Grab a Bike: Bike Share Comes to New York City

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

A bicycle sharing system like those in use in international cities like Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm and Melbourne, as well as in Washington, D.C. and Boston in the U.S., will finally become a reality in New York City next summer.

Anyone who wants some wheels will be able to pick up one of 10,000 bikes at one of 600 (solar powered!) stations, 24/7, and leave the bike at a drop-off station near their destination. Smartphone apps will find nearby stations and track bike availability in real time. The concept of bike sharing is perfect for densely-populated cities; it allows people to enjoy the advantage of owning a bike without the hassle of having to deal with it when they get to where they’re going.

The program will be managed by Portland, OR–based Alta Bicycle Share, the same company that got the successful Capital Bike Share program in the nation’s capital city rolling last year. Memberships will be available in one-day, multi-day or annual options, with annual subscriptions coming in at less than the cost of a Metrocard, and the first 30 minutes of bike use will be free. Bike stations will be within an area that stretches from the Upper East and West Sides in Manhattan to Greenpoint and Crown Heights in Brooklyn, with plans for growth later on. Now that this long-awaited venture have been announced, the only remaining hurdle involves where to put bike stations, and the Department of Transportation has agreed to coordinate with the City Council on where they should be placed (NYObserver).

Check out the successful Capital Bike Share in action by Streetfilms on Vimeo (via NYObserver).

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Grab a Bike: Bike Share Comes to New York City

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

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