A few more comments about the Cit-eeee-bikes --

Availability:

https://www.i-want-to-ride-an-electric-citi.bike/

highlights where these things lurk. The official website shows where they are with a lightning bolt which I guess isn't a bad choice of icons: finding one of these things with other than a dead battery is only slightly more likely than being struck by lightning.

My experience thus far has been limited. One ride included a segment on the westside pedpath into a significant headwind. You could have fooled me. These things take ten, nay, twenty years off your age. In a good way.

I found another available electric-assist bike today. It had apparently been docked for a while. Starting off, there was no apparent assist. (Worth adding here: neither was there any significant additional drag. Subjectively, the failure mode seems to be friendly.) I pressed the button. There's an array of dim LEDs. I didn't take my eyes off the road to read what they indicate. After a very brief pause, the electric-assist kicked in. And "kick" is accurate. At low speed, the assist is assertive.

Comparing the ride into the headwind and today's ride emphasizes: it's electric-assist. Biking on the westside pedpath, I pedaled steadily, and the assist was similarly steady. Today's ride -- in city traffic -- which is obviously where these things are going to be used -- it was a bit challenging to establish and maintain a constant speed because when you stop pedaling, the assist stops too. It makes the pace choppy, but this is a minor quibble.

Because my typical use is multiple short rides connecting errands, I doubt I'll seek out electric-assist bikes, but I'm enthusiastic about the technology. If the goal is "more butts on bikes", I think this is a bigger game-changer than bike lanes.