Growing Pains

Citi Bike will  not begin as scheduled. “We’re working on the launch plan and will update the public as soon as we finalize all the details,” said Seth Solomonow, a spokesman for the Transportation Department, who confirmed the program would not begin in July. Now, with an uncertain start date and little explanation being given, community leaders, program partners and eager riders find themselves with more questions than answers. Where are the bikes? When will the dock stations be installed? And can it all fall into place while the quiet streets and accommodating weather of summer remain? “It’s almost like getting that bicycle that you wanted for your birthday or for Christmas,” said Paul Steely White, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, which has worked alongside the Transportation Department to promote the program. The program, which is expected to include 10,000 bicycles by next summer, will allow members who pay an annual fee of $95 to shuttle between stations for up to 45 minutes without an additional charge. In a radio interview on Friday, Mayor. Bloomberg suggested that impatience was a sign of the city’s growing acceptance of bicycles. “It’s fascinating,” he said. “The people who did not want bicycle lanes at all are now screaming, ‘Well, where are they? Where are they? I want them quickly.’ Read more in NYT here.