STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After U.K.-based bike share provider Beryl pulled the plug on the borough’s new program just weeks before it was slated to launch, dozens of Staten Islanders recently gathered at Borough Hall to demand that the city find a new provider to take its place.
On Sunday, a group of residents, advocates and political candidates rallied for a new Staten Island bike share program on the steps of Borough Hall at an event organized by Transportation Alternatives.
“Staten Island cannot afford to be the forgotten borough when it comes to bike share. With permanent access to quality, affordable bike share service, we can finally break the car dependency that has crippled this borough for far too long,” said Rose Uscianowski, the Staten Island Organizer for Transportation Alternatives.
Last week, Beryl announced that it would no longer launch on Staten Island, citing logistical complications related to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Implementing a bike share service in a new city is a complex logistical challenge. As the UK and USA continue to deal with the consequences of COVID-19 and complications in the global supply chain, it is with regret that we’re unable to provide a system to Staten Island residents on the basis of our previous deployment plan,” said Beryl CEO Philip Ellis.
Roseann Caruana, the Department of Transportation (DOT) borough commissioner for Staten Island, said that the agency was “disappointed” by the decision, but that the department is already starting to consider other options.
“We are deeply disappointed in this news, and would like to assure Staten Islanders that we are actively studying micromobility options for the borough,” Caruana said.
During Sunday’s rally, Cesar Vargas, an immigration attorney and activist who is running for the borough presidency, said that bringing a new bike share program to Staten Island is crucial for the community, particularly for those who are limited in their other transportation options.
“The transit system is vital to Staten Islanders, especially to our immigrant, black, and brown communities. Having a car is not the only solution. Our communities deserve a bike sharing program that is accessible and promotes clean air and less congestion. The time to act is now,” Vargas said.
Michael Williams, a youth coach at the College of Staten Island in Willowbrook, said that bike share programs are incredibly valuable to younger residents, granting them opportunities they may not have otherwise.
“A bike share program is crucial for youth in our borough. It’s a vital and reliable alternative for youth to not only exercise, but get to school and job opportunities,” Williams said.
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was represented at the rally by Staten Island Borough Advocate Fitim Shabani, voiced his support for a Staten Island bike share on Twitter shortly after the event.
“The city must bring back Staten Island’s Bike Share program!” Williams wrote. “Beyond transportation, Bike Share is about access to school, jobs, mobility, and less congested streets.”
HOW WE GOT HERE
The cancellation of Staten Island’s next bike share program comes at the end of a long, winding road full of delays and unkept promises.
In November 2019, the DOT announced that Beryl, a United Kingdom-based bike share provider, would operate Staten Island’s new bike share program, which was initially scheduled to begin this past spring.
However, as spring 2020 came to a close, the mint green bicycles had yet to hit Staten Island streets.
“Beryl was scheduled to launch in spring 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the launch was delayed. DOT and Beryl are working closely to launch as soon as operationally and logistically feasible,” the DOT said in June.
Had the program actually launched in April, it would have only operated within practically the same service area -- along portions of the North and East shores -- as the previous bike share program, operated by JUMP and Lime, despite DOT initially touting the program as a borough-wide bike share.
On Nov. 13, 2019, the DOT announced via press release that, “A new bike share provider, Beryl, will provide borough-wide service in the spring with over 1,000 new bikes.”
“This next exciting phase of our bike share pilot will allow us to work with a promising company to deliver a great and convenient transportation option to all of Staten Island,” former DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said at the time. “We look forward to sharing more details of Beryl’s plans in the months ahead – and this spring, we look forward to welcoming brand-new and distinctive Beryl bikes to all of ‘The Rock.’”
However, the DOT reneged in February last year, stating that the new bike share will launch within essentially the same service area as the previous bike share, with plans to expand to the rest of the borough after the initial launch.
“Beryl will launch in an area similar but slightly larger than the service area from the Dockless Bike Share Pilot that JUMP and Lime operated in. Beryl will expand to cover the rest of the island later this year,” a DOT spokesperson said at the time.
When asked why the program was no longer expected to launch borough-wide, as initially planned, the DOT would not provide a specific answer, instead stating that, “as with other bike share systems, Beryl will expand service through a phased rollout to ensure effective operations and comprehensive community outreach.”
In October 2020, the DOT said that, following delays associated with the pandemic, the Beryl bike share program would launch in March 2021.
That, too, turned out not to be the case, with Lily Gordon-Koven, DOT director of dockless pilots, telling the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com last month that the launch date had been pushed to April 2021.
Now, nearly a full year after the program was first expected to start, it turns out that the mint green Beryl bikes will never be deployed on Staten Island streets.
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