Citi Bike Will Expand To Jackson Heights, But Not Until 2023

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — New York City's bike-sharing service will hit the greater Jackson Heights area as part of a major expansion announced Tuesday.

By 2023 — 10 years after the program launched — Citi Bike will expand further into Queens by adding docks in Sunnyside, Maspeth, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Corona.

Right now, Citi Bike service in Queens is only available in Astoria and Long Island City.

Lyft, Citi Bike's new owner, committed $100 million last fall to expanding the program's geographic reach and more than tripling the size of its fleet. Citi Bike has said it will also roll out some 40,000 additional bikes in the coming years.

Details of the expansion, first reported by the New York Post, follow a report showing that Citi Bike's current service area serves a largely white, affluent population while shutting out poor people of color.

More than 70 percent of neighborhoods with a median income less than $20,000 lack access to bike-sharing, while every neighborhood with a median income above $200,000 can easily grab a bike, according to last week's report by New York Communities for Change.

Annual Citi Bike memberships cost $169 for unlimited 45-minute rides, though public housing residents and food-stamp recipients can get one for $5 a month. Cyclists can also buy single rides for $3 or day passes for $12.

Patch editor Noah Manskar contributed reporting.