TA Poll: Majority of Citi Bike Users Want Protected Car-Free Bike Lanes

In the latest issue of “StreetBeat,” Transportation Alternatives shares the results of the first in a series of online “flash polls” of Citi Bike riders. The polls are intended to gauge how members use the system, and how they’d like to see Citi Bike, and city streets, made better. Over 2,200 people responded to the first poll, TA reports.

"The idea is to continue to dig into the issues that are coming up for folks," says TA spokesperson Brian Zumhagen.

Here are the findings of the first poll:

• 64 percent of Citi Bike riders' most common complaint is finding an empty station when they want to take out a Citi Bike or a full station when they need to return a Citi Bike
• 84 percent of Citi Bike riders feel safest when riding in a physically separated bike lane
• 51 percent of Citi Bike riders said "better enforcement against parking in the bike lane" should be a top NYPD priority
• 91 percent of Citi Bike riders want the system expanded

Issues like keeping stations balanced and program expansion are indicators of bike-share's popularity. Survey responses also point to the city's obligation to create and maintain a safe environment for cycling, through engineering and traffic enforcement.

As Citi Bike approaches 100,000 members after five months of operation, DOT is set to release its own survey of approximately 1,000 users, which will examine how bike-share has changed travel behaviors. The Department of Health is conducting a long-term study on effects of the program on members' health.

In the meantime, Citi Bike users can take TA's Flash Poll #2, which "delves into solutions to the problems Citi Bike riders identified as most critical." A third poll will be posted before year's end, Zumhagen says, and will be followed by a summary report.