Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Sometimes Jersey City tries too hard to be NYC

The new administration and the city council (filled with yes men and women for the mayor) have decided that they too want to lose large chunks of money on a failed bike-share program just like NYC has with the abject failure there of the "Citibike" program.

The Jersey City Council is set to approve a new bike-share plan at tonight's council meeting:

If the contract is approved by the council at its bi-monthly meeting on Wednesday, the next phase for the bike-share program will be to determine where to place dozens of docking stations around the city.

Hear Johnny now and believe him later, this is failure on a large scale coming your way with your tax money. People here already have bikes. The ones that get on say the PATH aren't going to ride a bike from the Grove St. PATH station to the Harsimus Cove light rail stop.

What does NYC's experiment with bike-share teach us here in Jersey City?

As The News reported Monday, the company operating the Citi Bikes, Bike Share NYC, has repeatedly failed to meet several monthly performance standards in its contract with the city.

And The Wall Street Journal reported that the program was losing money and was seeking to raise tens of millions of dollars to stay in business.

Well maybe the NYC experiment didn't teach Steve Fulop and city council a damned thing. They are so desperate to be NYC they are planning on making the same mistakes they do. Dropping off unwanted bike share racks all over town, maybe one next to where you live, whether you want one or not.

On a completely personal note to the city, plant one of these NJ Bikeshare LLC racks near Johnny's house and he and his neighbors will turn it into a block party bonfire.

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