Citi Bike Installs First Station in Queens

Citi Bike has officially expanded into Queens. 

The city's bike-share program installed its first station in the borough Wednesday, part of an expansion plan that will double the size of the network from 6,000 bikes to 12,000 bikes over the next two years. 

The new station was set up on Center Boulevard in Long Island City, between Borden and 54th avenues. It's adjacent to Hunters Point South Park along the East River, and is the first of 12 slated for Long Island City, to be installed over the next few weeks.

"It's good for Queens, and if it's good for Queens, it's good for New York City," said New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents Long Island City. 

By the end of the summer, there will be 91 new Citi Bike stations, including 26 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, 33 in Williamsburg and 20 in Greenpoint. By early fall, 27 bike stations will be installed on the Upper East Side and 21 on the Upper West Side.

By 2017, the expansion will see Citi Bike stations set up in Harlem, Astoria, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Red Hook and Gowanus. 

The city Department of Transportation and Motivate, the company that operates Citi Bike, developed the expansion plan -- including where and when to add the stations -- after years of meeting with the public and community stakeholders, officials said. 

The expansion also includes new software to power Citi Bikes and upgraded hardware at all existing stations and docking points. The measures will deliver accurate, real-time information to customers about dock and bike availability through the Citi Bike app, officials said. 

The existing 6,000-bike fleet has also been overhauled and replaced with new custom-designed bikes developed in partnership with Olympic bike designer Ben Serotta, officials said. They feature higher-quality parts and upgraded seats to prevent water from pooling when it rains.

Citi Bike also announced that the program will be expanding into Jersey City this September. 

An annual membership with Citi Bike is currently being offered to new members at a promotional price of $124 for the year.