Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Riders can now use the Lime or Pace bicycle-sharing mobile apps to rent bikes all along the Rockaway Peninsula.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Department of Transportation on Friday welcomed the Big Apple’s first-ever dockless bicycles to the Rockaway Peninsula, as two different companies began operations under a pilot program managed by DOT.
Last month, DOT officials visited Community Board 14, unveiled the plans and established boundaries for the pilot area. After community feedback, DOT expanded the Rockaways pilot area, which now runs from the Nassau County border west to Jacob Riis Park and the boundary of Breezy Point. Riders can now use the Lime or Pace bicycle-sharing mobile applications to rent bikes all along the peninsula.
“At 10 miles long, the Rockaway Peninsula offers tremendous opportunities – for sun, recreation, delicious food and so much more – but distances are often just too long to walk,” DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said on Friday in Rockaway Beach. “With a dockless bike, the miles from Jacob Riis Park to the A train or from the NYC Ferry dock to one of many great restaurants will seem so much more conquerable and fun. I for one cannot wait to explore those miles on a dockless bike.”
According to the administration, for the Rockaways dockless pilot, Pace will offer 50 bikes starting last Friday, with a total of 200 bicycles available within a week. Lime, which offers both regular and pedal-assist bikes, introduced 100 regular bikes last Friday and will add 100 pedal-assist bikes after July 28. Under a rule adopted last month by DOT, pedal-assist dockless bikes can be operational after Saturday, July 28 – the date when the rule clarifying pedal-assist bikes’ legal status goes fully into effect. Each company’s bikes are priced for rental at $1 per 30-minute ride – while Lime’s pedal-assist bikes will cost $1 to unlock and then 15 cents/minute thereafter.
“Bringing New York City’s first-ever dockless bicycles pilot program to the Rockaways will have a major positive impact on the entire peninsula,” said State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach). “By giving people the option to rent bicycles, DOT has made an effort to allow people a great way to access the Rockaways and for individuals to further enjoy what the peninsula has to offer, while also getting more cars off the road.”
The Rockaways is the first of four pilot areas where dockless bike share is rolling out. Later this month, the bike-share pilot will expand as bikes arrive on the North Shore of Staten Island with bikes provided by the dockless companies JUMP and Lime. After that, bikes provided by JUMP and ofo will be provided in the area around Fordham University in the central Bronx. Later this year, Coney Island in Brooklyn will also host a pilot with dockless bikes supplied by Motivate, according to DOT.
The City noted that during the pilot program, DOT will evaluate companies’ compliance with requirements around data accessibility and user privacy. Evaluation criteria will also include the safety, availability and durability of the bikes themselves. In the evaluation period, DOT will also determine future steps, including the possible implementation of pilots in different or expanded geographic areas.
