The City Bike Sharing Program: A Firsthand Experience

It's been just over a month since Mayor Bloomberg and City Bank unveiled the city bike bike sharing program, and we are thrilled to declare that as of this moment, City Bite is officially launched. The program has met with a lot of criticism and praise, but we want to know how the people of New York feel about it. To get an idea, we decided to take a closer look at how the program is being received by the public.

One of our first interviews was with a gentleman who had just taken his first ride on the bike sharing system. "Great that's cool, I like it," he said. "It's tough when you're wearing a suit sometimes right and it's if it's really hot." It seems that the city bike program is attracting people from all walks of life, including those who don't always expect to be riding bikes in the big city.

When asked about his experience, the gentleman revealed that he rode the bike for only 15 feet because "I just got my key" and was eager to try out the system. He also shared that he doesn't wear a helmet, citing it as a pain point rather than an issue with safety concerns. However, he did express interest in getting a helmet eventually. Despite his brief ride, the gentleman seems enthusiastic about the city bike program and sees its benefits in reducing traffic congestion.

Another person we spoke to was an annual who had decided to test out the bike sharing system as part of their commute routine. When asked if he wears a helmet, he replied, "No, I don't wear a helmet." He noted that carrying a helmet around can be inconvenient and seems to prioritize convenience over safety concerns. However, he did express interest in getting a helmet in the future.

The gentleman also shared his thoughts on how the city bike program is working out for him. "Parking sucks traffic sucks," he said, "but you don't even got to worry about it. You can drop it off somewhere and call it a day." He appreciated the convenience of being able to use the bike without having to worry about parking or traffic.

When asked how many earphones he was allowed to wear while riding his bike, he replied that according to New York state law, cyclists are only allowed to wear one. However, he noted that wearing two earphones would be against the law and that he had seen people doing so anyway. This highlights the importance of following traffic laws and safety guidelines when using a city bike.

One of our final interviews was with an elderly gentleman who had recently taken his first ride on the bike sharing system. He expressed some trepidation about riding in the big city, but was pleased to find that the program made it easy for him to get around without having to worry about parking or traffic. "I'm not sure what I'd do if I didn't have a bike like this," he said. "It's been great experience, and I feel so supported with all these people around me."

The elderly gentleman also shared his thoughts on the city bike program's impact on exercise and health. "You find that it's a great way to get some exercise," he said. "And it's convenient too." He noted that being able to use the bike without having to worry about parking or traffic has made it easier for him to incorporate more physical activity into his daily routine.

Overall, our conversations with the people of New York have provided valuable insights into how they perceive the city bike sharing program. While some may have concerns about safety and convenience, many are enthusiastic about the benefits of using a bike to get around the city. As the program continues to grow and evolve, it will be interesting to see how it impacts the daily lives of New Yorkers.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's been just over a month since Mayor Bloomberg and City Bank have unveiled the city bike bike sharing program I am thrilled to declare that as of this moment City bite is officially launched it's been met with a lot of criticism and praise but we want to know how the people of New York feel sir sir you just got off a city bike how was it great that's cool I like it's tough when you're wearing a suit sometimes right and it's if it's really hot excuse me sir you have a giant tennis racket what do you think about city bikes you have a giant spoon how do you feel about the city bikes about the city bikes yeah I think the city bikes are awesome actually parking sucks traffic sucks but the bike's in out in out and then you don't even got to worry about it you can drop it off somewhere and call it a day you just rode a city bike for the first time how was it I rode it all of about 15 ft cuz I just got my key oh oh so you're an annual I wanted to test it do you wear a helmet no you do not wear a helmet I should wear a helmet the only thing that start carrying the helmet around is a pain so yeah yeah but you know what else is a pain is yeah now here CRA head so now do you wear a helmet with it no but I'm going to get one though would you do you use City bikes at all no but I wouldn't wear a helmet either no what is it not it's not cool to wear a helmet it's the hair you don't want to mess up the hair those two lovely folks came prepared have a safe trip so you said you've been riding for a while you have a bike helmet you're are you pretty uh up to date on the the New York City bike laws I think so would you mind if I ask you a few questions I read sure yeah will you hold this for a second okay how fun and freeing is it to ride without any hands on the steering wheels kind of like you're in an indie movie yeah that's that's awesome it's also very much illegal uh all cyclist must have at least one hand on a handlebar at all times I'll keep that in mind yeah will you hold this for a second yeah thanks let's see here here uh how many earphones is a cyclist allowed to wear while riding a bicycle know allowed to uh the the correct answer is you wouldn't well you're allowed to wear one do you realize you're only allowed to have one earphone in it's New York state law excuse me sir sorry pardon me sir uh how do you feel about the city bikes no okay it just I you you're only allowed to have one earphone in by law it's against the law what you're doing people am I right so our first attempt at obtaining a city bike was uh unsuccessful okay English get a bike 24-hour one pass and I'm an adult ah I hit Miner okay I'm going to dip this bad boy just want to get on the bike sir if you wait I'm getting a bike here now it has gone back to zero nope nothing yes I want to pass yes I'm an adult dip oh that was it wait it just worked that quickly your ride Cod expires in 5 minutes we got to go 3 3 2 1 3 ah there we go I finally have a city bike and I am absolutely terrified now to ride it also I just realized now I have this bike in one of the busiest places in New York it's been many years since I've ridden a bike and I've forgotten a little bit excuse me sorry sorry sir first time on a city bike okay I'm I'm on the bike no bike Lan's over here yeah but this one's so much closer to the cars okay I'm just going to ride to the End of the Street I'm going to do it I'm doing it I'm riding my first city bike in New York City I'm riding my first city bike guys first time on a city bike thanks thank you that was absolutely terrifying and exhilarating I did it okay I'm going to walk it back when I first came out here I expected to find people hated City bike that they found them to be a nuisance to litter the streets excuse me sorry first time walking back a city bike excuse me sorry sorry I was surprised people loved them people used them to get to work they found it convenient they found that it was a great way for them to get exercise my experience on a city bike has taught me that there's no better way to experience this than surrounded by 8 million people who will support you through your first steps I love them they love meit's been just over a month since Mayor Bloomberg and City Bank have unveiled the city bike bike sharing program I am thrilled to declare that as of this moment City bite is officially launched it's been met with a lot of criticism and praise but we want to know how the people of New York feel sir sir you just got off a city bike how was it great that's cool I like it's tough when you're wearing a suit sometimes right and it's if it's really hot excuse me sir you have a giant tennis racket what do you think about city bikes you have a giant spoon how do you feel about the city bikes about the city bikes yeah I think the city bikes are awesome actually parking sucks traffic sucks but the bike's in out in out and then you don't even got to worry about it you can drop it off somewhere and call it a day you just rode a city bike for the first time how was it I rode it all of about 15 ft cuz I just got my key oh oh so you're an annual I wanted to test it do you wear a helmet no you do not wear a helmet I should wear a helmet the only thing that start carrying the helmet around is a pain so yeah yeah but you know what else is a pain is yeah now here CRA head so now do you wear a helmet with it no but I'm going to get one though would you do you use City bikes at all no but I wouldn't wear a helmet either no what is it not it's not cool to wear a helmet it's the hair you don't want to mess up the hair those two lovely folks came prepared have a safe trip so you said you've been riding for a while you have a bike helmet you're are you pretty uh up to date on the the New York City bike laws I think so would you mind if I ask you a few questions I read sure yeah will you hold this for a second okay how fun and freeing is it to ride without any hands on the steering wheels kind of like you're in an indie movie yeah that's that's awesome it's also very much illegal uh all cyclist must have at least one hand on a handlebar at all times I'll keep that in mind yeah will you hold this for a second yeah thanks let's see here here uh how many earphones is a cyclist allowed to wear while riding a bicycle know allowed to uh the the correct answer is you wouldn't well you're allowed to wear one do you realize you're only allowed to have one earphone in it's New York state law excuse me sir sorry pardon me sir uh how do you feel about the city bikes no okay it just I you you're only allowed to have one earphone in by law it's against the law what you're doing people am I right so our first attempt at obtaining a city bike was uh unsuccessful okay English get a bike 24-hour one pass and I'm an adult ah I hit Miner okay I'm going to dip this bad boy just want to get on the bike sir if you wait I'm getting a bike here now it has gone back to zero nope nothing yes I want to pass yes I'm an adult dip oh that was it wait it just worked that quickly your ride Cod expires in 5 minutes we got to go 3 3 2 1 3 ah there we go I finally have a city bike and I am absolutely terrified now to ride it also I just realized now I have this bike in one of the busiest places in New York it's been many years since I've ridden a bike and I've forgotten a little bit excuse me sorry sorry sir first time on a city bike okay I'm I'm on the bike no bike Lan's over here yeah but this one's so much closer to the cars okay I'm just going to ride to the End of the Street I'm going to do it I'm doing it I'm riding my first city bike in New York City I'm riding my first city bike guys first time on a city bike thanks thank you that was absolutely terrifying and exhilarating I did it okay I'm going to walk it back when I first came out here I expected to find people hated City bike that they found them to be a nuisance to litter the streets excuse me sorry first time walking back a city bike excuse me sorry sorry I was surprised people loved them people used them to get to work they found it convenient they found that it was a great way for them to get exercise my experience on a city bike has taught me that there's no better way to experience this than surrounded by 8 million people who will support you through your first steps I love them they love me\n"