I observed bike share in both Paris and Washington DC and interviewed one user in each city. One, not a typical rider, used it in Paris because cabs were not easily available. The other in Washington used it regularly to commute home from the train station. Neither city appropriated pedestrian sidewalk space for bike storage as far as I could see. This program for NYC is very ambitious. From the words ( I have not seen detailed plans), DOT does not plan to preempt sidewalk space. The Times story said nothing about who the intended users are or from what transportation modes the users will be diverted: whether buses, subways, cabs, private cars, walking or privately owned bikes? How are the bike storage areas related to the bike lanes? The circles do not relate to real routes. For example I would not choose to ride from Penn Station to Central Park in mixed heavy commercial traffic, but I look forward to see how this plays out. My own personal preference is bus or subway which are dependable, efficient, fast, relatively cheap, especially for a senior, weather protected and restful for reading the paper; however, a bike might be the mode of choice to go to lower Manhattan on the Hudson River Bikeway to get a boat to Staten Island, Hoboken or Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Walking is my number one mode as it is the most pleasurable way of experiencing the city, even in the rain.
