Since it was introduced two weeks ago, New York’s bike-share program, Citi Bike—so named thanks to its big-bank sponsor, Citigroup—has been the talk of the city. Some residents hate it with an animosity usually reserved for enemies of the state, while others seem to love it despite the occasional technical difficulty. Here, a few data points to help understand the Bikesanity, as it’s known in this sentence and nowhere else.
Trip Log
Average trips per day: 14,200
Duration of average ride: 23 minutes, 36 seconds
Total revenue thus far: $3,334,000
Most popular bike stations: Broadway and W. 57th St.; West St. and Chambers St.; 17th St. and Broadway
The Price of a Name
How Citigroup’s sponsorship deal stacks up.
$2 million
Per year, New York City Marathon’s official title (ING)
$5 million
A Frank Gehry-designed pedestrian bridge in Chicago’s Millennium Park (BP)
$41 million
For six years, New York bike-share program (Citigroup)*
$78 million
For eight years, London bike-share program (Barclays Bank)
Why Conservatives Hate Citi Bike So Much, in One Venn Diagram
Sharing:
Conservatives hate sharing—tax dollars, calamari, doesn’t matter. True story: Louie Gohmert never shared a toy for the duration of his childhood.
Mayor Bloomberg:
Conservatives hate Mayor Bloomberg, a cosmopolitan billionaire who wants to take their guns and, even worse, their enormous sodas.
Environmental:
If you think carbon emissions and climate change are hoaxes (like 58 percent of Republicans do) perpetrated by Al Gore and a handful of scientists at the University of East Anglia, then bikes are just lies on wheels.
Vaguely French:
French people ride bikes, right? Like, more than other people? There’s something vaguely French about this whole thing. Doesn’t sit well.
Healthy:
Conservatives hate being told to be healthy. Look at how much scorn they have for Michelle Obama simply for encouraging kids to exercise more and eat more vegetables.
See Also: 100-Person Poll: Citi Bikers Edition
*This article has been corrected to show that Citigroup’s sponsorship term is six years, not five.
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