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| From Diario en Bici |
I have no empirical studies to back up what I’m
about say: The popularity of Citibike,
New York’s bike-share program, has continued into the winter. Granted, I don’t see as many people riding
those blue bikes as I did during the summer or even in November. But I still see fair number of them:
sometimes more than I see “civilian” cyclists.
If my perception is indeed accurate, it bodes well
for the program. I can think of two
possible explanations for what I’ve seen. One might be that New York residents
who don’t own bikes but have yearly memberships are trying to make as much use
of them as they can. The other could be
that more and more visitors to the city see going for a bike ride as a
requisite experience, much as other tourists (or, perhaps, they themselves),
might see going to museums, galleries, plays or concerts, shopping, eating
foods they might not find at home or—incredibly—going for a horse-and-carriage
ride in Central Park.
I’ve never checked out a Lonely Planet, Routard or
Let’s Go! guide to the Big Apple. I
wonder whether they’re telling people that pedaling through the urban canyons
is a “must” for one’s stay in my hometown.
