Monday, June 26, 2017

Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC Council Member - : Widespread Coalition Calls for a 5 Boro Citi Bike Program



Elected Officials, Advocates, Business Leaders & Riders Rally for Five-Borough Citi Bike at City Hall

27 Council Members Sign Letter Calling on City to Take Action While #CitiBike4All Campaign Amasses Over 5,000 Signatures in Just a Few Weeks


   Elected officials, community leaders, business leaders and riders gathered at City Hall on Wednesday to rally for a five-borough Citi Bike. Motivate, the company that operates Citi Bike, has offered to expand bike share to all five boroughs, bringing another 6,000 bikes further into Queens and Brooklyn and into Staten Island and the Bronx for the first time- all at no cost to New York City taxpayers.  Advocates pushed for the city to accept the deal.
 
"This is too good a deal to pass up," said City Councilmember and Chair of the Transportation Committee Ydanis Rodriguez. "Improving our city's bus and subway networks will take time and money; Citi Bike is a quick, easy way to ensure that every New York resident can get around the city easily and affordably. The Citi Bike system is safe, it is affordable, it encourages healthy living, it opens up commercial and residential corridors, and at no additional cost to taxpayers, it should be allowed to expand to all five boroughs immediately."
 
 
#CitiBike4all, a campaign led by Transportation Alternatives, one of the city's lead pedestrian and bike advocacy organizations, has also amassed over 5,000 signatures to that effect in under a month.


The coalition is growing and reflects widespread public opinion: according to a Penn Schoen Berland and Transportation Alternatives poll in November 2016, 71% of likely New York City voters support Citi Bike expansion into all five boroughs.  The Mayor previously expressed his support for a five-borough Citi Bike.

"Every New Yorker deserves access to bike share because it is a cheap, flexible addition to the existing public transportation network," said Paul Steely White, Executive Director at Transportation Alternatives.  "Along with our partners in the #CitiBike4All coalition, we call for an equitable expansion of Citi Bike to all five boroughs so that neighborhoods in The Bronx, Eastern Queens, Staten Island and South Brooklyn can realize the health and neighborhood mobility benefits of bike share."
 
Citi Bike launched in May 2013 with 6,000 bikes at 332 stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. By the end of 2017, the system will have doubled in size, with 12,000 bikes at 700 stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

With over 126,000 members and over 60,000 trips per day in peak season, Citi Bike has become an integral part of New York City's transportation network. Expansion to all five boroughs is necessary to ensure it can be an even more effective and equitable mode choice.

  Respectfully, Ydanis Rodriguez Chair, Transportation Committee Council Member, District 10 Brad Lander, Council Member, District 39 Paul Vallone Council Member, District 19 Mark Levine Council Member, District 7 Rafael Salamanca Council Member, District 17 Carlos Menchaca Council Member, District 38 Andy Cohen Council Member, District 11 Corey Johnson Council Member, District 3 Karen Koslowitz Council Member, District 29 Antonio Reynoso Council Member, District 34 Donovan Richards Council Member, District 31 Robert Cornegy Council Member, District 36 Elizabeth Crowley Council Member, District 30 Ritchie Torres Council Member, District 15 Fernando Cabrera Council Member, District 14 Jimmy Van Bramer Council Member, District 26 Vincent Gentile Council Member, District 43 Jumaane Williams Council Member, District 45 Bill Perkins Council Member, District 9 Stephen Levin Council Member, District 33 Daniel Dromm Council Member, District 25 Helen Rosenthal Council Member, District 6 Deborah Rose Council Member, District 49 Margaret Chin Council Member, District 1 Costa Constantinides Council Member, District 30 Chaim Deutsch Council Member, District 48 Vanessa Gibson Council Member, District 16.

EDITOR'S NOTE: 

The comments from those who are in favor and may have a special interest other than Mr. Steely-White's comment have been omitted. Most of the council members listed above in favor are term-limited after this election, and they will be LAME DUCK council members. They will have to find other jobs when their next term in office is up if they are re-elected. 

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