Louis
05-02-2013, 04:34 PM
Link to NYT story (http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2013/05/02/business/02reuters-usa-bikeshare-weight.html?smid=pl-share)
New Yorkers Get Heavy on Bike Share Weight Limit
By REUTERS
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's upcoming public bike share program, Citibike, has already irked parking space seekers, food cart vendors and locals who resent seeing a Citibank sponsor logo on nearly every block.
Now, heavier New Yorkers can be added to the list.
According to the program's user contract, riders "must not exceed the maximum weight limit" of 260 pounds (120 kg) if they wish to sign up for the short-term bike rentals that will soon be available on city streets.
"These technical specs are established by the equipment manufacturer and are the same as other bike share cities around the world," said Seth Solomonow, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Transportation, which oversees the program that is funded by Citibank.
The bike program, slated to launch later this Spring, will make several thousand bicycles available throughout the city for cyclists who sign up for yearly, weekly, or daily passes. The bikes can be picked up and dropped off at different docking stations during the course of a day and are meant to provide an alternative to traveling by subway, bus, or car.
The city has no way of enforcing the weight limit, and Solomonow said that he and his department "expect people will use the bikes safely."
New York City residents Amanda Wotton, 26, and Anthony Laporta, 31, said the policy is not fair.
"The city should provide different types of bikes so everyone can participate," said Laporta, a computer technician with a slender build who was enjoying a salad lunch in the park outside the New York Public Library. "Otherwise, someone's definitely going to feel left out."
Wotton, an average-size woman who works as a graphic designer, observed that 260 pounds "isn't even that much -- there are probably big muscular guys and NFL players that would be barred from cycling."
Groups advocating for the rights of obese and overweight people also criticized Citibike's terms of service. James Zervios, a spokesman for the Obesity Action Coalition, called the policy discriminatory.
New Yorkers Get Heavy on Bike Share Weight Limit
By REUTERS
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's upcoming public bike share program, Citibike, has already irked parking space seekers, food cart vendors and locals who resent seeing a Citibank sponsor logo on nearly every block.
Now, heavier New Yorkers can be added to the list.
According to the program's user contract, riders "must not exceed the maximum weight limit" of 260 pounds (120 kg) if they wish to sign up for the short-term bike rentals that will soon be available on city streets.
"These technical specs are established by the equipment manufacturer and are the same as other bike share cities around the world," said Seth Solomonow, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Transportation, which oversees the program that is funded by Citibank.
The bike program, slated to launch later this Spring, will make several thousand bicycles available throughout the city for cyclists who sign up for yearly, weekly, or daily passes. The bikes can be picked up and dropped off at different docking stations during the course of a day and are meant to provide an alternative to traveling by subway, bus, or car.
The city has no way of enforcing the weight limit, and Solomonow said that he and his department "expect people will use the bikes safely."
New York City residents Amanda Wotton, 26, and Anthony Laporta, 31, said the policy is not fair.
"The city should provide different types of bikes so everyone can participate," said Laporta, a computer technician with a slender build who was enjoying a salad lunch in the park outside the New York Public Library. "Otherwise, someone's definitely going to feel left out."
Wotton, an average-size woman who works as a graphic designer, observed that 260 pounds "isn't even that much -- there are probably big muscular guys and NFL players that would be barred from cycling."
Groups advocating for the rights of obese and overweight people also criticized Citibike's terms of service. James Zervios, a spokesman for the Obesity Action Coalition, called the policy discriminatory.