Bike Share Will Be New York’s “Latest And Greatest” Transportation Choice

System Will Make Bicycling An Affordable And Convenient Option

September 14, 2011
Michael Murphy 646-873-6008

The New York City Department of Transportation announced the selection of Alta Bicycle Share as the provider of New York City's public bike share system, set to roll out in the spring of 2012. Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, celebrated the announcement:

"Bike share will be the latest and greatest addition to New York's menu of transportation choices. A subway or bus trip is rarely door-to-door and New Yorkers make hundreds of thousands of short trips a day that could benefit from the convenience of a public bicycle. This affordable and practical transit choice will empower New Yorkers with a new freedom of mobility and will harness the potential of bicycling to make our lives easier."

Bike share will quickly play an integral role in New York City's transportation infrastructure. New Yorkers are accustomed to making short trips on a daily basis: 54 percent of all trips are less than three miles and more than 20 percent are less than a mile, according to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. Soon, the bikes will be as iconic as a MetroCard or yellow cab.

Bike share's arrival in New York will not only be convenient, it will be affordable for users and taxpayers alike. An annual pass to use the entire system will cost less than an unlimited monthly MetroCard. Riders will be able to opt-in on a monthly, weekly or daily basis. The system will be privately-funded and cost taxpayers nothing.

With 10,000 bicycles distributed in 600 stations, New York's public bike share will be the nation's largest bicycle sharing system. Comparing that baseline to similar systems in other big cities means there will be about 27.5 million new bicycle trips every year.

"Bike share will strengthen the vibrant street life that defines New York City," said White. "New York at its best has always been a city of neighborhoods, where neighbors come together to shop, eat, walk their dogs and, more than ever, ride their bikes."

New Yorkers can request bike share kiosks for their neighborhoods on the DOT's website: www.nyc.gov/bikeshare

Transportation Alternatives has a list of Frequently Asked Questions about bike share in New York City online: http://transalt.org/campaigns/bike/bikesharefaq

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