Eco-Sustainable Biking pedals to new Heights.
A simple street-level view of our neighborhood is enough to confirm that bike commuting is getting more popular in Greenpoint. With the lack of parking spots, gridlock vehicle traffic, and ever-more-challenging public transportation, it’s not hard to see why. City officials are continuing their coordinated effort to make city streets more bike-friendly, and according to the numbers, it’s working. From borough-wide bike tours to dedicated bike lanes growing in number throughout the city, bikes are an ever-expanding part of the average commuter experience, much to the benefit of our environment. Unfortunately for some, the ability to purchase or even store a bike can destroy the dream of eco-sustainable city transportation.
Bike sharing to the rescue!
The growth of bicycling in the city overall owes much to Citi Bike’s bike sharing service. According to The Office of the Mayor, since the system’s launch, Citi Bike riders have pedaled over 102 million miles and offset 53 million pounds of carbon. The service also set a new record for ridership in the city on September 12, reaching over 70,000 rides completed in a single day.
In addition to average daily rides increasing, Mayor Bill de Blasio, DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and President & CEO of Motivate Jay Walder announced that the Citi Bike program had reached its 50 millionth ride since beginning in May 2013. The bike share system has doubled in usage since 2013, while total Citi Bikes have doubled to 12,000.
“In 2014, we committed to saving a struggling bike-share system and having it expand to more New York City communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Those blue bikes have now become part of the fabric of our city — and we can now look forward to the 100 millionth ride.”
Overall, according to the New York City Department of Transportation, a typical day in the city sees over 450,000 cycling trips. The Citi Bike service also leads the country out of 50 other similar bicycle sharing services.
Moreover, the juggernaut shows no signs of abating. With ridership growth outpacing all other forms of transportation growth, the city has pledged to build up its stock of bike lanes, adding 10 miles of protected lanes and 50 miles of bikeways to the streets annually for 2018 and beyond.
Do you bike share? How has the bike share program changed your commute? Where do you see it going in the future? What does your bike commute look like, compared to public transportation? Let us know what you think of the program, and help us build a better Greenpoint!
Want to learn more about bike ridership and safety statistics in the city? Visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/bikestats.shtml#bicycle-ridership-safety for more information.