New York City launched what aims to be one of the world's biggest bike share programs, following in the path already taken by Paris, Montreal, London and Barcelona.

Light traffic because of the Memorial Day holiday made for ideal conditions to try out the new subscription-based service on quiet city streets.
About 14,000 New Yorkers have paid an annual $103 fee entitling them to unlimited rides of 45 minutes. Daily and weekly plans will be available as well from June 2.
Alex Nash, who pedaled into Union Square on his first "Citi bike" ride at 8:30 am, said he was delighted by the experience despite some glitches.
"To start with, it was a little bit difficult to put it back. I couldn't get a new one. But it's great. I love it," the software engineer said.
He said he wants to use the bike share program every day to get around Manhattan.
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And there is raging debate over the risks posed by a higher degree of road sharing among cars and bikes in a city not known for patience.
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The program was supposed to have begun in July 2012 but it was postponed twice, initially for logistical reasons, and later because some equipment suffered flood damage during Superstorm Sandy in October.
Source-AFP