Citi Bike riders on the first day, May 27.
Dates: Thursday, June 6 – Tuesday, June 11
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING IS IN EFFECT ALL WEEK
Here’s Transit Sam’s review of New York City’s new bike share program after 8 rides throughout Downtown:
1- These are good-looking bikes that ride and handle great.
2- Stations are ubiquitous in Lower Manhattan meaning many taxi and subway trips I take now could be done by bike share.
3- I lost one of my regular parking spaces on MacDougal St. but this is worth it. I love having a station around the corner and another a block from my office in NOHO.
4- First-time use can be confusing if you head to the kiosk instead of the bike. The kiosk should state “if you already have a key go to any bike, place the key in the slot, wait for the green light and lift and pull from the seat.”
5- The bike horn is hidden below the left handlebar. I only found it when another rider saw me at a signal looking around and came to my aid. A word message on the handlebar pointing to the horn would help. The horns are barely audible in traffic; on one bike I tried I could barely hear it even when the background was quiet.
6- Be careful upon return. You need to shove the bike in and wait to hear a whirr sound and hopefully see a green light. I didn’t always get that and found if I yanked hard I could get my returned bike out so I keep shoving hard till I couldn’t get it out anymore.
7- I’ve had a few problems getting bikes out; sometimes the FOB works, sometimes it doesn’t.
8- I’ve noticed a few docking stations taped; I am worried about the durability of this system. Time will tell.
9- Every bike share user I observed rode with traffic and stopped at red lights. Hopefully, this behavior will rub off on other cyclists (by the way, they are getting better).
10- By next year we won’t remember life without Citi Bike.
In short, Citi Bike will change Lower Manhattan for the better. We now have a new form of transportation that fits beautifully with our narrow streets and dense land use. I applaud Mayor Bloomberg and D.O.T. Commissioner Sadik-Khan for paving the way (so to speak).
The Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Block Party will fully close Eldridge St. between Canal and Division Sts. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
