Citi Bikes

Does anyone use Citi Bike from Penn Station?  How do you like it?  Do you find bikes readily available at Penn Station?  I'm thinking about buying a yearly pass.  Just crowd sourcing for feedback.  Thanks!

I use it to and from Penn occasionally from the docks along Eighth Ave. and haven't had trouble finding a bike at 8 or 9. They seem to be good at restocking the bikes from a trailer or truck when the supply is low.  The app shows how many bikes and docks are available at a given station in  real time (more or less).

I would definitely try it for a few days before getting a yearly pass. I tried the bikes a few times but they were unwieldy, the roads and traffic were often difficult terrain, and the bike stations not always available.

My husband takes a bike out of Penn every day that weather permits.  Today he had a hard time getting one but it is usually not the case.

Even if you don't use it as your primary way of intra-city commuting, the fee is ridiculously low. You'll get your money's worth if you end up using it lightly. I have a friend who lives in Portland, OR and comes to the city six times a year. He has a membership.

Paying for it on occasional days is a pain. Getting your daily pass on the spot takes too long. An annual membership is much nicer. I own too many bikes of my own, and I'm still a member. I love being able to grab a bike whenever I want (almost) and then dropping it off without worrying about locking it up or taking it later when I don't want it.

There are so-called balancing challenges, though. Sometimes you go for a bike, and there are none. Sometimes you want to dock your bike and there are no slots. So it's not perfect.

Definitely get the blessed smartphone app. I recently discovered an alternate app called WABA, which stands for "Where a Bike At?" *emoticon*

Thanks all!  I just signed up.  And those apps are on my phone now - thank you for those.  

My wife and I use it 'often' getting to and from Penn Station for our commutes (we moved here in Feb) and it's fine when you can get a bike.  When the weather is nice it can be near impossible.

I sometimes have problems waiting for a dock at Penn, the other day I had to wait about 10 minutes for a balancer to come by and remove bikes, but most days I see them there right before I arrive.

Because of all of this I can't really leave the office any sooner than if I was going to walk, so at best it gets me a few extra minutes at Penn (and I do prefer the biking to walking).

So it's worth having, because compared to a lot of other aspects of a commute it's pretty cheap, but it's reliability makes NJ Transit look like an atomic clock by comparison.

This morning, on a whim, I rode a Citibike from Bank St to 13 St (really Greenwich Ave), a distance of 0.3 miles, while on my way to my subway station. Because I can.

http://goo.gl/txB1Af

That's the great thing about having an annual pass. It takes me about the same amount of time to cycle as it does to walk to work, but the bike is much more fun.

Just FYI, as I was grabbing my CitiBike this morning around 6:50, the police were giving out tickets to riders who were biking the wrong way on 8th Ave in the bike lane! Be careful!

smurfette said:
Just FYI, as I was grabbing my CitiBike this morning around 6:50, the police were giving out tickets to riders who were biking the wrong way on 8th Ave in the bike lane! Be careful!

My wife got a ticket the other day for running the red light at 32nd st. This is the pedestrian light in the middle of the post office/Penn Station block that doesn't have an actual street involved. Seems pretty bogus, but I've been stopping just before the light and walking to the docks just in case.

I received a ticket from the NYS DMV two weeks ago at 38th & 1st Avenue. I was stopped but went through a red light 3 seconds too early when no cars or pedestrians were around. Glad enforcement is happening but I'm a conservative, law-abiding Citibike rider, just unlucky that day.

Tickets for riding the wrong way? Hallelujah! This is the first I've heard of it. As far as I'm concerned, wrong way cycling is the most rude, disruptive and dangerous thing cyclists do. As far as I'm concerned, the police can cease enforcing all other laws on cycling if that's what it takes to enforce this one. I do not ride the wrong way, and no one should. If "be careful" means don't get caught, I disagree. Don't do it in the first place.

My hub has used citi bike as part of his commute for a couple years. Loves it.

And a few times we have go e to the city and used citibikes for adventures like going across Brooklyn bridge, or riding down to ferry to gov island. Riding along the path at west side highway is really fun

That path -- or at least part of it -- is called the Hudson River Greenway, and it is the most heavily bike commuting route in the US. I take it from below 14th St to my job in the Bronx. It's a gorgeous route, and I'm very lucky that it spans work and home. It's 13 or 14 miles, depending on how I go. I hardly have to ride in motor traffic at all. Of course, Citibike doesn't reach that far north, so I have to ride one of my own bikes.

Tom_Reingold said:
Tickets for riding the wrong way? Hallelujah! This is the first I've heard of it. As far as I'm concerned, wrong way cycling is the most rude, disruptive and dangerous thing cyclists do. As far as I'm concerned, the police can cease enforcing all other laws on cycling if that's what it takes to enforce this one. I do not ride the wrong way, and no one should. If "be careful" means don't get caught, I disagree. Don't do it in the first place.

Completely agree Tom. Too many cyclists think that salmoning is acceptable behavior. I've yelled at many cyclists who salmon against me when I ride but thankfully I've only had near misses.

I love the Greenway - used to bike commute from Columbia area down to the financial district. I miss it since moving out here, especially in the nice weather. Have thought about using citibikes to do the Penn station to financial district loop, but i keep wimping out/ finding excuses. This thread is making me think I should pull it together and at least try it