In his State of the City address this month, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson officially declared the start of New Rochelle Bike Share, Westchester County’s first public program of its kind.
Bike sharing — and urban bicycling in general — has grown popular in recent years for both ease of use and as a means of mitigating the pitfalls of automobile traffic: Congestion and air pollution can be serious problems for both residents and commuters. The ability to get to work in a way that is healthy and environmentally friendly is a boon for many, but being able to do so without shelling out the cash for a personal bicycle is a game-changer.
The program, run by P3 Global Management, parks 100 bicycles throughout the city of New Rochelle at 11 different locations. Patrons can download an app to their smartphones which allows them to pick a payment method, locate the nearest available bike, and unlock it for use. A test program for the initiative, launched in March, registered some 400 individual users in just the two months it was available.
À la carte pricing is $2 per 30 minutes, but frequent cyclers may prefer to try a weekly or annual pass with unlimited 30 minute rides (plus $2 for each additional 30 minutes) for $12.95 or $95 respectively. Students can even pick up a specially discounted annual pass for only $65!
One especially cool feature: the bike’s “smart locks” allow you to secure it anywhere you would a normal bike — say, in front of a corner store when you stop mid-ride for your morning coffee, or at the park after you successfully chase down the ice cream truck. The bikes can then be dropped off in designated locations for the next rider.
New Rochelle isn’t the only town getting in on calf-sculpting public transport: Both White Plains and Yonkers are paving the way for public bike shares, while many other communities have been steadily adding and improving bike lanes and trails for the past several years.
Would you take advantage of a bike-share in your town? Let us know below!
