- The stations and bikes are very similar to Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C., which is the system I usually ride. So it was an easy adjustment. That's because Alta Bicycle Share runs both the D.C. and NYC systems.
- The Citi Bike smartphone app doesn't work all the time and is slow to update, which means sometimes you arrive at a station with no bikes or no free docks even though the app says something different.
- I got a 24-hour day pass for $9.95 plus tax, which means you get a ride code that you enter to unlock the bike. You need a new ride code each time you take out a new bike so you have to swipe your credit card and the computer is supposed to give you a new rider code. But that day there were a bunch of stations in lower Manhattan with computer problems, so I couldn't take a new bike out at these stations. This computer glitch was one of the most frustrating experiences of riding Citi Bike so hopefully they fix it soon.
- There has been some controversy over Citibank sponsoring NYC bike sharing given its role -- along with the other mega Wall Street banks -- in the financial crisis of 2008 and economic recession we are still struggling to get out of. So this being New York, someone had to make a statement.
I rode Citi Bike from Battery Park to East River Park around the southern tip of Manhattan island and it was a pleasure cruising around the city on the shiny blue bikes. I have said that bike sharing is a game changer in terms of changing the culture to more bike friendly and creating the political will to build more biking infrastructure. Having seen the transformation in our nation's capital when Capital Bikeshare expanded faster than anyone thought, I'm excited to see New York's transformation into a world-class bicycling city thanks to Citi Bike.
Here are more photos:
No comments:
Post a Comment