In late May, New Yorkers greeted the Citi Bike bike-share program with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. Some dreaded the onslaught of inexperienced riders on the city's chaotic roads, while others welcomed the opportunity to expand their commuting options.
Despite initial doubts, Citi Bikes are now a fairly common sight across the New York City. In order to visualize the bikes' usage, The New Yorker developed a time-lapse map using data provided by Citi Bike to track the bikes' usage and where people traveled from June 8 to July 8.
The map displays Manhattan and parts of Williamsburg and downtown Brooklyn filled with circles which "grow or shrink according to the number of available bikes at each station," according to the post on the The New Yorker's website. The map also shows the weather for each day.
Image: The New Yorker
The map suggested several findings. The concentration of bikes in the center of the city on workdays could mean many are using Citi Bikes to commute to work. However, this popularity among commuters also left "some areas bereft of bikes" during weekdays, per The New Yorker.
On weekends, "the commutes were replaced by patternless, recreational movement, in which bikers meander around the city," reflecting a more relaxed attitude.
You can read more on the findings here.
If you're based in New York City, have you tried out Citi Bikes? If not, does your city have a similar program? Tell us in the comments below.