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Nosy Neighbor: When will the Citi Bike stations be re-installed?
J. wrote: With more people likely using Citi Bikes to get around and return to some days in schools and offices, it’s going to be helpful to have even more bikes available downtown. Now that the epic Warren Street Reconstruction Project is finally completed, do you know when (or if) Citi Bike will be re-installing the old station on Warren & West Broadway as well as the station that used to be in front of the Tribeca Whole Foods?
So I will take a circuitous route on this question, since I had already been needling DOT for an answer when I got J.’s note, and start with the station on Greenwich and Duane that is causing much consternation.
Some neighbors there (and the restaurants themselves) are still pushing for the station to be moved so The Hideaway and Tokyo Bay can take advantage of the curbside dining part of the city’s Open Restaurants program. That program goes till Oct. 31 and the mayor said recently that it will be extended for next summer as well, so making a move now could have lasting repercussions for both businesses.
But DOT told me that they are not going to move it, and while there is a planned expansion, they will hold off until Open Restaurants ends.
A DOT spokesperson said the regulations of the Open Restaurants program — outlined in the FAQ section — state that the city will not relocate street furniture to accommodate a restaurant. (Street furniture usually means bus stops, benches, light posts, garbage cans, etc, but I am not sure why it should therefore include Citi Bike stations, which are designed to be modular and moveable.)
“DOT is working to balance multiple aspects of the City’s recovery, which includes adding facilities for multimodal travel and programming public open space to promote social distancing. As part of Citi Bike infill, we are planning to increase dock capacity at the station on Duane Street. While we are moving forward with our infill plans in other locations, we will be holding off on the Duane Street station expansion until the Open Restaurants program concludes.”
As for the original Nosy Neighbor question, DOT said that Greenwich has a pending capital project (maybe that is what is going on in front of Whole Foods now?) and the station will be returned after its completion. They said that the relocation site for that one is the one in front of Target on Greenwich and Murray. (It’s been so long that I thought that one had always been there…)
But as for West Broadway and Warren, they say we made that one up — and now that I really rack my brain, was it in fact at Church and Warren — in front of what is now 30 Warren? Who can confirm?? UPDATE: Two readers sent Google street view images of the station that was once on Warren between West Broadway and Church — in front of the Mysterious Bookshop. See the screenshot below, taken in 2014.
Here’s the DOT response: “There are no records of a station at W. Broadway and Warren Street. We are surveying West Broadway & Church Street, but no timeline for return right now.”
So to sum up, DOT is in an odd predicament to be the overlord on both bike transportation and restaurant expansion (see how important our streets have become?) but it seems to me the best approach here would be to move Duane around the corner to Greenwich and NOT expand it (maybe expand instead at Hudson and Reade) AND return the ghost station at West Broadway and Warren to add more capacity, especially since the Whole Foods one is delayed for more construction.
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The Warren St Citibike station was called “Warren St & Church St” but was between Church St and West Broadway. You can just make it out in this Google Maps Streetview from 2016…
https://goo.gl/maps/YxQCYfxxQYTLoqdo8
Bring them all back!
Thank you for that! I thought I was going nuts…
There most certainly was a Citibike on Warren but it was on the West side of Church in the area between the Philip William Posters shoppe and the old Tribeca Pediatrics location. It was taken down when Warren St was torn up for the water main infrastructure several years ago. It wasn’t replaced obviously. But it was there, despite the bureaucratic amnesia
Google Streetview from October 2014 shows it in that location. Link here.
I feel terrible for Tokyo Bay and the Hideaway. The city has no right to block their outdoor space. Other places in the city have fought and won over the City Bikes in front of their space. These two places should not give up. If they can sue they should. It isn’t right that they can not make money because of City Bikes.
Short memory, @Tribeca_Original? In 2013 DOT was set to put the Citi Bike station at the nub of Duane Triangle Park. The space, in the street, was vast and would have blocked no one and nothing. But after vociferous complaining from a resident or two at 165 Duane, and despite support for the location from me and others, DOT caved. Thus, the present location. Too bad you didn’t weigh in then, everyone would have won, except for the handful of malcontents who feared the horror of overlooking a sea of “branded” bicycles.
Charles thank you for informing me. I just feel bad for the two businesses. Its terrible.
Agreed, thanks. We could start a petition to permanently locate the dock to Duane Triangle Park (and, to be clear, I mean the roadway abutting it, not the sidewalk). But the de Blasio / Trottenberg regime is so uncaring and incompetent, it feels like a fool’s errand.
I feel bad for the businesses also. As much as I’m a supporter of Citi bikes at this point in time we need to give as much help and support as we can to local restaurants, which have been so hard hit by the pandemic. They provide jobs and amenities to our neighborhood. And especially since De Blasio says they will continue the “Open Dining ” program next year, since it has been such a big success, we should keep spaces in front of restaurants open for that point in time.
Whom can we contact at DOT so we can let them know oure preferences.
whatever I can do to help or sign for the businesses on Duane please let me know. I feel terrible they can not do anything about this.
I also remember the Warren Street dock because I would use it after being at Equinox. I feel bad for the two restaurants. I am trying to support all of our small business and have cancelled many Amazon regular deliveries to support the Pamper Ur Pets (the owner there is so nice), Morgan’s Market, King’s Pharmacy, and the hardware store, which sadly didn’t survive.
Please let us know whom to email at DOT to help out Tokyo Bay and Hideaway.
As a resident of Warren Street, I would prefer NOT to have the station on our street. The main thoroughfares should be the places for these bike racks. As a frequent customer of The Hideaway, it’s a shame what the city is doing. I feel for them and try to frequent as much as possible.
Jason we should get the Hideawy on the news like other restaurants have been. That usually works and they move the citi bikes. It not right that nothing can be done. The small businesses have gone through enough pain.
How did the other restaurants do it?
Yeah poor Hideaway the biggest weakling in enforcing social disrancing in the neighborhood with their maskless millenials crowding the sidewalk. My heart bleeds for them.
I am also a resident of Warren Street. The bike station just arrived one day. There was no consultation with resident. The bike station made it hard to get deliveries and hard to get to buildings from cars. It should go on a wider street. I hope it never comes back.