The Jersey City/Hoboken Bike Share is Coming
Good news, fellow cyclists! A bike-share program between JC and Hoboken is happening at last. A joint press release from Mayor Fulop and Hoboken Mayor Bhalla laid out the plans, which we summarize for you below:
The program will be run by Lyft/Citi Bike. As you probably know Citi Bike has been here for the past five years. By end of this year, they will upgrade the existing 51 bike stations and add two new docks in the south side of JC. In 2021, the company plans to add 15 new stations and an additional 200 bikes to the current 800 docked throughout JC. In Hoboken, Citi Bike will install 30 new stations to replace the ones currently run by Hudson Bike Share, with plans to hopefully add more stations in 2021.
40% of the combined bike share’s fleet will be pedal-assist electric bikes. These e-bikes are already in New York City and require riders to pedal to activate the electric assistance.
And there is more good news. The Citi Bike agreement introduces a new revenue stream for both cities, specifically an even distribution between Hoboken and Jersey City of five percent of annual ridership revenue greater than $2 million. The new program will be interoperable with Citi Bike in New York City at no additional cost to riders.
Jersey City and Hoboken together host roughly 75 miles of bike lanes. Currently, Jersey City has nine miles of protected lanes on Grove Street, Washington Blvd, Bergen Avenue, and Montgomery Street. The city is currently working on adding 5 more protected lanes, work that is slated to finish by the end of the year. Happy cycling!