Citi Bike Program in Effect

After almost a year of delays, the bike-sharing system has arrived to New York.  Citi Bike is a program where eager cyclists can use bicycles provided by the city for a fee.  Cyclists have the option to pay an annual fee of $95, allowing them to use a bicycle for 45 minutes.  The bicycles must be returned to a bike station before the 45 minutes is up, otherwise more fees will be incurred.  But bicycles can be swapped out for another if cyclists wish to use them for more than 45 minutes.  Otherwise, a 24-hour access pass is available for $9.95 or a seven-day access pass is available for $25.  However, the latter passes only give you 30 minutes of use.

Opponents of the bike-sharing system believe that the bike racks placed throughout the city are obstructing access to buildings or reducing the amount of parking.  Proponents, however, are enthusiastic about the system because residents don’t have to worry about storing a bicycle in their buildings or apartments, which at times is either impossible or expensive.

It remains to be seen how the system will play out, and whether it will actually be a successful program that provides a useful service to cyclists.  This is what the bike looks like: