DOWNTOWN — Downtown is where Divvy gets busy.
Of the nearly 500 Divvy stations in Chicago, the bike-sharing system's two most-used stops are near Downtown locales familiar to both locals and tourists: Navy Pier and Grant Park.
The Divvy station by Navy Pier at 585 E. Illinois St. registered 47,964 rides from June 30, 2014, to July 1, more than any station in the city during that period. The Navy Pier stop is also responsible for more rides — 198,476 — than any other station since Divvy first planted blue bicycles here in 2013.
Not far behind the pier is a stop at Lake Shore Drive and Monroe Street, where 33,491 rides were registered last year and 144,058 since 2013.
Other prominent corners round out the top five busiest stations Downtown. They are:
• Michigan Avenue and Oak Street: 27,466 rides last year and 123,536 all-time.
• Michigan and Monroe: 26,435 rides last year and 126,763 all-time.
• Lake Shore and North Boulevard: 25,784 rides last year and 90,128 all-time.
DNAinfo on Monday mapped the 2.5 million Divvy rides taken in the last year. Some of the treks that caught our eye included the 16 excursions from Navy Pier to the Museum of Science and Industry, and the one person who biked nine miles from Monroe to South Shore Drive and 71st Street.
Divvy rides have grown every year here since the bike-sharing system launched, and by next spring Divvy plans to open 75 new stations with help from a $3 million state grant. The new stations' exact locations have yet to be determined, but public officials and others hope more will come to the city's South and Southwest sides. In July, Divvy introduced its "Divvy for Everyone" program, which offers an annual membership to low-income residents for $5, instead of the standard $75.
Though Divvy has caught on quickly with Chicagoans, some Downtown stations still lag behind many others. They include:
• Wells and 19th streets: 938 rides last year and 4,166 total.
• Wells and Elm streets: 876 rides last year (opened in 2015).
• Halsted and North Branch streets: 661 rides last year (opened in 2015).
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