New York City\u2019s ambitious bike share system is on schedule to launch in July and we\u2019re now learning a few important details about user costs.<\/p>\n
For those who live here eager to use the program it\u2019ll cost you 95 bucks for an annual membership.\u00a0 The pricing scheme recently unveiled tilts pretty favorably in favor of those who buy the one-year plan.<\/p>\n
Pay the up-front fee and you\u2019re basically good to go with a crack at the ten-thousand two-wheelers that\u2019ll be stationed across Manhattan and Brooklyn at 600 different racks.\u00a0 Those with the annual deal will have 45 minutes on a bike pulled from a depot before it\u2019s due back in a rack.\u00a0 Any rack.\u00a0 Bikes that aren\u2019t returned on time will result in overdue charges that get pretty stiff depending on the length of the lateness.<\/p>\n
Visitors can buy one-day ($9.95) or seven-day ($25) access but will be limited to just 30 minute rides before their bike is due back in a rack.\u00a0 The 30-minute limit seems a bit short and will inevitably trigger overage costs for those who aren\u2019t adept at meeting the constraint.<\/p>\n
I personally gave up ownership of a bike about eight years ago when I moved to the small apartment I live in now.\u00a0 Not only would a bike eat up valuable space in my place but my neighborhood is so densely populated, it would be hard to launch a safe ride from where I\u2019m at.<\/p>\n
What bike share does for me is big.\u00a0 It\u2019ll allow me to initiate rides in places and at times where interaction with automobiles will be slim or none.\u00a0 I\u2019ll jump on a bike at the lower end of Central Park or along one of the rivers early on an off day.\u00a0 I\u2019ll pedal on a trail that doesn\u2019t allow cars and return it to a rack 40 minutes later and swap it for another one to reset the clock.\u00a0 I\u2019ll return bike #2 at a dock near the subway and come home happy.\u00a0 Eventually, I imagine I\u2019ll find a route and a routine that works.\u00a0 If I do it with any kind of regularity, the 95 bucks is a deal.<\/p>\n
The location of racks in parts of Manhattan already saturated with obstructions will likely spur complaints.\u00a0 I envision backlash.\u00a0 But I believe bike share is gonna be a positive development for a guy like me who has gotten away from urban biking because of hyper-anxiety about getting hit by a car (not to mention the storage issue).<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll pick my spots.\u00a0 I\u2019ll grab a bike and go for a ride.\u00a0 The cost of a one-year pass comes in well under the charge for a monthly unlimited Metrocard.\u00a0 If all goes well with the initial deployment of ten-thousand bikes, the city is saying it will expand further into the outer boroughs.\u00a0\u00a0 I like it.\u00a0 I look forward to it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York City\u2019s ambitious bike share system is on schedule to launch in July and we\u2019re now learning a few important details about user costs. For those who live here eager to use the program it\u2019ll cost you 95 bucks … Continue reading