City releases boundaries of Citi Bike’s next expansion, which will double the current service area by 35 square miles and triple the number of bikes to 40,000; System will expand to a diverse range of communities, including the South Bronx and northern Manhattan in the next year
The de Blasio Administration joined Lyft to announce the boundaries of the planned expansion of Citi Bike over the next five years, which will bring the nation’s largest bike share system to a larger and more economically diverse range of communities. Last November, the City and Lyft announced an agreement in which Lyft would invest $100 million to grow and strengthen the system, doubling the size of its service area and tripling the number of bikes over the next five years. The third phase of Citi Bike’s expansion will bring Citi Bike to all of Manhattan, as well as into the Bronx, and deeper into Brooklyn and Queens. Administration officials were joined by Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. for the announcement on the steps of the Bronx County Courthouse in the South Bronx, where Citi Bike also announced a $300,000 expansion grant program, sponsored by Healthfirst, as well as a new handcycle pilot for the disability community.
“This expansion will help us build a more fair and equitable city for all New Yorkers,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Even more communities will have access to this low-cost, sustainable mode of transportation. With double the territory and triple the number of bikes over the next few years, Citi Bike will become an even better option for travel around New York City.”
“We are thrilled to work with NYC DOT on expanding one of the world’s best bike share networks — Citi Bike — in an equitable and accessible way,” said Caroline Samponaro, Head of Micromobility Policy at Lyft, the operator of Citi Bike. “Increasing access to affordable transportation options is a proven method for improving economic outcomes for lower-income residents, and through our City Works program, Lyft is committing $50 million annually to this cause in North America. Here in New York, Citi Bike’s expansion to new neighborhoods will provide convenient, affordable, and sustainable transit access to many additional New Yorkers, shortening commutes, boosting public health, and building connections between communities across our great city.”
“Six years after Citi helped launch this fantastic public-private partnership, it’s exciting to see Citi Bike weave its way deeper into the fabric of New York City,” said Ed Skyler, Citi’s Head of Public Affairs. “We welcome this expansion as a way to make Citi Bike even more accessible to the riders who have made it a sustainable, vital form of public transportation that we’re extremely proud to be a part of.”
Citi Bike has begun the expansion with 25 new stations along the L-train corridor in East Williamsburg and Bushwick. In the months ahead, it will add more stations in these neighborhoods and within Ridgewood, Queens.
Next, Citi Bike will expand into the South Bronx and Upper Manhattan, beginning community board consultation this fall -- with stations installed in 2020. The planned expansion through 2023 will include the following neighborhoods:
· The Bronx: Mott Haven, Melrose, Port Morris, Highbridge, Claremont, Morrisania, Longwood, Concourse, and Mt. Eden
· Brooklyn: Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, East Flatbush, Sunset Park, South Slope, Windsor Terrace, Prospect Park South and Kensington
· Manhattan: Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Sugar Hill, Washington Heights and Inwood (when completed, all of Manhattan will have Citi Bike)
· Queens: Sunnyside, Maspeth, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Corona
As Citi Bike grows, NYC DOT and Citi Bike will continue their robust community engagement and work alongside local organizations to ensure bike share is planned in an equitable, accessible manner that works for neighborhoods and the City’s overall transportation goals. All of Phase 3 expansion will be contingent upon Lyft meeting—and continuing to meet—strong milestones for providing a high-quality service for New Yorkers.
Lyft has begun to meet these milestones by increasing the Citi Bike fleet to over 13,000 bicycles—its largest ever—and greatly expanding the number of valet stations in the system to more than 40 different locations in total throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, running on both weekdays and weekends. Additionally, Citi Bike can now be rented through the Lyft app, providing a convenient new way to ride for residents and visitors alike. These improvements have made both more bikes available to riders at the system’s busiest hours as well as increased ridership, leading Citi Bike to smash its single-day ridership record five times in May and June, with the all-time record set on June 12, 2019 with 86,614 trips completed throughout the entire Citi Bike system.
Citi Bike Equity Initiatives: As part of its agreement with New York City, Lyft has also continued to expand Citi Bike's transportation equity efforts, including the Reduced Fare Bike Share program, presented by Healthfirst. There are now more than 3,300 New Yorkers who live in NYCHA developments or receive SNAP benefits who take advantage of a discounted Citi Bike membership for only $5 a month -- a 55% increase in enrollment in only one year. These members are actively using the system, riding at about twice the rate of full-fare members. Growth in sign-ups and high-frequency ridership demonstrates that Citi Bike is playing a key role in meeting the transportation needs of thousands of low-income New Yorkers.
Community Grant Program: Citi Bike and Healthfirst also announced today a $300,000 Community Grant Program for local non-profits to grow bike share ridership further in lower-income neighborhoods. These funds are a portion of the sponsorship funds committed to Citi Bike by Healthfirst over the past year. Initial grantees of the community grants are the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, GrowNYC, Urban Upbound, Union Settlement, GOLES, Red Hook Initiative, and El Puente Bushwick. Citi Bike and Healthfirst will be partnering with and supporting additional non-profit organizations to grow a culture of bike share in the new expansion areas as well.
Handcycle Pilot: Citi Bike is further increasing access this summer by teaming up with NYC DOT on a handcycle pilot. Handcycles are three-wheeled, hand-controlled, adaptive bikes for both people with disabilities and individuals who do not know how to ride traditional two-wheeled pedal bicycles. The handcycle fleet will be at Weekend Walks, Summer Streets, and other community-based events throughout the city all summer and participation is open to all adults and is completely free-of-charge. Citi Bike and NYC DOT are working with The NYU Ability Project to assess the impact of this initiative and consider future adaptive vehicle programming.
“This is an exciting moment for New York City, as we share the details of this expansion, which will transform the nation’s largest bike share program into one of the largest bike share systems in the world, as we bring bike share to so many more neighborhoods around the City, including here in the South Bronx.” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We thank Lyft once again for its investment, as we know Citi Bike’s expansion will give even more communities convenient access to this safe, sustainable, affordable and fun way to get around. As we this summer tackle new efforts to keep cyclists safe, the expansion of Citi Bike will be a critical part of our efforts.”
“With the proper adaptive equipment a person with a disability can participate fully in any activity,” said Victor Calise, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities. “The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities is excited to see that this handcycling pilot program is moving forward. We hope to see this pilot expand beyond handcycles to include other types of bikes that will assist the full range of people with disabilities. We look forward to collaborating with DOT and the disability community to ensure that accessible bikes are on our streets the same way as traditional Citi Bikes. By increasing access to this healthy and environmentally conscious form of transportation, New York City is one ride closer to becoming the most accessible city in the world.”
Citi Bike is an effective, healthy and sustainable mode of transportation for many New Yorkers, and I’m thrilled this next phase will give even more New Yorkers the opportunity to bike around the five boroughs. But as biking becomes more popular we must make sure we make it safe to ride in New York City. I look forward to working with the Department of Transportation on establishing an connected network of protected bike lanes, and I also look forward to Citi Bike thriving for years to come,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.
“I am so excited that The Bronx will finally be included in the Citi Bike program, which has already become an important part of New York City’s transportation grid,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Connecting our borough to the Citi Bike network will empower so many Bronxites to travel outside their neighborhood for job opportunities, cultural events and to visit friends and family. Thank you to the DOT and for Citi Bike for investing in The Bronx, and I look forward to working with elected officials, community boards and others to rollout this expansion.”
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