Tribeca residents who need to travel short distances across town.
On Monday some resident bicyclists braving the cold January weather remarked on the possibility of the Bike Share program coming to their neighborhood. One Tribeca resident, Debra, said she hoped more people would be using the program causing “cars to become more aware and respectful of the increased amount of riders.” She mentioned that she has her own personal collection of bicycles spread out across town already, which she uses during her commute when outside of the neighborhood.
Another bicyclist, Phil, said he had used bike share programs in other cities and found them to be helpful. “It will be seasonal though with more use likely in the summer,” he predicted and then looked around at the cold, wet weather conditions. “In the winter, not so much.”
Though there were a few commuters who were not already aware of the bike share program, there was no one who had anything negative to say about it. If everything goes as planned, this summer the streets of Tribeca will become full of bikes and bike share patrons. Remember to bring a helmet though, as Alta Bicycle Share has not announced any plans to include these as part of the rental.
For more information and to vote on a bike station near you, www.nyc.gov/bikeshare.BY Marshall James Kavanaugh
During Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City address last Thursday, he again brought up the city’s dedication to bring more bicycles to city streets. The city originally announced last year that in the summer of 2012 it would begin the nation’s largest bike share program.
The program will be run by Alta Bicycle Share, a company that already manages the bicycle share programs in Washington D.C., Boston, and Melbourne, Australia. The program will feature a total of 10,000 bicycles available at stations throughout Manhattan as well as in Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Park Slope, downtown Brooklyn, and areas in between.
Alta Bicycle Share will raise a private investment of $50 million to fund costs for this program, and not use taxpayer dollars. To become a member it will cost an annual fee of $100. Members will be able to use bikes for up to 30 minutes for no additional charge. Alta has still not announced how much it will cost beyond that time, but in Washington DC users pay $1.50 for 30 minutes to one hour, $3.00 for up to 90 minutes, and $6.00 for every 90 minutes after that. There will also be daily and short-term rates for first time users.
The city Department of Transportation has set up a website for NYC residents to vote on sites where the city should place bike share stations. Tribeca proves to become a very popular hub for bike share traffic with plenty of stations voted on close to residences and workplaces. Weather permitting, getting from point A to point B may become a much easier task this summer for Tribeca residents who need to travel short distances across town.
On Monday some resident bicyclists braving the cold January weather remarked on the possibility of the Bike Share program coming to their neighborhood. One Tribeca resident, Debra, said she hoped more people would be using the program causing “cars to become more aware and respectful of the increased amount of riders.” She mentioned that she has her own personal collection of bicycles spread out across town already, which she uses during her commute when outside of the neighborhood.
Another bicyclist, Phil, said he had used bike share programs in other cities and found them to be helpful. “It will be seasonal though with more use likely in the summer,” he predicted and then looked around at the cold, wet weather conditions. “In the winter, not so much.”
Though there were a few commuters who were not already aware of the bike share program, there was no one who had anything negative to say about it. If everything goes as planned, this summer the streets of Tribeca will become full of bikes and bike share patrons. Remember to bring a helmet though, as Alta Bicycle Share has not announced any plans to include these as part of the rental.
For more information and to vote on a bike station near you, www.nyc.gov/bikeshare.
