The one-month-old initiative to provide free bike rentals on Governors Island has seen demand skyrocket. Since launching Free Bike Fridays on June 6th, bicycle ridership on the island has more than tripled, from 120 daily bike renters to more than 400. Sponsored by Transportation Alternatives, the program avails bicycle rentals for free on Fridays. Rentals are available at the regular price of $5 for 30 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays.

While Free Bike Fridays is currently the only free bicycle program in New York City, enthusiasm for public bikes is surging. Later this week, the Forum for Urban Design will launch its second annual New York Bike Share Project, in the hopes of bringing a Paris-style bicycle share to New York City. And the NYC Department of Transportation is currently working to provide free bicycle rentals at Summer Streets in order to boost bicycle-riding along the 90 blocks of car-free streets.

"We're thrilled that Free Bike Fridays are drawing thousands of new visitors to Governors Island," says Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "This experiment shows that when you combine public bikes with safe space for biking, New Yorkers respond in huge numbers."

"Governors Island is an incredible place where every visitor can enjoy biking, entirely for free," said Leslie Koch, President of the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation. "Free Bike Fridays has allowed even more New Yorkers and visitors to experience biking in the middle of New York Harbor."

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