FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 18, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Jamaica councilwoman slams Citi Bike expansion plan
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@qns.com
@QNS
Aft er New York Communities
for Change published a report
last week revealing that Citi Bike
serves the city’s wealthiest and
whitest residents who already
have more transit options, two
things happened.
On Monday four Council
members, including Adrienne
Adams of Jamaica, penned a letter
to Department of Transportation
Commissioner Polly Trottenberg
accusing Citi Bike of monopolization
and demanding that the
DOT release details of the contract
the agency announced with
Citi Bike in November.
A day later, the de Blasio administration
announced the boundaries
of its Citi Bike expansion over
the next fi ve years, which is aimed
at bike share system to a larger
and more economically diverse
range of communities.
Th e New York Communities
for Change report identifi ed
Rockaway and Jamaica as two of
the most economically vulnerable
neighborhoods that could benefi t
from Citi Bike, as it would connect a massive
population to the subway. However,
Citi Bike snubbed these southeast Queens
neighborhoods in its plans.
Ridgewood is the only Queens neighborhood
that will receive any bike lanes
over the next year as part of an existing
expansion of Citi Bike in the L-train
Image courtesy of the Mayor’s Offi ce and the City Council/John McCarten
corridor. Sunnyside, Maspeth, Elmhurst,
Jackson Heights and Corona will receive
the expansion somewhere in between 2020
and 2023.
Aft er de Blasio’s announcement,
Adams shot back with a statement
that slammed the program for not
prioritizing the equity of its service
over its profi t motive.
“Th e many transportation deserts
and communities of color in
Queens have already waited far
too long for Citi Bike and many
neighborhoods are still being
denied,” said Councilwoman
Adams in a statement. “Th ere are
so many New Yorkers that could
benefi t from access to this program
designed to expand transportation
options. We need a plan
that will serve the interests of all
New Yorkers or a company that
will make equity a priority.”
Without any public subsidy, Citi
Bike maintains it designs its stations
in a manner that will supply
just enough subscription income
for the system to function. In the
letter to Trottenberg, the Council
members pointed out that while
Citi Bike is a private entity, it is
fulfi lls the role of a public service,
and therefore it should have the
same obligations to be accountable
to the public as any other
public transit service program.
Th e program, owned by Lyft ,
will invest $100 million for the expansion.
It will add bikes to the existing coverage
area, doubling its service area and bringing
the total size of its fl eet to 40,000.
Left: a map of the Citi Bike expansion. Right: Councilwoman Adrienne Adams.
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