BROOKLYN — Citi Bike is for wealthy white people— that is the claim of a new study by a non-profit calling for the expansion of the popular bike sharing service to low income neighborhoods where people of color live.
However, that is just one issue this new study highlights. It also points out Citi Bike docks often do not help with the transit desert problem because many are put just feet from subway stops.
In Neighborhoods with docking stations, the median income is $36,000 dollars higher than areas with no Citi Bikes.
Zorina Coxlangdon lives in East Flatbush and the group she works for New York Communities for Change commissioned the study. She said the study also shows that Citi Bike are not really helping make life in Transit deserts any easier.
Citi Bike’s own map of docking stations tells the tale. If you are not in most parts of Manhattan or just across an East River, docking stations are rare.
There are no stations in the Bronx or Staten Island for that matter.
Rideshare giant Lyft recently bought Citi Bike’s parent company and has pledged to double the size of its service area in coming years. A spokesman also points to a program that gives New Yorkers in public housing $5 monthly ride passes.
The City Department of Transporation picks where the docks go, and also pointed to expansion plans. A spokeswoman said the city is dockless bike share programs in places like the Rockaways and Staten Island.
