Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bike Sharing

Citi Bike Will Expand Uptown With Its Too-Sparse Station Network

da
The bike-share map for Community Board 11, via DOT. Click to enlarge.
da

The good news: Citi Bike is expanding up to 130th Street later this year.

The bad news: Stations in Morningside, Harlem, and East Harlem are going to be more spread out than the bike-share network below 59th Street. As with last year's additions to the bike-share network, the longer walking distances between stations will make these expansions less convenient for Citi Bike users and sap the overall effectiveness of the system.

DOT and Motivate, the company that runs Citi Bike, have been holding workshops and getting feedback online about where to site stations. Maps for three community board districts have now been released, and the station densities fall short of the 28 stations per square mile recommended by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.

All together, the bike-share maps for Community Board 11 in East Harlem [PDF], Community Board 9 on the West Side [PDF], and Community Board 10 in central Harlem [PDF] equate to a density of a little below 23 stations per square mile. If you look at CB 9 and CB 11 separately, however, the stations are more sparse, in the range of 20-21 stations per square mile.

This is the second year of a three-year expansion phase that will eventually bring Citi Bike to more of Queens and Brooklyn as well. The agreement between DOT and Motivate didn't require more than 378 new stations to serve the expansion zones, which works out to a lower station density than the original Citi Bike service area. Rumors have swirled that the two parties are close to amending the expansion process so stations are spaced together more tightly, but so far that doesn't seem to be happening.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

OPINION: Can Regional Governance Break New York Out of Its Constant State of Transit Emergency?

The New York region needs to fundamentally change the way it governs its transit system, our contributor writes.

December 20, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: ‘So, How Was Your Day?’ Edition

You didn't come here to find out about yesterday's crime news. Instead, here's the livable streets news!

December 20, 2024

Albany Should Use ‘Underutilized’ Transit Fund For LIRR, Metro-North Discounts: Report

An "underutilized" pot of state transportation funds could help lure more New York City residents onto the LIRR and Metro-North, according to a new report.

December 19, 2024

See It: The McGuinness Road Diet Works — But Only Where the City Installed It

The road diet works, exposing the need to extend it all the way.

December 19, 2024

Thursday’s Headlines: Snow and Tell Edition

The Sanitation Department is even better prepared for winter. Plus other news.

December 19, 2024
See all posts