New York – New York City’s upcoming public bike share program, Citibike, has already irked parking space seekers, food cart vendors and locals who resent seeing a Citibank sponsor logo on nearly every block.
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Now, heavier New Yorkers can be added to the list.
According to the program’s user contract, riders “must not exceed the maximum weight limit” of 260 pounds (120 kg) if they wish to sign up for the short-term bike rentals that will soon be available on city streets.
“These technical specs are established by the equipment manufacturer and are the same as other bike share cities around the world,” said Seth Solomonow, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Transportation, which oversees the program that is funded by Citibank.
The bike program, slated to launch later this Spring, will make several thousand bicycles available throughout the city for cyclists who sign up for yearly, weekly, or daily passes. The bikes can be picked up and dropped off at different docking stations during the course of a day and are meant to provide an alternative to traveling by subway, bus, or car.
The city has no way of enforcing the weight limit, and Solomonow said that he and his department “expect people will use the bikes safely.”
New York City residents Amanda Wotton, 26, and Anthony Laporta, 31, said the policy is not fair.
“The city should provide different types of bikes so everyone can participate,” said Laporta, a computer technician with a slender build who was enjoying a salad lunch in the park outside the New York Public Library. “Otherwise, someone’s definitely going to feel left out.”
Wotton, an average-size woman who works as a graphic designer, observed that 260 pounds “isn’t even that much — there are probably big muscular guys and NFL players that would be barred from cycling.”
Groups advocating for the rights of obese and overweight people also criticized Citibike’s terms of service. James Zervios, a spokesman for the Obesity Action Coalition, called the policy discriminatory.
“If the city’s offering bikes they should have bikes that accommodate all shapes and sizes,” Zervios said. “This is another example of a certain population being pulled out and put under a spotlight for no reason.”
Policies that single out heavy people have become more common in recent years, Zervios noted.
Last month, Samoa Air began determining plane ticket prices based on a passenger’s weight and the length of their trip, and several years ago, some ambulance crews raised their regular fees when transporting very heavy people.
The Citibike program has gained a number of detractors in the city. Irate drivers insist precious parking spaces should not be taken over by bike racks. Owners of a housing cooperative, or co-ops, in downtown Manhattan have claimed the stations are dangerous to people walking out of their building.
Preservationists in historic neighborhoods like Fort Greene in Brooklyn say the Citibank-branded installations are an eyesore. And food cart vendors have protested against a station they say displaced their business.
If these people were on bikes to begin with, they obviously wouldn’t have this problem!
You’d think that they would want to go out of their way to accommodate overweight people as they are the ones who would benefit the most from this type of (really any) exercise.
Now let me get this straight, who is going to weigh these people, police brownies, Citibank, DOT or is there going to be Scale at each rental location?
Is this another Bloomberg milestone?
dont eat salt, don’t drink large sugary drinks, don’t smoke,
but yet if you want to get on a bike and get some exercise don’t do that either
Your welcome New York!
– From Montreal
To be affordable, the program has to use a standard production bike they bike in large quantity. The cost of special bikes for obese individuals is simply not practical.
“NFL players”
Yeah, that’s an important demographic that’s been left out. How about amputees? People who don’t know how to ride a bike? Frail elderly individuals? Like any service, this one is available to anyone who is able to and wishes to avail himself of it. The food cart that it displaces wasn’t for people who keep kosher. The parking space wasn’t for someone who doesn’t own a car, can’t drive, or whose vehicle is too big to fit. And the bike program isn’t for the obese.
Whats so terrible about buying ur own bike if u r obese and really want to exercise? So this is an excuse and don’t break the bikes for the rest of us. Start off by watching ur chulent intake and walk in this beautiful weather in nyc
You are so right! While I don’t see the ad for the catholic school, I see other things that don’t belong on VIN. the reason is because vin has ads that come up based on other things you have clicked (or NOT clicked – but popped up on your computer). I have the same issue, with other ‘news’ things that come up on my screen. It clearly states “from the web” I think that the way ads are displayed on VIN should be 100% sponsored ads, that are appropriate! Otherwise, they may lose popularity among ehrliche readers.
Is 260 so heavy?
i think there should be 3 wheel bikes for those who dont have good balance.
personally i can ride a bike but would love a 3 wheeler with a big basket in the back so i can put my groceries in it.
will there be adjustable seats and handlebars with a knob or will we all need to walk around with a wrench?
not only are we not all the same weight, but we are not all the same height.
do they realize that when someone falls or gets hit while on one of these bikes the city has opened itself up to lawsuits.
someone is not paying attention and just shoving these things in our faces.
We are not referring to NFL football players. The average person, who is of average height, and built, has no business weighing 260 lbs. Even people who are taller (i.e. 6′ through 6-4″), should not weigh that much. There is no difference between being the urge of being addicted to food, and being addicted to drugs. People are going to have to control their proclivity to consume large amounts of food. 1800-2000 calories per day, is enough to comfortably survive on, in order to lose weight. The survivors of concentration camps survived on many less calories!