NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Across Manhattan, bike share docking stations are spreading, and so is the backlash. Even people excited about the program say they’re upset over the implementation.
Call it “installation frustration.” The bike share docking station moved into position on East 11th Street eliminates a loading zone used by the company Bella Tile.
“I don’t know how we’re going to be able to operate really now effectively. It’s sad, dramatic negative impact,” business owner Carlo Giurdanella said.
The bike share program is on the eve of its launch – 330 docking stations will open in Brooklyn and Manhattan and will be filled with, potentially, 6,000 share bikes.
“We like the idea of the bike thing. It’s a great idea and I’m sure I’ll use it, too,” local business owner Glen Gaylinn said.
Gaylinn is one of many worried about the impact on parking and traffic. The station in front of his shop has already been hit by a garbage truck making a tight turn. The installation of a docking station came as a total surprise.
“I’m here 19 years, block association president, I knew nothing about it,” Gaylinn said.
Delivery truck driver Pedro Tavares said as more stations are installed, making deliveries in the Village gets more and more difficult.
“Mayor Bloomberg, this is not gonna work! I can’t park my truck right next to it because this is in the way, so I have to come down further where I can catch a ticket in the no standing zone or I have to go around the corner and work harder because my stop is further away. These things are very much in the way of many of my stops,” Tavares said.
Even a man who owns a bike business told CBS 2’s Aiello he’s upset. Citi Bike will eliminate the bike parking rack outside his Battery Park City building.
“We have nowhere to be. It’s not a catastrophe in this city, but it’s a quality of life issue,” Shelly Mossey said.
Signs of discontent are popping up, including protest stickers and the defacing of docking stations.
But it’s full speed ahead with installation — and the formal launch in a few weeks.
New York City points to a Quinnipiac poll showing 72 percent of residents supporting the bike share concept. The poll was taken several months before the installation of equipment began.
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/05/01/installation-of-bike-share-docking-stations-testing-new-yorkers-patience
