vol

Woman killed in crash believed to be 1st bike-sharing death in U.S. - Chicago Tribune

Maybe we should ride the Citi bike...

hotbike

Very unfortunate , my sympathies go out to the victim's family...

This type of accident, bike going under the rear wheels of a truck turning at an intersection, is something that we have to look out for... It may be the fact that these bike-share bikes lack rear-view mirrors...

Maybe the Bike-Share organization should consider some kind of retracting rear-view mirror?

When I ride a Citi Bike , I always use a rear view mirror, two actually, one velcro mounted on the left handlebar , and one on the right side of my helmet (I'm legally blind in my left eye).

wilfried

This is sad and unfortunate. It's nevertheless remarkable that is the first bike share fatality ever in the United States. New York has had no fatalities, after close to 30,000,000 rides. Bike share is overall remarkably safe.

wilfried

Citi Bike expansion is here!

Major Citi Bike Expansion Starts Today | Streetsblog New York City

zacster

It keeps getting closer to me. When they get to the other side of Prospect Park I'll be able to ride from work and not have to get on the subway for the last stretch. I'm beginning to rethink my membership however, as I just don't use it enough. I very rarely us it for anything other than taking it from my office towards home, and then the subway, and that's only once every other week or so when I don't ride my own bike. I'll have to check how much I really use it.

noglider 

@zacster the membership is so cheap, it seems worth it even for light use.

Ferdinand NYC

I am a member, even though I live outside the zone and have used it only once, just as a means of supporting it and voting in favour of it.

zacster

I took one this evening, and yea, I'll stick with it.

wilfried

I average maybe a couple times a week, but it's defiantly worth having the option when you need it. I have two bikes, and Citi Bike is like having a third to choose from.

vol

I think for us who have their own bikes, the best thing about the Citi bikes is the increasing driver awareness of cyclists on the streets. It feels safer, especially seeing that many Citi bike riders seem like newbies.

hotbike

Here's a video of the Ride I took on Wednesday:

vol

Tomorrow and the following two Saturdays are the Summer Streets event. 7am-1pm no motor vehicles on Park Ave./Lafayette between 72nd st and Brooklyn Bridge. Expect lots of Citi bikes and avoid this route at all cost (lesson from previous experience).

Ferdinand NYC

Actually, the move is to come and participate in this, as a means of supporting the opening up of a major street, and of providing a basis to argue for Summer Streets' expansion. I might be out of town this Saturday; but I will certainly get out to Summer Streets on at least one of the days it is held.

The fact that it occurs only three times a year, and then only from 7am to 1pm, is a bit of a scandal. The stated reason that Summer Streets go on for so few hours is that the cost in police overtime is so great, as there are cops at just about evey corner. These cops are doing nothing, of course; they are just standing there collecting free overtime.

Let us note that no one suggests that the ordinary operation of the streets, in which they are infested with thousands of cars, requires blanket police coverage. But, for some unknown reason, a day in which one street is free of car traffic and is filled with bicyclsts and pedestrians calls for this excessive police presence. What nonsense. In addition to being a naked overtime grab, it is also a power play on the part of the police, who consider themselves above the law and above all civil administration.

The police commissioner recently gave an interview in which he "praised" the mayor for not telling him what to do. He just announced his resignation effective a few months from now; but it is outrageous that he has been allowed to carry on and to leave on his own terms. Any other chief executive would fire an appointee who is so openly insubordinate. So we have a police force whose commissioner essentially dictates policy to the mayor, and whose rank-and-file keeps the mayor in line with the implied threat of terrorist violence. It all raises the question of whether New York even has a civilian government.

Anyway, the only means that we have of pushing back against this is to come out in force for Summer Streets, despite its scanty timeslot. The current mayor is too feckless to act on this; but maybe the next one will have the gumption to support Summer Streets' expansion, without acceeding to the outrageous demands of the police for free money in return for standing around playing games on their phones.

vol

Beside the police, there are many volunteers (I think they are volunteers?). When I was trying to throw an empty water bottle into the trash can, one of them took the bottle from my hand and threw it for me . Another one shouted "Big hill ahead!"

Vehicles are too intimidating, so not many want to bother. I read inan article about the dangers of big trucks that cops don't feel comfortable stopping them when the drivers had violations.

p.s. I also wish it doesn't concentrate on 3 consecutive Saturdays in August. Would be better to have some in the spring and fall. The 6 hours in the morning is definitely not enough.

Everything you need to know about Summer Streets 2016

noglider 

I missed the announcements somehow. I thought I'm well connected. I just noticed that the Citi Bike area just expanded uptown and in Queens and is about to open a butt load of stations in Brooklyn. In Manhattan, it's up to 110 St.

dendawg

New stations are opening up. I took one yesterday from the UWS to a new dock on the UES in the 90's. Problem still seems to be distribution. I'm sure I was able to get a bike yesterday because of the heat. I arrived at my destination drenched in sweat from the humidity. Normally there are none in my area after 9am, and there were 6 in the rack at 1:30 pm. Mine was the only bike in the new rack where I deposited it. I hope they added a large number of new bikes with the expansion and not just thinning out the existing fleet.

hotbike

Jersey City has Citi Bike too:
Quote:
Save $25 on an Annual Membership
Citi Bike is coming to a corner near you! Join today to save on a membership.
Join by 8/31 to save $25
New Stations
Bethune Center
Danforth Light Rail
Dixon Mills
Jersey & 3rd
Jersey & 6th
Lafayette Park
Monmouth & 6th
Morris Canal
Brunswick & 7th
Leonard Gordon Park
Marin Light Rail
Manila & 2nd
Coming Soon
Astor Place
Columbus Drive
Communipaw & Berry Lane

noglider 

@dendawg, do you use a smart phone app to find bikes and docks? I do, and it's totally worthwhile. Sometimes I'll alter my route because of availability. Rarely do I need to cancel the idea of taking Citi Bike, but better to do so with warning than by surprise. Citi Bike offers its own app, but I prefer to use WABA, which stands for "Where a bike at?!"

dendawg

Yes I use the citibike app, and its no guarantee of availability as I've often left my apartment only to find that bikes are either gone or locked out by the time I get to a rack.

wilfried

According to Citi Bike, they're adding 2000 bikes.

There's an optimum ratio of docks to bikes. Once upon a time I read that it was around 2:1; I don't know what the ratio now is of docks to bikes actually on the street. Too few bikes, and there aren't enough bikes to go around, and too many, there won't be anyplace to park them. Even with the right number, empty racks, and full ones, will continue to be a problem, as of course the bikes move around, and on work days, they move in a wave in one direction.

MrEdL

Just road a CitiBike with the CVT hub today. Very nice bike. Too bad there are so rare.
IMG_20160922_163039.jpg

IMG_20160922_163110.jpg

hotbike

Awesome! Thanks for posting those photos!

wilfried

Vindicated! See, they do exist, and I didn't make it up. The NuVinci hub is not chimerical, and I did in fact ride one. That'll learn me to take a picture next time.

zacster

Last week I wanted to ride from my usual spot at 43rd and Second to the new rack closest to my house at 15th & Prospect Park West. What I forgot was that there was no way I could do that in 45 minutes, with all the lights, the bridge etc... I got as far as Dekalb Ave and decided I would dock and switch bikes, but I guess you have to wait between rides as it wouldn't let me take another. Since the subway was right there I decided to just take it the rest of the way as I always do. Even if I made it the rest of the way on bike I still have to take a bus. It's about a 2 mile walk which is doable, but not after work when I just want to get home.

wilfried

After you dock, you have to wait two minutes before it will let you take another bike. It's a new thing since they upgraded the software and stations. Yes, it's annoying, but it's possible to wait it out. There are other systems where you have to wait 10 minutes (this was the case in when I tried bike share in Tel Aviv).