Citi Bike Expansion Coming, Along With a Political Battle Over Electric-Assist Bikes and Scooters

"Citi Bike will triple its current fleet of 12,000 bikes — and double the system’s coverage area — as part of a five-year, $100-million investment," reports Gersh Kuntzman.

The investment comes as new owner, Lyft, invests in the expansion of its acquisition. The system is currently limited to most of Manhattan and tiny slivers of Queens and Brooklyn, an area totaling 30 square miles. The expansion will raise that total service area to 65 square miles.

The investment will also expand the deployment of electric-assist bicycles, or e-bikes, though the total number is not clear. On a related note, a package of bills recently introduced in the New York City Council would "legalize most forms of the so-called e-bikes," according to an article by J. David Goodman, as well as electric scooters. That legislation, "is likely to set off a public confrontation" with Mayor Bill de Blasio, according to Goodman.