The Bronx River Alliance is proud to announce that we are collaborating with Citi Bike in efforts to expand access to bike sharing and address transportation inequities in the Bronx!
Alongside other organizations such as The Black Feminist Project (South Bronx), I Challenge Myself (Washington Heights), Word of Life International (The Bronx), The Marcy Lab School (Brooklyn), Odyssey House (The Bronx), Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (The Bronx), Red Hook Initiative (Brooklyn), Boys & Girls Club of Harlem (Harlem), Transportation Alternatives (The Bronx), Urban Upbound (Harlem), El Puente (Brooklyn), and Third Avenue Business Improvement District, the Bronx River Alliance will work with Citi Bike to complete the Bronx River Greenway, advocate for improved bike infrastructure, promote bike usage, and grow enrollment in the Reduced Fare Bike Share Program, increasing access to bikeshare in low-income neighborhoods and underrepresented communities.
Citi Bike is partnering with Healthfirst for the Reduced Fare Bike Share Program to expand access to bike share through $5 monthly memberships for all New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients that do not require annual commitment. Residents that are 16 years or older are eligible for the $5 membership; the first 45 minutes of each rider are included in the fee.
Accessible and affordable transportation is critical, as it connects communities to jobs, educational opportunities, other communities, and various necessities. It can also help reduce road congestion and traffic, pollution, and energy consumption. The Center for Social Inclusion that,“Public transit, in particular, is vital to people with low incomes and people of color who own fewer cars and tend to live further away from living-wage jobs than their white peers. We know, for instance, that Black people are six times more likely and Latinos three times more likely than white people to rely on public transit. And to compound matters, in the last decade, the proximity of job centers to high-poverty communities has declined by 61 percent, which means that people of color are increasingly disconnected from their jobs”.
As part of the Phase 3 expansion, Citi Bike has been rapidly installing new stations throughout the South Bronx. Some of these new stations are adjacent to Starlight Park and Concrete Plant Park, bringing Citi Bike to the Bronx River Greenway and facilitating new recreational opportunities for people to get active.
The planned expansion through 2023 will include the various Bronx neighborhoods including Mott Haven, Melrose, Port Morris, Highbridge, Claremont, Morrisania, Longwood, Concourse, and Mt. Eden. Please check here, for a map of the Citi Bike stations around your area.
New to Citi Bike? Be sure to check out this video to learn the basics and pick up some tips and tricks on how to ride safely in NYC.
Citi Bike also offers special offers and classes, so be sure to be on the lookout. Just recently on October 22nd, Citi Bike offered a Virtual Bike Safety Class in both English and Mandarin. In order to safely bike the streets of New York, here are some tips!
Plan a sensible route
Do a pre-ride check
Wear a helmet
Obey traffic signals
Yield to pedestrians
Ride in the direction of traffic
Ride with caution
Stay off sidewalks
Use hand signals
Never ride distracted!!
Happy Riding!
