de Blasio Announces Details Of Major Citi Bike Expansion From Harlem To Hollis

The de Blasio Administration joined Lyft to today 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 handcyclepilot.  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.”

“The expansion of Citi Bike into more low-income communities, and communities of color, is a long overdue step in delivering transit equity for all New Yorkers,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “It must also be accompanied by safe cycling infrastructure, so we ensure that everyone can share our streets without fear of being injured or killed. I commend DOT and Citi Bike on this major announcement, which brings bike share to communities in heart of Central Brooklyn as well as south of Prospect Park and along our working waterfront.”

“All New Yorkers deserve equal access to reliable, safe, and green alternative transportation options. Citi Bike’s expansion into communities underserved by bike sharing will shorten commutes and provide countless recreational opportunities for both residents and visitors. In the Bronx, which has some of the highest asthma rates in the country, access to bike sharing will help improve our health and well-being and enhance quality of life. A truly successful bike share program must link together the entire city, and this expansion will be an important step toward ensuring transportation equity across all neighborhoods,” said State Senator José M. Serrano.

“As The Bronx continues to grow and prosper, so must our transportation options,” said Assembly Member Marcos A. Crespo. “It is long overdue for access to bike rentals to reach so many Bronx neighborhoods. It is my hope that we can quickly accelerate this growth to ensure that every neighborhood have access to innovative and affordable alternatives. I applaud Citi Bike, NYCDOT and Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., for their efforts.”

“The Citi Bike initiative has provided a great deal of flexibility to thousands of New Yorkers,” said Assembly Member Michael DenDekker. “I am pleased that the New York City Department of Transportation and Lyft are planning on extending Citi Bike services to more parts of Queens, including Jackson Heights and Corona, so that more people can enjoy the benefits of Citi Bikes. I am hopeful that this will lead to further expansion in the future.”

“The expansion of Citi Bike equals more opportunities for all New Yorkers to commute without the use of an automobile,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Chair of the Committee on Transportation. “It’s a great moment for the City of New York to have partnerships that generate less traffic, more sustainable alternatives for transportation, and affordable options for traveling around the City.”

“I am pleased to welcome Citibike to my district,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm. “Citibike provides New Yorkers with a safe, clean and affordable means of transportation year round. The program also helps reduce the number of motorists on the road and helps alleviate crowding on subways and buses. It is no wonder that Jackson Heights and Elmhurst have been clamoring for Citibike for years. Soon they will be able to access it in their very own neighborhoods. I applaud the administration for working towards a more sustainable NYC by expanding this highly acclaimed program.”

“I’m thrilled that Citi Bike will be increasing its footprint in diverse communities across the city, and in particular expanding to serve my constituents in Kensington and Windsor Terrace,” said Council Member Brad Lander. “This expansion will allow hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to gain access to a sustainable mode of transportation that improves transit options, promotes exercise, reduces pollution, and creates good, union jobs (none of which we can take for-granted in the evolving world of on-demand transportation). I look forward to working closely with the DOT and Lyft to fulfill their commitments to robust community engagement and equitable bike share access, to make sure that the broadest possible array of New Yorkers can benefit from this service.”

“New Yorkers have come to rely on Citi bike as an invaluable part of our transit network,” said Council Member Antonio Reynoso. “Citi bike helps fill in the gaps in our city’s subway and bus systems and offers riders a convenient, environmentally friendly way to commute or simply get from place to place. All New Yorkers should have access to Citi bike and its myriad benefits regardless of socio-economic status or where they live. The Citi bike expansion announced today is a step in the right direction, and I will push NYC DOT and Lyft to continue to expand service with an eye towards prioritizing transit deserts.”

“I’m pleased to see Citi Bike expanding and particularly gratified to see Sunnyside/Woodside included in this next round. All New Yorkers deserve greener, safer, and more affordable transportation alternatives,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “I will push to have all of Woodside included in this expansion and continue to advocate for every neighborhood in our city to have access to bike share. Investing in Citi Bike and improving cycling infrastructure, including creating interconnected protected bike lanes across all five boroughs, is essential to the long term sustainability of our streets.”

“Healthfirst is proud of its association with Citi Bike, which shares our commitment to low-income New Yorkers who are benefiting from the Reduced Fare Bike Share program,” said Jeffrey Ross, Healthfirst’s Vice President for Medicaid. “Today’s announcement doubling Citi Bike’s current service area is an important step in reaching out to new and diverse communities and neighborhoods. As a company that has been uniquely focused on the people of New York for more than 25 years, our goal is to make it easier for the people to get healthy and stay healthy.”

“Since 2015, we’ve worked side by side with Citi Bike, DOT, DOHMH and other stakeholders to build a culture of bikeshare in Central Brooklyn and beyond, and we are extremely proud of our partnership and the growth we have achieved,” said Tracey Capers, Chief Program Officer at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and a leader of the NYC Better Bike Share Partnership. “We can bring our work to the next level with this new community grant, and Bed-Stuy Restoration can continue to serve as a leader and model for community engagement and empowerment with Citi Bike.”

“Citi Bike’s expansion is great news for residents of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan who will benefit from access to the most convenient, healthy, fun and sustainable way to get around the city,” said Ken Podziba, President and CEO of Bike New York. “More shared bikes and protected bike lanes will improve mobility, public health, and quality of life for so many, including New Yorkers with disabilities. I encourage New Yorkers in the expansion area and throughout the city to take our free bike education classes to learn to ride safely and confidently.”

“Citi Bike has become an integral part of New York City’s public transportation system, and has empowered tens of thousands of New Yorkers to get around in a way that is convenient, affordable, healthy, and environmentally sustainable,” said Thomas DeVito, Senior Director of Advocacy for Transportation Alternatives. “We applaud Lyft and the Department of Transportation for expanding Citi Bike’s service area, tripling the number of bikes on the streets, piloting a new program for handcycles, and for strengthening their commitment to making bicycling accessible for an ever larger share of the city. As this next phase is rolled out, we expect to see a continued investment in smart street designs that can safely accommodate all these new bicyclists.”

“We are thrilled that the first addition of this new Citi Bike expansion occurred in Bushwick, and as the system grows further in our neighborhood, we are committed to ensuring that our community has awareness of and access to this important transit system,” said Asenhat Gomez, Director of Programs at El Puente Bushwick. “The community grant funding will make this come to life and ensure that more Bushwick residents can utilize bikeshare.”

“Since 1977, Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) has been dedicated to tenants’ rights, homelessness prevention, economic development, and community revitalization on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a neighborhood with one of the highest concentrations of public housing residents in New York City,” said Julian Morales of GOLES. “The Reduced Fare Bike Share program, presented by Healthfirst, is an important and needed step in the direction of better serving our community, as well as other low-income communities and communities of color throughout the city. We look forward to helping make sure that the bikeshare program benefits low-income residents on the Lower East Side, and to working with Citi Bike to expand its reach to other neighborhoods to ensure the program serves all New Yorkers equitably.”

“Empowering all New Yorkers to secure a clean and healthy environment for future generations is what GrowNYC is all about, and promoting sustainable transportation goes hand-in-hand with this mission,” said Marcel Van Ooyen, President and CEO, GrowNYC. “The Reduced Fare Bike Share program enables SNAP recipients to join Citi Bike, one of the healthiest and greenest ways to get around our city, and the Community Grant will help GrowNYC spread the word to get more people pedaling.”

“Union Settlement is committed to providing East Harlem residents with the vital education, wellness and community-building programs they need to thrive, and our work with Citi Bike fits seamlessly into this focus,” said David Nocenti, Executive Director, Union Settlement. “We look forward to positively impacting more East Harlem residents through the new Community Grants program, by informing them about the benefits of the Citi Bike program and the available low-cost membership opportunities.”

“Urban Upbound works with NYCHA neighborhoods to break cycles of poverty by providing residents with the tools and resources needed to achieve economic mobility and self-sufficiency, and access to affordable transportation is central to our work,” said Bishop Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO of Urban Upbound. “For years we have worked with Citi Bike, serving as a jobs pipeline, providing memberships for our clients, and we are looking forward to bolstering this work as part of the Community Grants Program.”

“BronxWorks is proud to partner with Citi Bike as they expand to the Bronx,” said Eileen Torres, the Executive Director of BronxWorks. “This expansion will provide more transportation options in neighborhoods that have been historically underserved and offer an additional opportunity for residents to integrate health and wellness into their daily live. BronxWorks looks forward to participating in NYC DOT and Citi Bike’s robust community outreach plan to help with siting locations throughout the South Bronx as well as increasing resident engagement with bikeshare.”

Citi Bike is New York City’s bike share system, and the largest and most popular in the nation with more than 81 million rides taken to date across more than 13,000 bikes at nearly 800 stations. Over the coming years, Citi Bike will greatly expand into new neighborhoods as Citi Bike doubles its service area by 35 square miles and triples the number of bikes in the fleet to 40,000. Annual memberships are $169 for 365 days of unlimited 45-minute rides, and New Yorkers who live in NYCHA developments or receive SNAP benefits can access Citi Bike for only $5 a month through Reduced Fare Bike Share, presented by Healthfirst.  Citi Bike is now available in the Lyft app, where customers can find real-time station information and unlock bikes.  Learn more at https://www.citibikenyc.com/.