NYC picks vendor to run rental bike kiosks

City officials peddling cheap, green transportation alternatives Wednesday announced a Portland, Ore.-based vendor will manage New York's bicycle-sharing initiative.

Alta Bicycle Share will fund the $50-million program, which allows users to rent a bike from one part of the city and return it to another, using no taxpayer money, officials said.

"A lot of times, you're looking to get around quickly, and you can't get a cab or you can't get a bus or you can't get on the subway," said city Transportation Department Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan after a news conference in Gramercy. "It's just a great option to get around New York in a New York minute, and it's also available 24/7."

Membership will cost about $100 a year -- "less than a monthly MetroCard," Sadik-Khan said.

The program will include 10,000 bicycles and 600 stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It is set to launch in the summer of 2012. Public demonstrations are planned this fall.

The bicycles will be made in New York City, creating local jobs, said Alta president Alison Cohen.

Advocates hail bike-sharing as an efficient way to ease vehicle traffic and travel the couple miles that separate New York neighborhoods. "Let's improve air quality," City Council member Leticia James said.

Passersby Wednesday marveled at the bike-share kiosk and bicycles at the event.

"It's become a very clear initiative, what with the bike lanes: The city wants you to start riding a bike," said Joe Cozza, 19.

Cyclist Larry Malin, 63, had a 30-year-old bike that looked weathered in comparison to the shiny, utilitarian bicycles in the Alta kiosk.

"I love this bike, but I worry about it getting stolen all the time," the Upper West Side resident said. "I wouldn't have to worry about that with this program. It's a great idea."

Officials said they're not concerned about thefts because the bicycles have GPS units and are securely locked into the stations when not in use.

Participation can be paid for only with credit card, making users further accountable, said Cohen of Alta, which runs similar initiatives in Washington, D.C., and Boston.

Some community leaders, including those in SoHo, have complained there isn't enough sidewalk space for the kiosks. Cohen said Alta will work with neighborhoods to pick the best spots for the stations.

Alta ran into some controversy in June when The New York Times reported its equipment supplier, Public Bike System Co. of Montreal, had financial problems. Alta is using the same provider, whose issues were resolved, Cohen said.