A plan to bring a new bike sharing program to the Rockaways is hitting some bumps in the road.
The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) sent bike sharing company Spin a cease and desist letter Friday. The letter says the company does not have the authorization or permission to begin operations.
The city’s agreement with Citi Bike says it has “exclusive rights” to operate bike sharing in its “program area”.
City Council Member Eric Ulrich originally planned on launching Spin in the Rockaways, which has no Citi Bike docking stations, on Monday. He says he’s asked for docking stations on the peninsula for years, but it never happened.
“If Citi Bike won't come and somebody else wants to come here and provide bike share and expand transportation options for people, I'm going to support them,” Ulrich said.
“We can't just have it be the Wild West where companies just come and do whatever they want,” countered DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “They need to work with the City and we want to make sure what they're doing is safe.”
A spokesman for Spin says they plan to postpone the Monday launch, but will still hold a press conference with Ulrich.