NYC Officials Want Citi Bike In All Five Boroughs

New York City officials are calling for the de Blasio administration to expand Citi Bike to all five boroughs. 

For New Yorkers who live in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and a small part of Queens, Citi Bike is an alternative to riding the subway or taking the bus. However, for people in the Bronx and Staten Island, the bike share program remains an elusive goal. 

Cris Furlong, a representative for Make Queens Safer, said biking saves families thousands of dollars in transportation costs.

"Mass transit commutes across the borough are unreliable, costly, and incredibly frustrating," Furlong said. "Yet, we know that many people traverse the borough at great expense and frustration." 

City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez said that it's the city's duty to provide more transportation options to low-income communities.

"Cycling is not a luxury," Rodriguez said at a press conference. "We need to make that clear by bringing these bikes to all five boroughs. [We need to bring this program] to the middle class, to the the upper class, but also to the fifty percent of New Yorkers living under the poverty line."

Citi Bike has offered the de Blasio administration a deal to expand their program to all five boroughs. However, de Blasio has declined the offer thus far.