The first meeting revealing where the city thinks CitiBikes will be installed on the Upper West Side is coming up, so mark your calendars now.
The Community Board 7 Transportation Committee will meet at 7 p.m. on May 12 to discuss possible CitiBike locations with the Department of Transportation. The meeting will take place at the community board’s meeting room on the second floor of 250 West 87th street.
UPDATE: The meeting has been moved to Goddard Riverside Community Center, 593 Columbus Avenue at 88th Street.
After reviewing all the negative feedback to our last ridiculous list of demands, The Coalition for an Un- Livable West Side has a new set of demands for the CitiBike program which we are sure everyone will agree with:
Every CitiBike must have no more an no less than 2 wheels. This item is non-negotiable.
No docking station will be located in the middle of any intersection or inside any house of worship, school or fast food establishment.
Building residents/owners must have the right to say NO to stations on rooftops and in their lobbies, except for buildings with poor doors where they MUST be located on both the rooftop and in the lobby.
Bike share stations may only be located on major crosstown streets which go east and west, are very wide, have 2 way traffic and crosstown busses.
Docking stations must contain no fewer than 1 bike and no more than an unlimited number of bikes. No exceptions.
Bikers must wear helmets except if they don’t have one, forgot it at home, or just don’t feel like wearing a helmet that day.
Again, these items are non-negotiable, unless the majority of people rejects them the same way they did our last list of demands. Thank you.
Your name could become Sally Frown or Sally Glower – if you fall or are cliped by a car on your bike and your head meets the pavement. Helmets are a good idea, and if not at first they will be required, especially after the lawsuits start coming in. So, Sally, buy a bigger purse so you can carry your new “hat” around. Make you feel a bit different about this bike stupidity – heres one more – may not be long before insurance is required – get a bigger wallet Sally, it’s gonna get expensive.
you gotta love Sally Smile…
I’m planning on being there, even if I have to stand for the entire meeting.
I find it amusing that everyone wants CitiBike, but no one wants them in front of their home! Good luck people.
Hey AC,
These are people who are being polite and maybe passive agressive; what they’re really saying is WE DO NOT WANT CITI BIKE ANYWHERE IN OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD because it will mean more crowding and slow things down when the the adult-children ride along with traffic – and if you going to counter with “oh will have bike lanes” you’ll be overcrowding the the remaining lanes thereby slowing everything down.
Relax J, it’s the weekend! I hope you get these bikes in front of your building so you can get full use of them. At the meeting, please be sure to note your address so we can review and determine if its possible.
Meanwhile downtown real estate prices of buildings located close to citibike stations are SOARING.
I live on Riverside Drive and desperately want a CitiBike rack outside my building. Hopefully in a year I’ll be biking to work.
Shane walk to work, its far better and safer than a bike. Riverside Drive is beautiful, now who would want bikes lined up anywhere on it. Metal and trees are incongruous. But for you, maybe it can be arranged to have a docking station in your livingroom, you may enjoy the company of the other cycle mined pedel pumpers from all over town.
My walk to work would be almost two hours! There is absolutely nothing unsafe about riding a bike down the West Side bike path. And how are bikes worse than cars as far as their effect on Riverside Drive’s aesthetic?
I’m not sure why I’m responding to J’s post, given that he or she spells it “peddle,” but here’s a little history lesson for J, nonetheless: Virtually all the roads in our neighborhood were originally built for conveyances OTHER than cars. Things like horses, carriages, carts, and — yes, J — bicycles. All of which were in widespread use before cars were even invented.
Not to mention that that Citibike stations actually displace parking places for cars and therefore represent a net DECREASE in “metal to the street.”
Facts are often annoying, aren’t they J?
“The cars were there before this whole biking thing…”
I don’t think this is true either. But sure, let’s never forget how on the eighth day, Yahweh created the Chevrolet Malibu Ecodrive. 🙂
Simply put Shane – the cars were there before this biking thing and will always be there – now you and your selfish peddle pumpers what to ADD MORE METAL TO THE STREET. I’m not a car owner and I don’t want this. Buy yourself a bike it has many advantages: it will be dry when you get on, you’ll keep it in better shape than the citi bike people making it more reliable, the long range cost will be cheaper, you won’t be sitting on a seat where God knows who sat there previously and it will be in your house where you pay rent not on the street that is a common area and the rest of us that don’t want the bikes will not have to inconvenienced because you want to leave your toys on the sidewalk.
If metal & tress are incongruous, what do you think of all the parked metal cars on that road?
Citibike stations replace car parking. That’s it. I personally don’t think they look any better or worse than parked cars. There are plenty of old beatup rusting cars parked on the UWS, do you think Citibike looks worse than that?
I actually just moved to the UWS from a neighborhood with Citibike, the bike racks were a massive upgrade for that neighborhood. I can’t wait for them to get to the UWS, and I’d be very happy if a station is on my block (75th btween Columbus & Amsterdam).
I don’t currently own a bike, but if Citibike were available up here I’d be riding one before work in the park very often. I’d probably even consider commuting to work by Citibike because it’s probably about the same amount of time as the subway + walk I do now.
I see no downside.
Kevin, thanks for ginving so easy an argument to refute – J is right on the mark.The bike docks will add to the cars, probably mostly on sidewalks, in the way overyone – and if these morons are unwise enough to put the in the roadway and parking is lost they’ll be more cars moving around and even idling looking or waiting for parking – what do you think that will do to air quality? Judging by your second paragraph I don’t think you got what J was trying to communicate. Also, with all the bike lane, bike docks and pedestrian malls there has not – please read carefully this is a key point – but the reduce of not even ONE car on the road. Now you think putting bikes in the road impeding the vehicles will be better for your lungs – is that what your thinking?
If you thinking these horrid docking stations are an upgrade to the west side I shudder as to where you lived before which they were considered an improvement. And people look after their cars after a winter or two these bikes and their docks will be eyesores and if the upgrade them the users will had the costs passed on them.
Buy a bike and keep it in your house not on our streets. Ride west you’ll find it very refreshing.
I want one in front of my building too. Im going to generalize here, but all the fuddy duddys that are against this can sod off!
Gabrielle, you’ve heard that wisdom comes with age, think on it. See my comment to Shane – maybe if you have the room in your apartment the same arrangement can be made for you as well.
Personally, I want Citibike and I’d be perfectly happy if they put the rack right on my block. Bring on the future!
Well said! Agreed!
I hope they put a Citibike station in the Taven on the Green parking lot. It would get tons of use.
Who have you polled?
Referring to the battles that developed in other parts of Manhattan wherein tenants sued the city to have them removed or relocated from being in front of their bldg.
So a couple of people, who have more money than sense, sue and that’s indicative of how the whole city feels?
There’s over 300 stations in the city. There couldn’t have been more than three or four lawsuits.
It seems to me a lot of people have said that they like the idea of Citibikes but don’t want them in front of their buildings. I wonder if there was this much hoopla when bus stops were developed. I’m sure people didn’t like the fact that buses stop in front of their buildings but it’s here! I said in another post that why don’t we develop garages for these bikes? Probably not very likely but a thought.
Looks like I will go to my first community board meeting on May 12. I am extremely excited for CitiBike and the various benefits it will bring to our neighborhood. Coalition for a Livable West Side (and their absurd demands) does not represent me or anyone in my circle of (admittedly, like-minded) friends. I will not be wearing a helmet 😉
Marc,
You’re not thinking clearly, and you won’t be thinking at all the first time, for whatever reason, you fly off you bike and have a head injury. The Coalition doesn’t need to have respect for you, nor you for them. They far outnumber your circle of like minded uniformed friends. They are right, as for me, citi bike does not belong on the UWS, I have no restrictions but one – NO Citi Bike at all.
Unfortunately for you CitiBike is coming to the UWS!
Ding ding!
Not sure if this is serious. I hope it is not, but I’ll bite – what makes me uninformed and why is CitiBike not acceptable to you? I don’t expect a reasoned response, but please prove me wrong.
Absolutely Mark, here are some things to think about:
The Upper West side is overcrowded enough without having bike stations blocking and impeding people in their daily and necessary pursuits.
We have four months of winter (33% of the year) with snow and icing conditions, either these bikes will not be used OR there use will be dangerous for the user as well and more so for pedestrians.
The bike stations are unsightly and look like rows of tin cans that detract from the grace of our residential community, most are 75 feet long and six feet deep; blocking side walk space and if in the roadway impeding traffic and deliveries.
Continued unfair loss of even more parking resulting in more cars circling and circling and increasing pollution.
Only a small minority of people in the community use these bikes, the 28 – 38 year old group. They will become an unnecessary burden to the rest of us. Let them get their own bikes if that’s how they choose to travel.
And, Mark, please don’t tell me you’ve bought into the cannard that everytime you see a cyclist it means one less car on the road. Additionally, if you find the helmet demand unworthy please do not reply to this reply – required insurance will be next.
“The Upper West side is overcrowded enough without having bike stations blocking and impeding people in their daily and necessary pursuits.”
The bike stations block no more than a parked car ‘blocks’
“We have four months of winter (33% of the year) with snow and icing conditions, either these bikes will not be used OR there use will be dangerous for the user as well and more so for pedestrians.”
As does the rest of Manhattan, yet this seems to be working there, even in crowded midtown!
“The bike stations are unsightly and look like rows of tin cans that detract from the grace of our residential community, most are 75 feet long and six feet deep; blocking side walk space and if in the roadway impeding traffic and deliveries.”
Unsightly, really, a row of parked cars is just as unsightly. Most are 75 ft long. You have facts to back that up. Length is optimized to usage. A 75 ft long one may be appropriate at the 96th st 1 station but not likely to be so in the 70’s
They are no more impeding traffic or deliveries than a parked car or row of parked cars does.
“Continued unfair loss of even more parking resulting in more cars circling and circling and increasing pollution.”
I consider the loss of bike parking unfair.
Maybe those circling drivers will finally understand that street parking is a privelage that 18×6 = 108 sq ft of space they park their ride in is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you don’t like the time or gas bill circling, put it in a garage. Hey maybe you can find a cheaper garage and citibike from it to your home!
“Only a small minority of people in the community use these bikes, the 28 – 38 year old group. They will become an unnecessary burden to the rest of us. Let them get their own bikes if that’s how they choose to travel.”
I’m not in that age range and am looking forward to being able to bike to work. Sadly my building does not have bike parking and my apartment does not have room for bikes.
“And, Mark, please don’t tell me you’ve bought into the cannard that everytime you see a cyclist it means one less car on the road. Additionally, if you find the helmet demand unworthy please do not reply to this reply – required insurance will be next.”
One more citibike is likely one less car or or bodiy smooshed onto the 1 or the C. Do you have stats that say otherwise?
I’ll be wearing a helmet and my car insurance and homeowners will cover liability. But is this not a country where we are all free to make our own decisions! Ya know, land of the free, unless CLWS make up rules.
How will it work if a Chelsea citiBiker gets on a bike and rides to the UWS without a helmet. Do they get ticketed as the pass Lincoln Center?
Where Can I park my Horse and Cart? Will that impact the quality of life, will that take up a car parking space?
What about idling ubers and black cars. Is that better to have.
Perhaps we should just rip up those pesky fire hydrants, they remove soooo much parking and sometimes give you false hope there is a parking space, not some a whole that parked too far away from the hydrant to make a second space because they were worried about a ticket (usually with a Jersey Plate).
How about quality of life tickets for those that park leaving 8ft in front and behind their ride so it does not get damaged (taking another spot out of commission).
Yay CitiBikes.
Speaking for the over 38 crowd, plenty of my friends use Citibike, J. And there are 50 somethings and 60 somethings using it as well! And I would too, if it was available up here. There are PLENTY of wide side-walked areas on the UWS where Ctibikes could reside on the sidewalks without disturbing the flow of the UWS. I’ve listed them previously. And plenty of people bike through the 4 months of winter! I know lots of them.
Your pronouncements are silly and uninformed. Open your eyes and observe. Get off your soapbox and try it – you might actually like it!
And folks, you do need a helmet when you ride. Better learn to embrace that. Would you rollerblade without pads? I’m an experienced bike rider of several decades here in NYC, and I’ve had unexpected accidents (not my fault. boy was I glad I had a helmet on. I met a woman in an elevator once with a brain injury. She hadn’t been wearing a helmet when she fell off her bike. Caveat emptor.
Are you intentionally being a crank, or do you really not realize how out of touch (and out of line) you are? In 2015, you are actually standing against a bike-share program in NYC? I’m stupefied.
J, how do know only a small segment of the community aged 28-38 use CitiBike? As an avid user of CitiBike I see people of all ages using the system. Cyclists come in all shapes and sizes, and age groups!
Owning your own bike involves storing it in your apt or building and adequately locking it up if out and about, whereas CitiBike makes it easy to run errands or travel about the city without having to worry about either. Can you not appreciate the convenience of this? How exactly is this a burden for you and others who oppose CitiBike? CitiBike is convenient, and relatively inexpensive to get around.
I walk to work most days, and I agree, its great, but do you know what is better, biking to work! However, I am unfortunately unable to do this most days as there rarely available bikes at the 61st street station because a lot of other people have the same idea and got there before me.
Biking in the snow isn’t any harder than driving a car in the snow. If the road or path is plowed, there’s no issue at all. It’s really fun.
And if you stand in midtown sometime, you’ll see so many gray-suited guys with gray hair and a tie, riding a Citibike to their office job. It’s not true that the program only appeals to a certain age group.
I can’t think of a Citibike station that is situated on the sidewalk, can you point me to one? All the ones I have used are on the street. I don’t see how that causes pedestrian congestion.
Unsightly is totally a matter of opinion. I don’t think they’re any more or less unsightly than parked cars.
You are right that only a minority of people will use Citibike. However an even smaller minority of people park cars on the UWS. You can fit several bikes into every single car parking spot, Citibike will be much more widely used than cars and driving.
Please, please, please put one in front of my building; also in front all the banks & drugstores. Create more bike lanes by eliminating street parking. The streets should be for driving. Parking lots are for parking.
Some seem to conclude that dislike of Citbikes is exclusively from car owners. That is not necessarily the case. I do not know how to drive – and do not favor Citibikes.
Since the Bloomberg implementation of bike lanes and Citibikes, I have become pretty cynical about NYC cyclists – who it seems mostly go through red lights when pedestrians have the green; and quite a few go the wrong way with near misses to unsusoecting pedestrians.
In DC and Minneapolis, cyclists seem to adhere to lights and look out for pedestrians. But not in NYC….
I do feel sorry for the underpaid and exploited bike delivery people but mostly think they try be careful. It is the “civilian” cyclists – on expensive bikes and on Citibikes – who seem to ignore lights and pedestrians.
Citibike expansion is inevitable but I have no faith in NYC cyclists respecting pedestrians. Personally I’d prefer funds to go to subway and bus mass transit.
Unfortunate location, I don’t think so. No one wants a big crowd. Get the public hearing over; who wants to hear from the public?
Encourage apt buildings and office buildings to provide sufficient indoor parking for bikes and then more people will own and use what they do own and they will not have time constraints. They will also have helmets because they are owners.
Upper West Siders – you’re lucky to be getting Citibike!
I live in Washington Heights(priced out of UWS) – not likely to get Citibike up here in this decade.
We DO NOT WANT Citibikes on the Upper West Side. Many people have their own and they all wear helmets. we don’t need more congestion- adding to bikes flying around with deliveries. It is one of the only residential areas and we want to keep it that way. Also, no thought has been given to the danger these bikers are in without helmets. It will take a few getting brain damage before –maybe before the starters of this nightmare ignored the absolute need for wearing helmets.
We DO NOT WANT Citibikes on the Upper West Side. Many people have their own and they all wear helmets. we don’t need more congestion- adding to bikes flying around with deliveries. It is one of the only residential areas and we want to keep it that way. Also, no thought has been given to the danger these bikers are in without helmets. It will take a few getting brain damage before –maybe before the starters of this nightmare ignored the absolute need for wearing helmets.
How many other names do you post under? J, Pedestrian…. is that you too?
This is not a duplicate comment-We DO NOT WANT Citibikes on the Upper West Side. Many people have their own and they all wear helmets. we don’t need more congestion- adding to bikes flying around with deliveries. It is one of the only residential areas and we want to keep it that way. Also, no thought has been given to the danger these bikers are in without helmets. It will take a few getting brain damage before –maybe before the starters of this nightmare ignored the absolute need for wearing helmets.
No Bikes without helmets.
Ok, no cars without airbags, antilock brakes, front and rear collision avoidance systems, drivers text disabling mechanisms, meeting current front impact pedestrian safety standards.
That should get some of those jalopys off the UWS, just leave room for a stack of BMWs, Benz, and Uber Escalades
How are bikes without helmet any more or less dangerous than bikes with helmets? This is just a crutch that NIMBYs like to lean on to make a point against bikes. Most of these people complaining about CitiBike don’t ride bicycles so why do you care whether or not a bicyclist will wear a helmet?
No, it’s definitely a duplicate comment.
For Jerry and Wendy,
Jerry: stupefied is the correct term I’d say.
There will not be enough bikes to make this plan a viable transportation alternative it will only make things more crowded on the UWS, haven’t you noticed how crowded it is already. There is a case in Supreme court against Bloomberg and his bike lanes and malls for not having proper enviromental sudies done – so who is uninformed?? – there are alot more people than you think that do not want this in their neighborhood, or only on an extremly limited basis. But then whats the point.This is a money making venture, can’t you see that, and you’ll be paying more as time goes on. New York in not London or Hong Kong ass transit is the way to get around, or maybe we should use horses again.
Wendy: because a handful of poeple you know are out of the bell of the bell curve is no argument I know the numbers. Do you recall our past winter – please, bikes in those conditions are unsafe to all and those that rode do not represent the norm. I’m not against cyclists, I’m against this program. I just want them to store the equiptment off the street. Cars pay fees and insurance what do the cyclist pay. Citi Bike will lead to insurance requirements when push comes to shove.
I still can’t believe anyone is actually against a bike share program. Because of “congestion”? Because of safety concerns? Because it ultimately will lead to compulsory insurance? Those arguments aren’t just specious, they are downright silly.
Yay!!! CitiBike please put a station on 78th St between Amsterdam and Columbus.
This is awesome!
We need a bunch of stations by the Museum of Natural History.
Can’t wait for the CitiBike program to come to the Upper West Side. I work in Chelsea, near the river, and there are plenty of stations there. I live on 79th St near Amsterdam. I will be able to bike to or from work, along the Hudson River along safe separated bike lanes for much of the ride. I will be healthier, save money and enjoy the peaceful fun ride a few times a week. And I will wear a helmet!