mark1447 Posted August 18, 2012 Share #1 Posted August 18, 2012 There will be no shiny blue Citi Bikes on the streets of New York until March. “Unfortunately there are software issues” said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg Friday on his radio show on WOR with John Gambling. The mayor said: “One of the newspapers keeps writing, ‘you’re hiding something.’ Yeah, well, nothing. The software doesn’t work. Duh. Until it works, we’re not going to put it out until it does work.” “We did think there would be a possibility of a partial launch but at this point – At which point, Gambling interjected: “Next year?” “The spring,” Mayor Bloomberg responded. “Hopefully the software will work by then. We want to make sure that it works. Washington and Boston are pretty good tests.” The Mayor added that “mother nature” makes winter a poor time to launch a system. A press release from the NYC Department of Transportation (full text below) sent out shortly after the Mayor’s radio statement clarified the launch date will be “March” for phase 1 of the program, which will include 7,000 bikes at 420 stations. The statement did not specify what neighborhoods, or with what pace the bikes would be deployed. Chicago also delayed its launch until spring, and before its own system went live, Boston delayed so as not to have the system get going just as a cold, northeast winter was getting under way. Bike share relies on physical activity, and streets clear of snow and ice. The New York bike share program was to have launched July 31. But that day came and went with city officials tight-lipped about why. Mayor Bloomberg only said the problem had to do with software issues. “It really is very advanced technology,” the Mayor said Friday. “Each station is like a dock, each place you stick in a bike is a computer, and everything runs on solar power so you don’t need a lot of wiring and there’s no burden on the electrical system. There’s an enormous number of transactions you have to communicate in real time to central computers.” With 10,000 bikes at full roll-out New York’s system will be, by several orders of magnitude, the largest system in U.S., and the largest in North America. The next largest U.S. system is in Washington, with about 2,000 bikes. Read the Rest: http://transportationnation.org/2012/08/17/breaking-bloomberg-nyc-bike-share-to-launch-in-spring/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N6 Limited Posted August 19, 2012 Share #2 Posted August 19, 2012 Spring would be a better launch time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Up Front Posted August 20, 2012 Share #3 Posted August 20, 2012 NYC is not for bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N4 Via Merrick Rd Posted August 20, 2012 Share #4 Posted August 20, 2012 NYC is not for bikes. Agreed. unless you are too cheap for the bus or subway. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realizm Posted August 20, 2012 Share #5 Posted August 20, 2012 That's what I'm saying. Why sacrifice needed roadway for bike lanes on major thoroughways? I can understand the health and enviormental benefits with bike riding to destinations but this is not 1903 in NYC. Can't get this mayor sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NX Express Posted August 20, 2012 Share #6 Posted August 20, 2012 Well, there must be a reason nearly every other major city in the Western world has done this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GojiMet86 Posted August 20, 2012 Share #7 Posted August 20, 2012 Well, there must be a reason nearly every other major city in the Western world has done this... I'm pretty sure some will use an apple-and-orange comparison as a reason not to have bike share in NYC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeystoneRegional Posted August 23, 2012 Share #8 Posted August 23, 2012 We do need bike lanes here in New York City, but the City still has to recognize road transportation, that's why we have goods on the shelves of Duane Reade, we can eat food at our favorite places, mine's being Pax Natural Foods and Chipotle Mexican Grill and we can shop at Century 21 and UniQlo. Also, that's why we have buses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Up Front Posted August 24, 2012 Share #9 Posted August 24, 2012 Well, there must be a reason nearly every other major city in the Western world has done this... Because European cities are tailored more to public transit and bikes than NYC. Never mind the higher prices and taxes on gasoline over there, though their gasoline is far stronger than ours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VWM Posted August 31, 2012 Share #10 Posted August 31, 2012 European cities have this because no one drives... their gas is equivalent to like, 6 bucks a gallon. Aaaand there are a lot of tourists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N6 Limited Posted September 5, 2012 Share #11 Posted September 5, 2012 Northeast Cities are similar to European cities for obvious reasons. To say that bikes don't belong in NYC is shortsighted. The same could be said about cars, since the streets were initially for horse and buggie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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