Bike Sharing

I wish I could say I was surprised that the Times published Ginia Bellafante's collection of stereotypes and gripes about bike-share in the Sunday edition. But it's exactly the kind of shallow kvetchfest I've come to expect when the Times tries to encapsulate the state of bike-related public policy. Mostly I'm just embarrassed, as a New Yorker and a journalist, that the most prestigious newspaper in our city keeps publishing stuff like this.

Last night, Council Member Tish James held a public forum after receiving complaints about bike-share stations in her district, covering Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. The event, held inside Sacred Heart Church on Clermont Avenue, attracted an audience of about 100, with a small majority there to show support for bike-share. For two hours, residents expressed support or vented frustration at the microphone, with James and NYC DOT Policy Director Jon Orcutt stepping in to provide information.

This just in: Council Member Tish James has moved the location of tonight's neighborhood forum about bike-share. The meeting starts at 6:30 and the new location is: Sacred Heart Church, 30 Clermont Avenue between Flushing and Park.

While polls have shown that upwards of 70 percent of New Yorkers support bike-share and DOT engaged in a multi-year public process for station siting, a vocal minority in Fort Greene is objecting to public bike stations in the landmarked district. At least one extremist has gone so far as to tar newly-installed stations with wheatpaste posters decrying the Citibank-sponsored kiosks. In response to the neighborhood chatter, Council Member Tish James has scheduled a community meeting about bike-share for tonight.

Over the weekend, crews finished striping new bike routes on 14th Street and 15th Street in Brooklyn, creating a safer east-west connection between Prospect Park West and Third Avenue on the southern end of Park Slope. These are painted, unprotected lanes, except for the westbound stretch between PPW and Eighth Avenue, which is sharrows. Reader Brian Wilson sent in this photo of the new stripes on 14th Street by the Park Slope Armory.

Remember the Fort Greene residents who complained last year that bike-share stations don't belong in their historic, landmarked neighborhood -- even though you can find cobalt-blue Volvos and banana-yellow, late-model Beemers taking up the curb on those same blocks?

Jacques Capsouto is the Tribeca restaurateur who got some nice free publicity by throwing a one-man tantrum yesterday about the bike-share station going up next to his restaurant, Capsouto Freres. Of course, it's probably just a matter of time before Capsouto realizes that having 23 public bike docks by his front door is a customer magnet. The question is, when?

Steve Levin is the second council member to announce his Citi Bike membership. He is one of over 5,000 people to sign up for bike-share since memberships went on sale Monday.

Citi Bike station installations began in Bed Stuy about ten days ago, working west through Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn. Now, with about 60 stations installed, bike-share has crossed the East River, the Citi Bike Twitter feed informs us that the system's first Manhattan installation has gone in at Cliff Street and Fulton Street in the Financial District. The system is scheduled to launch next month, and thousands of New Yorkers have subscribed since annual memberships went on sale Monday.