There aren’t enough Citi Bikes to go around

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About the NotSpot Index

Not nearly enough bikes on the street.That’s our conclusion for the big jump in empty stations during last week’s pleasant weather.

This time last year, Citi Bike’s average fleet size was 5700 and bikes in the docks at a given moment on weekdays hovered around 4700.

Around noon Friday there were 3460 bikes in the docks -- 1300 fewer than last year.

Add this to the mix: membership hit an all-time high of 105,000 last April. The latest available membership figures (February) show a more than 15% decline to around 88,000. So there would seem to be less pressure on the system.

And a final reason for our concern. At this writing, 24 mph sustained winds are driving the rain sideways. There are only three  empty stations -- an all-time record low. And bikes in the docks stood at 3560.

So say there are 400 or so people crazy enough to ride in that stuff.  That puts the current fleet size at about 4000, a stunning 30% decline from last April’s average.

Maybe last week was just a blip. But for now, 11 straight weeks of satisfactory system performance stands as the record.

Click here for the visualization