What are the Citibike Dock Location Guidelines?
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Sites must have unrestricted, 24/7 public access.
Sites should ensure maximum visibility and access.
Sites must not impeded any existing facilities, such as bus stops or fire hydrants.
SIDEWALK SITE REQUIREMENTS
Preferred minimum sidewalk width: 16 feet. Medians my be considered.
Sites should not interfere with existing pedestrian travel patterns.
Lateral measurements for sidewalk sites shall not be:
Within 15 feet in front of subway stairs or subway elevators.
Sited on a sidewalk less than 15 feet from a bus stop shelter entrance; or
Directly in front of the main entrance to major buildings (e.g. Empire State Building)
ON-STREET REQUIREMENTS
Sites must meet DOT safety criteria.
Minimum allowable curb-lane width: 8 feet.
Sites may not be in bus stops.
Sites may not be in lianes that become driving lanes (e.g. rush-hour lanes).
Stations may be placed in non-parking areas in curb lanes, such as locations that have been “daylighted” to enhance safety and improve visibility.
PARKS, NYCHA, AND OTHER CITY PROPERTY
Sites may be on Parks Department property or on other City properties at the discretion of the relevant agency.
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Sites may be on private property at the property owner’s discretions.
Sites on private property must have 24/7, unrestricted public access.
Source: Bike Share: Designed by New Yorkers, Appendix B, NYC DOT
Who’s in charge of where docks are placed in Tribeca?
A PROCESS IS IN CHARGE, NOT 1 PERSON. THIS IS THE PROCESS:
Citibike locations are part of a master plan maintained by the DOT (apparently).The DOT alerts the Community Board (CB) of a neighborhood location scheduled for a new dock. The local CB holds a working session with people (who find out about it) and the DOT to inform the location selection. The DOT installs the bike dock.
That’s “the process”, but that is not what’s happened in Tribeca. Since CB1 was reorganized a few years ago, there have been no working sessions with the DOT for new locations or for expansions of existing locations. They just appear. (if that’s incorrect, Contact Us with a more accurate explanation). It appears to have been 8 years since the DOT had a working session with the community about dock locations.
Now, mid-pandemic, there is a lot of creative and necessary thinking going on to help local restaurants and expand safe transportation options to and from Tribeca. But there is not really a process for neighbors to voice an opinion. Until there is, hopefully this site can create some clarity.
What can I do if I don’t agree with a dock location?
Organize your neighbors who feel the same way you do, and all mobilize them to register your POV with CB1 (if you live in Lower Manhattan). You should also email and call the DOT, as they are doing the installing. You can all attend CB1 phone calls (they happen often), and voice your opinion there. You can all send us a note on this site, and we will put the location in question into a survey - but then it is up to you to publicize and organize support for your POV.
Who’s behind this site?
We are a group of neighbors who live in Tribeca. We love Citibike and are grateful to the great volunteers of CB1 who manage the intersection of “the neighborhood” and “the City”. There is a lot of passion and management that goes on into the frequent CB1 calls -- not for the faint of heart. So, thank you again, CB1.
We thought it might be helpful to offer our fellow neighbors an alternative way to express an opinion to CB1 and the DOT. Especially, mid-pandemic, people do not have the time to be on very long calls to register an opinion. The hope is that this site might be somewhat useful for giving neighbors a tool for promoting data, facts and ideas about what’s happening in Tribeca (and specifically around Duane Park) -- and to let other neighbors weigh-in.
Then, armed with data from the site, CB1 can have a measure of neighborhood sentiment - in this case, the (recent DOT) suggestion of an expanded Citibike dock on Duane Street. We think there are smarter locations than Duane Street for an expansion.
And so we looked at the usage numbers kindly provided by the same data-experts used by the City, and researched some smarter alternative locations for Citibike docks that consider both the need for more Citibike’s and the impact of docks directly in front of residences and businesses.
How can I weigh in?
Check-out the survey here. Or if you have a BETTER IDEA for a proposed Citibike location IN TRIBECA, let us know and we’ll include it in the next survey we launch. It’s a new process, so definitely send whatever supporting images you can, and we’ll do our best to put it up. Then it’s up to you to promote the survey link (with your POV) to others. Please understand that you have no editorial control over anything you provide to us - we’ll do our best to accommodate changes you make, but can’t guarantee the timing. Also, the results are not private: we’ll share them with you, and possibly the recipients of the newsletter, CB1, Tribeca Citizen, etc. In other words, this is not a great way to test the waters for an idea you alone have. If it gets no traction, we’ll remove it from the site.
Why can’t we just have Citi Bike Valet Service or Bike Angels, if Tribeca is so busy?
We’re curious about that too. Here is what we know:
Bike Angels: “Bike Angels are Citi Bike riders who improve the availability of bikes and docks for fellow riders and earn rewards along the way. Angels earn points for taking bikes from crowded stations and bringing them to empty ones or stations expected to soon become empty. Rack up the points by cycling from a full station to an empty station.”
Bike Valets: “Citi Bike offers Valet Service for expanded bike and dock availability at high volume stations during peak usage times. Each station will be staffed by a Citi Bike team member allowing the station to operate at increased capacity.
Valet Service available on a first-come, first-served basis. We have limited availability based on off-station bike parking capacities, so look for a valet icon on the Citi Bike map for live service status before riding.”