The troubling question of how to keep, maintain, and store bicycles in New York City finally has an answer. The New York City Department of Transportation has recently announced a new bike sharing system – NYC Bike Share. This program will provide New Yorkers with a new and more convenient way of getting around by providing its members with easy access to thousands of bicycles around the city.
NYC Bike Share will allow people to not only pick up bikes on their way home or to work, but to also conveniently drop them off at a different station nearer to them. The system, which consists of 600 strategically placed stations, will include kiosks with touch screens, NYC Bike Share maps, and docks in which the bikes will be locked until ready for use. The stations, which will be placed in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx, will be equipped with a total of over 10,000 bikes.
Aside from convenience, the bike sharing system will have several other benefits for New York City. Did you know that over half of all trips New Yorkers make are less than two miles? Taking cabs and driving personal vehicles can damage the environment, and walking requires a lot of energy. With NYC Bike Share, it’s quick and easy to make all of your too-far-to-walk-yet-too-close-to-take-a-cab trips possible. The pricing of this program will be fairly reasonable with different options for registered (long-term) and casual (short-term) members.
To the relief of many taxpayers, the sponsorship of this bike sharing service will be private and will require no public funds. This program will initiate around April 1, 2012. But, for those who aren’t able to ride bikes or simply don’t want to, public transportation and walking are always options!