NYC Bike Share Delayed Until Next Spring

Unfortunately, it looks like New York's Citi Bike won't launch this month after all... Mayor Bloomberg and the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) have announced today that "the Citi Bike system will launch in March 2013 with an initial phase of 7,000 bikes implemented at 420 stations." The delay seems to be caused by a software problem:

NYCBS continues work to conclude manufacture and testing of the high-performance software necessary to operate the new system, which is being tailored for New York City. The system uses new solar power arrays and circuit boards, and engineers will continue to thoroughly test data communications, power management and payment systems to ensure overall system performance. Following the March launch, work will continue to expand the system to 10,000 bikes, covering parts of Manhattan and from Long Island City to parts of Brooklyn.

In Other Bike-Sharing News...
In other news, Streetsblog report on a public survey that shows support for "a network of public bicycles at 74 percent citywide, the highest positives yet for an idea that has consistently scored very well in public opinion." Even the the least supportive borough, Staten Island, shows support of 66% among those polled. "In Manhattan, which will contain most of the initial service area, support is at 81 percent."Just too bad about that delay...
Via NYC DOT, Streetsblog