Bike Sharing NYC: Citizen Involvement
By Elizabeth Myer
Remember when we blogged about bike sharing in New York City? We’ve got a great follow-up! The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has made progress since they issued a press release seeking proposals for private companies to provide a bike share system in NYC last November. Here is what we know so far: Next summer, NYC DOT will launch the bike sharing program by introducing 10,000 new bikes that will be scattered across 600 stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The best part? New York City residents can participate in public workshops to determine the exact location of these stations.
Flickr photo via www.flickr.com/photos/bike/3992058452/
As someone who has never owned a car and frequently gets around on two wheels, I am particularly excited about the promise to establish a publicly available, sustainable transportation option for New Yorkers and visitors. This is a great opportunity to get out there and get involved. Interested parties are encouraged to attend tonight’s workshop:
Mon. Feb 6th: 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
Join Manhattan’s Community Board 2, and local residents and business owners at a roundtable planning workshop to help decide how bike share should work and where stations should go in the West Village, Tribeca and and SoHo. In partnership with Community Board 2, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, NYC Council Member Margaret Chin, and NYS Senator Tom Duane. The Workshop will take place at Our Lady of Pompeii, 25 Carmine Street in Manhattan.
Can’t make it tonight? Click here for a complete list of community planning workshops.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.
I live in Astora, are there any plans to bring bike sharing to Queens?
I’ve used these systems throughout Europe and whilst they work well a lot of the bikes do get vandalized or stolen. My local community looked into buying very cheap bikes from India, with an advertising plate set within the frame – the bikes would be paid for by the advertiser (they work out at approx $25 each landed, so quite a low cost for the advertiser if the system isn’t designed to make a profit) and as long as they are cycling around they’re being seen and the message is getting across – as well as a PR boost for the individual advertisers to be seen supporting a green initiative