Update: Citi Bike launch in Long Island City delayed until August

Update:

The Citi Bike sharing program will be delayed until August. StreetsBlog confirmed the delay today, citing tweets from the bike manufacturer and the Citi Bike events calendar, which shows bike demos into August.

Original post on July 13, 2012:

The Citi Bike sharing program will launch on July 31 with 11 stations available in LIC. When the program expands into Phase 2, we may see more stations in other Queens neighborhoods, including Sunnyside. The program will have 600 bike stations throughout the city and will be managed by the NYC Department of Transportation. With a $95 annual membership trips, under 45 minutes are free:

An Annual Membership is purchased online using a credit card, and an account is created with Citi Bike. Every Annual Member will be provided with a unique key that is used to unlock bicycles from the Citi Bike system. A trip begins when a bike is unlocked and ends when the bike is securely returned to any Citi Bike station.

NY Mag also has some good coverage of how the program will work.

We are, of course, bike enthusiasts and think this program will be a winner. That said, we are concerned that with all the construction in LIC the mix of bikes and trucks on the roads might result in some mishaps.

So please ride safe all! Safety tips from DOT:

Ride on the street, not on the sidewalks (unless rider is age 12 or younger)

Ride with traffic, not against it.

Yield to pedestrians.

Obey all traffic laws.

Image source: NYC DOT

Joanna Eng is a Sunnyside-based writer covering arts, culture, and all things green. She loves biking, books, public parks, and Southeast Asian vegetarian food.