Report: Bike sharing limited to less diverse, more wealthy areas

More than 75 percent of New York residents don't have access to bike sharing, according to a new report.

News 12 Staff

Jul 12, 2019, 1:48 PM

Updated 1,917 days ago

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More than 75 percent of New York residents don't have access to bike sharing, according to a new report.
The report looked at public data from 2013 to 2018 and analyzed four million individual rides that were taken on Citi Bike to see who has access and how that situation has changed over time.
"When it comes to Citi Bike, New York City is truly a tale of two cities," says Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres.
Wachsmuth says the study found that the Citi Bike network serves a privileged minority of New York City. He says the service area is more than twice as white as the rest of the city and the average income is almost double.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams sent a letter to the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), citing the report and advocating for expansion in neighborhoods.
A spokesperson for the DOT said: "We look forward to the forthcoming expansion of Citi Bike, bringing additional geographic and demographic diversity to its coverage area and ridership. This follows expansion in recent years into communities such as Harlem, Red Hook and Bushwick, as well as a dockless bike pilot in the Bronx. Please note when the program launched in NYC for the first time in 2013, it was operationally important that this occurred in very dense parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn."
Citi Bike also responded, saying: "Ensuring that diverse communities have access to Citi Bike is central to our mission. From Bed-Stuy to Harlem, there are thousands of public housing residents and low-income New Yorkers who have joined Citi Bike for only $5 a month. And as we expand significantly in the near future, we will reach many more neighborhoods and continue our focus on bike share equity."