On-Demand Public Transportation

Why Citi Bike matters more than you think

As a resident of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, and a car owner, I’ve already welcomed Citi Bike into my life. Each morning, after taking my kids to school nearby, I use Citi Bike to get to a different subway stop in Brooklyn and head to my office in Williamsburg or in Gramercy. Between MNS Gramercy and MNS Chelsea, in the past had required an M23 bus and a walk. No more. A one-way Citi Bike journey has been a great benefit—-forget about waiting for a $15 rush hour cab to go 20–30 blocks. See you later, subway transfers. What could be more in keeping with the spirit of New Yorkers than transportation when you want it—-in other words, on demand.

City Council member Stephen Levin agrees with me. “I am excited about the introduction of bike-share to the neighborhoods I represent, and New York City as a whole,” he told us. Levin represents the 33rd District, which includes Greenpoint, parts of Williamsburg, Vinegar Hill, Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill and parts of Park Slope. “Citi Bike will provide a fun and healthy option for New Yorkers to move about the city and will create a more inter-connected transportation system across a variety of modes.”

People will rethink how to get from point A to point B with the bike share program in the mix.

Levin, who’s petitioning Commissioner Khan to include Greenpoint and North Williamsburg in the program (they were scheduled but bypassed), does foresee other positive impact. “The benefits of Citi Bike extend to real estate,” says Levin, a Citi Bike member himself. “Already, some real estate agents are touting the proximity of Citi Bike stations in their listings.”

Click here to find out how Citi Bike will impact real estate pricing