Citi Bike expands to Astoria
Blue bikes will be coming to Astoria!
Yesterday, Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, Alta Bike Share officials and local elected officials announced that Citi Bike will be coming to western Queens — including Long Island City, Sunnyside and Astoria — as well as parts of Brooklyn and Harlem.
Senator Michael Gianaris at the Citi Bike expansion announcement yesterday.
These will be the first Citi Bikes in Queens. Citi Bike’s blog says that the first new stations will be installed next year, and the Citi Bike system will double in size by 2017.
“Today brings welcome news for all of us who have fought so hard for years to bring bike share to western Queens,” said Senator Michael Gianaris. “Areas like Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside and many more throughout the city are crying out for this program and I am thrilled that after so much uncertainty, we can declare that bikes will be here soon. I commend the DOT and BIkeshare Holdings for moving bike share forward and making it easier to get around our city in a fun and healthy way.”
With the new stations will also come a hike in the annual membership fee. The new rate is $149/year, up from $95/year. NYCHA residents will still be able to buy memberships at the same rate of $60/year.
A map of Citi Bike’s planned expansion, courtesy of the Citi Bike blog.
