Dockless bikeshare options are coming to the outer boroughs, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday.
A dockless bikeshare lets you pick up and drop off a bicycle at bike racks, on the sidewalk, or basically any designated area without needing to find a specific docking station.
These bikes can be found and unlocked through the rideshares’ apps, and now, they’re rolling into the four outer boroughs to give New Yorkers more two-wheeled transit options.
Beginning in July, the dockless bikeshare pilots will be implemented in Coney Island, Brooklyn and the Rockaways in Queens — two beach communities, the mayor’s office said, that have yet to be reached by any bikeshare.
Later in the summer, dockless bike pilots will come to the Bronx, near Fordham University, and Staten Island’s North Shore, as well.
“We are bringing new, inexpensive transportation options to neighborhoods that need them,” de Blasio said in a statement. “Dockless public bike sharing starts this summer, and we’re excited to see how New Yorkers embrace this new service.”
Since docking stations don’t need to be installed for these bikeshare options, the timeline to implement them is a bit different. In June, the Department of Transportation will go to those areas’ community boards to present plans and finalize boundaries for each of the pilot areas. This is also when DOT will select which dockless bikeshare companies to be assigned to each area.
In July, the pilot will kick off as bicycles arrive “on a rolling basis” to neighborhood streets. The goal, the city said, is to have a total of 200 bikes that offer half-hour rides and which remain in each borough’s set boundaries. Some of these will be pedal-assist bicycles.
After September, the DOT will work with community stakeholders to either extend or end these pilots, depending on how they do, and determine if additional pilot programs should be set up in different areas.
“With no better time than summer to hop on a bike, we at DOT are excited to bring bike share to more of New York City,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg in a statement. “We will take what we learn over the next few months to make informed, clear-eyed decisions as to whether New York City’s bike-share future is dockless. In the meantime, we strongly encourage New Yorkers to get out this summer and explore some great neighborhoods by bike — and of course, give us their feedback on the dockless experience.”
