Citi Bike Slow to Take Off in Harlem

Although on the rise, Citi Bike use in Harlem remains low.

Share

By Joaquim Salles

Citi Bike use in Harlem is among the lowest in New York City, according to a recent study which found that bike sharing uptown was nowhere near as frequent as in other neighborhoods. It also concluded that Citi Bike stations are overwhelmingly located in more affluent areas of New York.

Harlem lies at the edge of the area currently covered by Citi Bike, which only reaches 130th Street, leaving out most of uptown Manhattan.

“We wanted to provide data to inform some dialogue about where it would make sense for Citi Bike to expand, given their commitment to socioeconomic justice,” said Lou Seltz, a researcher at McGill University and co-author of the study.

Analyzing data for June and December 2018, the study—commissioned by New York Communities for Change and conducted by McGill’s Urban Politics Research Group—looked at daily rides per square mile to determine Citi Bike’s popularity in neighborhoods with bike stations.

Most of Harlem placed in the lowest bracket of zero to 600 rides per square mile, with East Harlem showing some of the lowest use.  In areas where Citi Bike is most used, such as midtown and downtown Manhattan, rides per square mile were in the 6,000 or more range. A more granular look at the data shows that most of Harlem is in the 300 to 500 daily rides per square mile range.

Map showing Citi Bike use in New York provided by Lou Seltz

Researchers also identified a positive correlation between Citi Bike use, income level, education level and race, but a small one. Only 6% of the variation in use could be attributed to income.

In general, the study found that whiter, richer and more educated areas used Citi Bikes the most. Median household income in central Harlem is $49,995 according to data from NYU’s Furman Center, significantly below the median household income of $90,400 for all areas Citi Bike serves.

Citi Bike could not be reached for comment.

“We grew up in Harlem. Even people that we hang out with don’t use them,” said Larry Key, 31, a state park ranger.

“None of my family members use them. I don’t even have friends that ride those bikes,” said Cleo Fields, 44, another lifelong Harlem resident. “A lot of people complain about the fares,” he added.

Citi Bike operates under an unusual model; unlike the vast majority of bike-sharing programs in other urban centers, it receives no subsidies.

As of May 2018, an annual Citi Bike membership costs $169, up from $95 when the system rolled out in 2013. Residents in public housing can get memberships for $5 a month, and the city recently started a program to give a free month of Citi Bikes to food stamp recipients and public housing residents.

“The problem is that a lot of people in NYCHA developments aren’t aware,” said David Nocenti, executive director at Union Settlement, a non-profit that runs several community programs in East Harlem.

This summer, Union Settlement tried to raise awareness of the reduced Citi Bike fare program at community events. The fact that East Harlem has a large non-English speaking population has made the program more difficult to promote, said Nocenti. According to census data, 39% of East Harlem residents are native Spanish speakers.

“If the usage number increases over time, then we’ll know we’re being successful,” said Nocenti. He added that many low-income residents who are not NYCHA tenants or food stamp recipients still can’t afford the membership.

Although still comparatively low, Citi Bike use in Harlem overall has increased steadily over the past year. Data shows that 54,951 rides originated from Harlem stations in May, a 37% increase from last year.

Transit issues might also explain why Citi Bike usage is low in Harlem. “I’m sure the lack of protected bike lane infrastructure uptown is a factor,” said Thomas DeVito, senior director of advocacy at the non-profit Transportation Alternatives. In 2013, before the city launched bike-sharing in downtown Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, DeVito said, it made sure those areas had protected bike lanes — but not uptown.

“Many activists, including myself, are pretty frustrated at how slow the city is bringing improvements to Harlem,” said Martin Wallace, a member of Community Board 9 and an advocate for better biking infrastructure uptown. Part of the reason for the slow progress, however, has been resistance from community boards. “If the plans involve the loss of even one parking space members of the community board get upset,” he said.

There are no protected bike lanes in all of Harlem, and the few paths that connect the east and west sides of the neighborhood are poorly maintained, said Wallace. In April, the city overruled Community Board 9 to make improvements and add new bike lanes to an accident-prone stretch of Amsterdam Avenue between West 110th and 155th streets.

Citi Bike has announced plans to expand over the coming years, with new stations in Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood, along with the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, by 2023.

(Photo by Joaquim Salles)

 

 

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

* Copy This Password *

* Type Or Paste Password Here *

56,101 Spam Comments Blocked so far by Spam Free Wordpress