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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Citi Bike to Expand Into Harlem

By Dartunorro Clark | August 2, 2016 3:24pm
 Citi BIke is working to expand above 85th Street in Manhattan with 17 stations slated for East Harlem.
Citi BIke is working to expand above 85th Street in Manhattan with 17 stations slated for East Harlem.
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DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

HARLEM — Citi Bike will expand into Harlem with 28 new docking stations as far north as 110th Street, the city announced Tuesday.

The Department of Transportation and Motivate, which operates the bike share services, will bring 17 bike stations into Harlem with 16 between East 96th and East 110th Streets and one at Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and Central Park North before the end of August, according to a map of planned installations.

More will be in place south of 96th Street.

It's part of the company’s efforts to grow the service above 85th Street in Manhattan, where it currently ends, the release said.

 Seventeen stations are slated for installation in East Harlem before the end of August.
Seventeen stations are slated for installation in East Harlem before the end of August.
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Citi Bike

"The expansion of Citi Bike to the Upper East Side and East Harlem will bring a new transportation option to our residents,” said Manhattan Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez.

“Bike sharing is a healthy, economical, environmentally friendly alternative that can reduce congestion on our roads and subways.”

The 17 stations are a part of 30 stations the company is planning in East Harlem, DNAinfo New York previously reported

The bike stations have also drawn a fair share of criticism from East Harlem residents, who feel the presence of the bikes could inconvenience parking and potential noise complaints from trucks that deliver new bikes to empty stations. 

Residents in Central Harlem have also voiced similar concerns, but many have said it would help relieve stress to overcrowded cross-town busses and promote health and exercise in a community

Martin Baez, a Harlem community leader, said the bike share program may be out of reach to some residents.

“Most people on a fixed income don’t have access to a credit card or a debit card,” he told DNAinfo, referring to how riders pay to access the bikes.

“It’s the gateway to further gentrify the community.”

Four new stations opened Tuesday morning on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, with two on East 88th Street between Park and Fifth avenues and two on West 87th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and West End Avenues, according to the release. 

Another seven stations are expected to be installed in those neighborhoods before the end of the month, officials said.

The service will also add 16 more infill stations to existing Citi Bike zones in those areas.

This expansion is expected to add 140 docking stations to the city’s streets, the release said. Citywide, officials expect to have 600 docking stations and 10,000 bikes by the end of the year and 12,000 bikes by 2017.

An annual membership costs $149 per year and there are discounts for NYCHA residents and members of certain credit unions.