UPPER EAST SIDE — Citi Bike is set to roll out on the Upper East Side over the next two years, and the city recently asked residents where they thought the docks should appear in the neighborhood.
The bike share stations will be installed every three or four blocks between East 60th Street and East 130th Street by 2017, according to Department of Transportation spokeswoman Bonny Tsang.
DNAinfo New York spoke to residents about where they thought the bikes should or shouldn't go at a Citi Bike workshop last week and posted their thoughts on a map.
Share your thoughts with us by commenting below or tweeting @DNAinfo, and we’ll add them to the map.
Green dots show places where residents want to see new Citi Bike stations. Red dots show spots where residents think a station would be hazardous or in the way.
In addition to the Upper East Side, Citi Bike is also expected to expand into the Upper West Side, Harlem and parts of Brooklyn and Queens, doubling the number of stations in the city. The cost of membership will also increase, from $95 to $149.
At last week's Citi Bike workshop on the Upper East Side, some locals were concerned that stations, which run from 40 to 167 feet in length, would cause congestion and look clunky in a neighborhood that has several historic districts.
“There are a lot of historic districts in the neighborhood, and bike racks just don’t belong,” said UES resident Elizabeth Ashley. “They’re eyesores.”
The shortest station in the city so far holds 19 bikes and the longest, installed near Penn Station, has 67 docks, said DOT representative Andrew Watanabe.
“There will be more docks depending on the level of activity in the area, “ Watanabe said. “For instance there will be more docks close to subways and museums.”
Major problem locations highlighted by residents included areas near Second Avenue subway construction and near the upcoming Marine Transfer Station, as well as the streets coming off the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge and the FDR Drive.
“There are already going to be a lot of trucks coming here because of the Marine Transfer Station, and throwing Citi Bike in the mix will be a mess,” said resident Jim Jordan, 60.
Other residents, though, were thrilled to have the bike share option closer to home.
“It has to happen near my apartment,” said 23-year-old Claire Brennan. “I’m really excited about this. I used it once a day when I used to live downtown. It’s great for short, one-way trips.”
As a group of Upper East Siders discussed their concerns at one table, Councilman Ben Kallos dropped in to address some of their concerns.
“It comes down to what’s a lesser evil,” Kallos said. “Where do you think it won’t be as bad as another location?”
