Major Expansion of Citi Bike Program Announced, Bicycle Ridership On East River Bridges Gets Higher Each Year: NYC DOT

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES MAJOR EXPANSION OF CITI BIKE SERVICE IN OUTER BOROUGHS AS RIDERSHIP CONTINUES TO SOAR

New Citi Bike Stations Will Be Installed in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens Beginning Fall 2025, Delivering Convenient Transportation Option to Underserved Communities

After Expansion, 64 Percent of New Yorkers Will Live Within Five Minute Walk of Citi Bike Station 

Editor’s note: Staten Islander has previously covered expansions of the Citi Bike program in New York City including during the recent Summer Streets program. Staten Island elected officials pushed for the Citi Bike program to be expanded to the Island so residents here can benefit also

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, and Lyft announced plans to expand and improve Citi Bike to meet growing ridership demand and help ensure New Yorkers across the city have equitable access to this system. Beginning in the fall of 2025, Citi Bike service will expand further to Norwood and Riverdale in the Bronx; to Brownsville, East New York, Kensington, and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn; and to west of Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. Additionally, this expansion will add more docks in some of the system’s busiest existing areas to improve access to bikes and parking, including in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan, Harlem and East Harlem, Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Park Slope.

“This Citi Bike expansion is the latest way we’re making it easier and more affordable to get around New York City, particularly for low-income New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “People in Brownsville and other low-income neighborhoods deserve Citi Bike access as much as any other New Yorker, and this expansion brings us closer to ensuring just that. Whether it’s half-priced Metro Cards and ferry rides, expanded student Metro Cards, electrifying our fleet, or so much more, we’re building a more affordable, more equitable, more sustainable transportation system in all five boroughs.”

Map of Citi Bike Expansion Area. Credit: DOT

“Citi Bike is more popular than ever because it’s convenient, sustainable, and a quick way to get around. Bike share has become an integral part of our transportation landscape, and this expansion will bring this great service to even more communities,” said DOT Commissioner Rodriguez. “We thank Lyft for this investment and look forward to working with them on these important program improvements.”

“It’s been astounding to see Citi Bike grow from an idea into a critical part of New York City’s transportation network, now supporting over 1.6 million unique riders on their 44 million journeys this year,” said Caroline Samponaro, vice president of external affairs, Lyft Urban Solutions. “We look forward to providing an even greater number of New Yorkers with access to this incredible bike share program.”

Today’s announcement builds on the city’s efforts to make Citi Bike memberships more affordable, set price controls, and enhance safety measures to better support riders. The expansion will add more than 250 new stations and will bring 2,900 new bikes into service, about half of which will be electric bicycles — bringing Citi Bike service to more than 900,000 additional New Yorkers. When the expansion completes, there will be a Citi Bike station within a five-minute walk of more than 5.6 million New Yorkers, or 64 percent of New York City’s residential population. In combination, Citi Bike and the e-scooter share program that operates in the East Bronx and Eastern Queens will provide more than 75 percent of New York City’s residential population with access to a shared micromobility service. With the completion of this expansion, the Citi Bike system will grow to more than 36,000 bikes and 2,400 stations, nearly seven times larger than the 6,000 bikes and 332 stations that Citi Bike launched with in May 2013. Citi Bike will also pilot “kioskless” stations that feature newer, sturdier docking equipment that allows for greater flexibility regarding where stations can be placed.

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Since its launch in 2013, Citi Bike has become an integral piece of New York City’s transportation landscape and is the largest bike share program in the world outside of China. As the program has expanded, it’s become the fastest-growing transportation network in the city’s history with over 246 million all-time rides. Lyft and the city have doubled the system’s number of stations from 1,000 in August 2020 to 2,150 in November 2024. In October of 2024, the system set a monthly record with over 5.1 million rides, up 143 percent compared to October 2019. A record-breaking 193,645 Citi Bike rides took place on September 20, 2024. Citi Bike trips represent approximately 39 percent of the total estimated cycling trips within the Citi Bike service area, based on East River Bridge crossings. Additionally, there have been more than 44 million Citi Bike rides so far this calendar year — already a new annual record.

Today’s announcement also expands on the Adams administration’s efforts to make getting around New York City both more accessible, more affordable, and more eco-friendly, particularly for young people and low-income New Yorkers. In the Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Budget, the administration partnered with the City Council to invest an additional $20.7 million in “Fair Fares NYC,” expanding eligibility for half-price fares to people making 145 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. The budget also included $11 million to provide free MetroCards to Summer Youth Employment Program participants, who — thanks to the Adams administration’s efforts — are also eligible for free two-month Citi Bike memberships.

In May 2024, the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services released its Clean Fleet Update, highlighting that the city had surpassed 5,000 plug-in electric vehicles and installed 2,000 electric charging ports. To date, over 70 percent of the city’s fleet — more than 21,000 fleet units — now use sustainable fuels, including electric, hybrid electric, solar, and biofuel vehicles.

In April 2024, the administration won $77 million in federal grants to electrify 180 school buses and build a first-in-the-nation electric truck charging depot at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center. In October 2023, Mayor Adams launched a historic greenway expansion to build 40 new miles of protected bike infrastructure in the outer boroughs, bringing safer, greener transportation options to the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

The Adams administration has also completed a record number of protected bike lanes in 2023 and launched major bike infrastructure projects on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, on Second Avenue in Manhattan, on the Washington Bridge connecting Manhattan and the Bronx, and more.

In 2022, Mayor Adams unveiled “NYC Ferry Forward,” which created a discount program, similar to Fair Fares, in which seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income riders pay reduced fares for ferry rides.

“CitiBike is a valuable resource, and I was proud to play a role in securing its previous expansion into my communities in western Queens,” said New York State Senator Michael Gianaris. “I look forward to CitiBike’s continued growth into more neighborhoods throughout our city.”

“This is about giving New Yorkers more ways to quickly and safely get where they need to go,” said New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “Expanding Citibike to neighborhoods like Bay Ridge means more people can bike to work, school, the doctor’s office or even a subway station that’s further away. This is a win for our environment, our economy, and most importantly, our communities. Thanks to DOT and Mayor Adams for ensuring all New Yorkers have the transportation access they deserve.”

“Citi Bike is an affordable, convenient mode of transit for New Yorkers, who take over 30 million rides each year,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “Today, we celebrate a historic expansion of Citi Bike to more neighborhoods in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and my home of Queens. This is critical to ensure all New Yorkers, especially those of us in transit deserts, have equal access to this popular program. We are also adding docks to Citi Bike hotspots in Manhattan and Brooklyn, ensuring we can meet demand. Once the expansion is complete, 64 percent of New Yorkers will be within five minutes of a Citi Bike station, bringing unprecedented access to this efficient, sustainable transportation solution.”

“The expansion of Citi Bike into Forest Hills is welcome news for those of us who have been seeking to make bicycling a more viable way to get around our borough,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Citi Bike has been successful in reducing auto congestion in the neighborhoods where it has already been introduced, and I am certain it will have the same impact in Forest Hills. I strongly support this latest effort to make Queens more bike-friendly.”

BICYCLE RIDERSHIP OVER EAST RIVER BRIDGES REACHES ALL-TIME HIGH FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR

More Than 28,000 Cyclists Traveled Over the City’s Four East River Bridges Each Day, on Average, in 2024—an 8.4 Percent Increase From Last Year

Each Bridge Experienced Ridership Growth As City Continues Delivering Safe Cycling Infrastructure

NYC DOT average daily cycling rates over the city’s four East River Bridges. Image Credit: NYC DOT

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced bicycle ridership over the city’s East River bridges has reached an all-time high for a fourth straight year. According to NYC DOT’s annual bike traffic counts, which are conducted from April 1 to October 31 each year, an average of 28,108 cyclists crossed these city bridges each day. These bridges include the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Ed Koch Queensboro Bridges, and represent a key metric for judging city cycling rates. This year’s record-breaking bridge ridership represents an 8.4 percent increase from the nearly 26,000 average daily riders recorded over the spans at the same time last year and, remarkably, 17 times greater than the ridership recorded in 1980, when the city first began recording bridge cycling levels in 1980. NYC DOT also recorded record cycling ridership through midtown; new data shows more than 43,800 cycling trips were recorded during an average 12-hour window across Manhattan avenues at 50th Street, a 12.5 percent increase compared to 2023.

“More and more New Yorkers are opting to get around by bike because it’s a fast, convenient, and safe way to travel around the city. Another year of record-breaking ridership over our four iconic East River bridges illustrates how NYC DOT’s efforts to build safe cycling spaces has spurred tremendous growth,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We look forward to continuing this bike boom, which is good for our environment, the health of New Yorkers, and for reducing New Yorkers’ dependence on congestion-causing vehicles.”

NYC DOT develops its daily cycling ridership for East River Bridges by averaging the total daily cycling volumes during warm-weather months, from April to October, excluding holidays and rainy days. Some other key takeaways from 2024 ridership:

In 2024, each of the four bridges experienced ridership increases.

The Brooklyn Bridge recorded the largest year-over-year ridership increase, from 4,769 average daily riders in 2023 to 5,504 this year—a 15.4 percent increase.

The Williamsburg Bridge remains the busiest city bridge for cyclists, serving a daily average of 8,645 riders in 2024—an 11 percent increase from cycling ridership on the bridge last year.

In September 2024, an average of 31,168 cyclists rode over the East River Bridges each day, marking the first time ever that daily bridge ridership eclipsed 30,000.

The 1980 average of 1,635 daily cycling trips across all East River bridges is roughly the equivalent of the ridership recorded by the end of a weekday morning rush hour today on just the Brooklyn Bridge.

The ridership increases come as NYC DOT delivered a record-breaking number of protected bike lanes in 2023 and continues to build even more new protected bike lanes across the city in 2024. Many of these projects better connect riders between boroughs, including improved connections to each of the four East River bridges:

The Brooklyn Bridge with the completion of protected bike lanes on Centre and Lafayette streets, in Manhattan;

The Williamsburg Bridge with a new bike boulevard on Berry Street, in Brooklyn

The Manhattan Bridge with a protected bike lane on Navy Street and Ashland Place, in Brooklyn; and

The Queensboro Bridge with the completion of an initial protected bike lane network in Long Island City, Queens.

The record-breaking ridership also comes as NYC DOT and Lyft finished its phase 3 expansion of Citi Bike deeper into Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

These projects encourage more New Yorkers to take up cycling, as evidenced by the significant 108 percent increase in daily cycling over the Brooklyn Bridge since 2021, when NYC DOT installed dedicated, two-way bike lanes on the Manhattan-bound roadway. As the Brooklyn Bridge experienced this dramatic uptick in ridership, cycling levels on the nearby Manhattan Bridge have continued to increase, suggesting the installation of the two-way bike lane has created new cycling trips.

In 2024, NYC DOT is continuing to improve East River bridge access with the widening of bike lane segments along 59 blocks of Manhattan’s Second Avenue and the agency also expanded cycling access between boroughs with a new two-way bike path over the Washington Bridge that opened earlier this year to better connect cyclists between upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

For 2025, NYC DOT will begin major bike and public space improvements along Delancey Street in Manhattan, to better connect riders to the Williamsburg Bridge, and on the Queensboro Bridge, the agency will double the amount of cycling and pedestrian space on the span.

Banner Image: Citi Bikes in NYC. Image Credit – Hanyang Zhang

NYC DOT

The New York City Department of Transportation’s (NYC DOT) mission is to provide for the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods in the City of New York and to maintain and enhance the transportation infrastructure crucial to the economic vitality and quality of life of our primary customers, City residents.