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MTA May Help Speed Up Citi Bike Expansion During G Train Outage

By Meredith Hoffman | June 18, 2013 12:00pm
 The MTA may help finance the expansion in Greenpoint and Long Island City, a spokeswoman said.
Bike Share Expansion
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GREENPOINT — The G train may be shutting down for a dozen weekends come July, but the MTA may be helping to replace it with pedal power.

After subway riders and local residents petitioned for early installation of the city's bike share stations in North Brooklyn, the MTA is considering helping Citi Bike speed up placement of the kiosks in Greenpoint and Long Island City — neighborhoods affected by the G outages.

Installation was originally scheduled for the fall.

An MTA spokeswoman confirmed that the agency is working with the city to explore accelerating the introduction of the bike share service, after the Daily News first reported the possibility.

The spokeswoman would not comment further on details of the plan. The proposal follows a petition drive led by Councilman Stephen Levin that gathered  hundreds of signatures to expedite Citi Bike installations, along with campaigning from the Riders Alliance to bring alternate forms of transportation to the area.

"Our members have proposed a number of ideas for accommodating G-train riders during this extended period of construction, and expanding bike-share was one of the first ideas on the list," Riders Alliance executive director John Raskin said.

"It is just one of many steps the MTA and city will have to take to successfully accommodate riders during tunnel construction on the R and G trains."