The Issue: Whether the Citi Bike bicycle-sharing program is a practical tool for New Yorkers and visitors.
***
I thought I was the only one who considered this idea untenable, to say the least (“Taken for a Ride,” Steve Cuozzo, PostScript, June 23).
It sounds like a good idea that for $9.95, you can have the bike for 24 hours. Then I noticed that you have to re-dock the bike every 30 minutes.
How can anyone do anything in 30 minutes? After 20 minutes, don’t people start to worry about finding a docking station so they don’t have to pay extra?
The only people I spoke with who seemed to find the idea cool were out-of-towners. But this lifelong New Yorker doesn’t get it.
And Cuozzo is right about the safety aspects. I found myself ignoring the bike lanes when walking because I felt safe after crossing the avenue and reaching the island. Bob Siss
Manhattan
Instead of writing a piece full of obnoxious whining, with cheap shots and an “It’s new, so I have to tear it down” attitude, Cuozzo should have done some research to find out why the software has glitches. He should’ve looked into the issues between the bike company and the coding company.
If I had the opportunity to rewrite this, I would have cut it to one sentence: “I’m scared of biking in traffic so won’t be using the bike share program, but I wish everyone who loves this system all the best.”J
ames Davis
Manhattan
Keep up the good work publicizing the hazards posed by the Citi Bike network of bicycle rentals. The city will only pay attention when the lawsuits start coming from serious injuries resulting from accidents.
The biggest threat to pedestrian safety by bikes are the hundreds, if not more, of delivery men from food establishments who go the wrong way to get to their customers. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so why make a left turn onto a downtown street when going against traffic saves time and makes the messenger more money?
Bicyclists don’t care.
Laurence Weinberg
Manhattan
Cuozzo hit the nail on the head about this and many other programs that Mayor Bloomberg and bike-freak Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan ram down the throats of real New Yorkers.
They have big ideas that are politically correct, but fall way short on execution and have adverse effects on the working class of this city.
This dawned on me after a family of four unsteady, helmet-less Citi Bike riders almost ran me over on the sidewalk at Broadway and Reade Street, going northbound on southbound Broadway.
They seemed annoyed that I said that they should obey traffic regulations and to ride in the proper direction on the street and not the sidewalk.
Based on their reaction, if this same group of riders, who will eventually have to ride on the street, were to get hurt — not that I wish it on them — they would probably sue the city for not providing a safe riding environment. John Young
Manhattan
Cuozzo makes the absurd claim that riding a bike is only just barely faster than walking, while also claiming that he is somewhat comfortable on a bike.
Anyone who knows the slightest thing about bikes can see that his seat is 6 to 7 inches too low and is a model of inefficiency. Maybe if he actually knew anything about the mechanics of a bike, he would raise his seat to the appropriate height and get some power and efficiency in his pedal stroke.
He would find out how much quicker riding a bike is than walking, even when riding at the most casual pace and stopping for every red light.Ben McRoberts
Brooklyn