Citi Bike’s Western Brooklyn Expansion to Complete in 2-3 Weeks

Ellie Plass -

Citi Bike expansion into Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, and Greenwood Heights is underway, NYC DOT announced today. The project is part of a 93 docking station expansion and will extend the bike’s services from 15th Street to 67th Street and from the southwest corner of Prospect Park to Church Avenue.

The bikes and docking stations are set to all be installed over the next two to three weeks. So far, about half have been completed. According to Citi Bike, this year has been the single largest growth year for CitiBike in terms of service expansion. As the name of the expansion suggests, 93 CitiBike stations will be installed in Brooklyn as part of this growth.

Carlos Menchaca, the City Council Member for District 38, said he was “pleased this is finally happening” after pushing for Citi Bike docks in Sunset Park. Menchaca, who is currently a candidate for this year’s Mayoral race, has long been a proponent of safe, bike-friendly streets.

The expansion plan. Courtesy of Citi Bike and NYC DOT.

In the past, bike expansion has been controversial in Southern Brooklyn, as Community Board 10 members were concerned about traffic patterns and bus station interference.

Citi Bike hit 100 million all-time rides last year, with over 42.1 million miles pedaled in the last year alone. The pandemic brought out a new community of bike riders, surging business and creating huge lines at neighborhood bike shops. Ridership of Citi Bikes was higher than ever from last September-December with more than 600,000 first-time riders for the year.

The Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, Danny Harris, said that “prioritizing people over cars” was essential to the group’s 25×25 report, an initiative that advocates giving one-quarter of the space allotted for cars to space for people by 2025, and that this expansion was a step in that direction.

“One of the best ways to do so is by bringing bike sharing to more communities. At the same time, we must also grow the protected bike lane network, and Transportation Alternatives will continue to work with the de Blasio administration and local communities to ensure everyone has safe streets,” Harris said.

The growth is part of Citi Bike’s Phase 3 expansion, set to be completed in 2023, which will double the footprint of the company. Manhattan and the Bronx are next on the list for service expansions.