????雖然不見得所有城市都能照搬紐約模式（紐約市的廣告業(yè)比其他城市更有利可圖），但美國(guó)其他城市未來在決定是否需要推廣公共自行車項(xiàng)目以及如何推廣時(shí)，紐約項(xiàng)目財(cái)政上的成功將發(fā)揮至關(guān)重要的影響。它意味著，“花旗自行車”確實(shí)可以影響美國(guó)城市的交通文化。自行車支持者們希望，紐約市新加入的10,000輛公共自行車不僅可以改善城市交通（尤其是大多數(shù)公共交通無法提供的到戶服務(wù)），還能徹底改變紐約人的出行習(xí)慣。在巴黎，公共自行車系統(tǒng)推出的第一年，該市自行車出行率增加了70%。公共自行車顧問保羅?德馬約稱，推出公共自行車系統(tǒng)后，整個(gè)巴黎似乎“一夜之間就愛上了自行車”。

????支持者們認(rèn)為，之前騎自行車的人給人留下的印象就跟穿著尼龍運(yùn)動(dòng)服的運(yùn)動(dòng)員一樣，在車流中左右穿行，橫沖直撞，而推廣公共騎行文化則可以改變?nèi)藗儗?duì)騎行的認(rèn)識(shí)，使市民更能接受騎行。當(dāng)騎行成為一個(gè)城市的潮流，汽車也就更能適應(yīng)騎行的路人，而騎行者同樣會(huì)更加遵守交通規(guī)則。當(dāng)騎行者數(shù)量達(dá)到“臨界量”（源自每月一次的自行車愛好者集體出行活動(dòng)），自行車就會(huì)成為城市交通基本結(jié)構(gòu)的一部分。雖然聽起來有悖常理，但研究已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)，自行車騎行人數(shù)增加，實(shí)際上將提高騎行的安全性。

????美國(guó)騎行正處于上升趨勢(shì)，但很少有大城市將騎行作為常規(guī)出行方式。美國(guó)自行車騎士聯(lián)盟（League of American Cyclists）稱，全球70個(gè)大城市中，過去十年自行車通勤比率提高了63%。30%的荷蘭人騎行上班，而在部分中國(guó)城市，騎行上班者的比例接近50%，但在美國(guó)，只有1%的城市通勤者會(huì)選擇自行車。公共自行車擁護(hù)者、Bikes Belong公司總裁蒂姆?布魯曼索表示，自行車倡導(dǎo)者的“理想目標(biāo)”是將美國(guó)城市通勤者比例提高到5%。

????布魯曼索說：“如果大城市中自行車出行占到5%，人們就能體會(huì)到它所帶來的變化。城市將更加寧靜，污染和噪聲會(huì)大幅減少。”他表示，不論是對(duì)騎行者還是普通市民，生活質(zhì)量都會(huì)大幅提高。

????要想實(shí)現(xiàn)5%的目標(biāo)，許多騎行者都將希望寄托在公共自行車系統(tǒng)上。布魯曼索認(rèn)為，必須規(guī)劃更安全、更完善的自行車道，配合公共自行車系統(tǒng)，巴黎和紐約近期就采取了類似的措施。明年將是美國(guó)公共自行車推廣的里程碑。目前，美國(guó)除了正在運(yùn)營(yíng)的15個(gè)大型系統(tǒng)外，今年還有17個(gè)項(xiàng)目正在規(guī)劃當(dāng)中，其中包括在舊金山、巴爾的摩和佛羅里達(dá)州圣彼得堡的新增設(shè)施。此外，洛杉磯近期也公布了一個(gè)私營(yíng)項(xiàng)目規(guī)劃藍(lán)圖。如果一切按照計(jì)劃順利進(jìn)行，而且紐約市的系統(tǒng)最終也能成功上路，那么，明年將成為美國(guó)自行車復(fù)興的一年。當(dāng)然，我們也不排除失敗的可能。

????六月的一個(gè)星期六，紐約中央公園艷陽高照，天氣炎熱，數(shù)百名紐約人輪流試駕該項(xiàng)目最先推出的兩輛花旗自行車（編號(hào)分別是#00001和#00002）。紐約市已經(jīng)為該項(xiàng)目召開了150次會(huì)議，并舉辦了各種演示和活動(dòng)，結(jié)果卻不得不將項(xiàng)目啟動(dòng)日期延后，而延期是困擾這個(gè)大型項(xiàng)目的幾個(gè)主要問題之一。據(jù)報(bào)道，項(xiàng)目推遲的原因是由于軟件問題。而與紐約市使用同款軟件的查塔努加市已經(jīng)等待了數(shù)月時(shí)間。此外，芝加哥也將項(xiàng)目啟動(dòng)時(shí)間推遲到了明年。不過，在中央公園，自行車早已準(zhǔn)備就緒，隨時(shí)可供使用。市民們騎上自行車轉(zhuǎn)一圈后，幾乎都給出了積極的評(píng)價(jià)。當(dāng)然，這并不意味著它們夠快或夠時(shí)尚。該款自行車重42磅，非常實(shí)用。雖然剛開始有些費(fèi)勁，不過，車子一旦走起來還是非常平穩(wěn)的。

????譯者：劉進(jìn)龍/汪皓

????Although New York's system won't be a model all cities can mimic (advertising in the Big Apple is more lucrative than it is elsewhere), its financial success will likely play a big factor in deciding how – and if – future bike share programs in the U.S. are rolled out. That means Citi Bike could have a real impact the transportation culture of American cities. Bike advocates hope that the influx of 10,000 public bicycles in New York not only improves transportation (particularly in terms of the door-to-door service not offered by most public transit), but will fundamentally change the way New Yorkers get around. In Paris, the first year bike share was introduced, ridership in the city increased 70%. Bike share consultant Paul DeMaio, said that after the introduction of the bike share system, the city "all of a sudden, pretty much overnight, became bike friendly."

????Widespread bike sharing, advocates argue, will encourage cultural strides toward making biking approachable – dispelling the intimidating image of urban biker as a nylon-clad athlete, weaving in and out of traffic. In a city where biking is de rigueur, cars are more attuned to cyclists, and cyclists are more tuned in to traffic laws. Once they achieve a "critical mass," to quote the so-named once-monthly bike activist outing, bikes become part of the fabric of urban transport. Though it seems counterintuitive, studies have shown that increased bike ridership actually leads to increased bike safety.

????Biking in the U.S. is on the rise, but there are few if any major metros where biking is the norm. In the country's 70 largest cities, bicycle commuting has risen 63% in the last decade according to the League of American Cyclists. But whereas some 30% of people bike to work in the Netherlands, and close to 50% do in some Chinese cities, just 1% of urban commuters use bikes in the United States. Tim Blumenthal, bike share champion and president of Bikes Belong, says that the "dream goal" for bike proponents is to that number to 5%.

????"If 5% of the trips in big cities were made by bike, you'd notice a lot of changes," Blumenthal says. "Cities would be quieter. There would be less pollution. There would be less noise." Quality of life, he says, would generally improve, both for the bikers and average city dwellers.

????To reach the 5% goal, many cyclists have pinned their hopes on bike share, which Blumenthal says must be paired with the introduction of safer and more comprehensive bike lanes, like the recent additions in Paris and New York. The coming year could be a watershed moment. On top of the estimated 15 major systems in operation in the U.S., about 17 more are planned this year – including additions in San Francisco, Baltimore and St. Petersburg, Fla. Los Angeles also recently unveiled a blueprint for a privately operated program. If all goes according to plan -- and New York's system finally comes online -- the next few years could spark a biking renaissance in the U.S. Or, of course, the spark could fizzle.

????On a hot, sunny Saturday in June in Central Park, hundreds of New Yorkers turned out for a test run on the first two Citi Bike cycles, labeled #00001 and #00002. The city held some 150 meetings, demonstrations and events before the launch date was pushed back -- one of several such setbacks to plague large programs. Chattanooga, whose system uses the same software that reportedly has delayed New York's program, waited for its program for months. Chicago's, too, has been put off until next year. In the park, though, the cycles were polished and ready to ride. A steady stream of people took one for a whirl, mostly to good reviews. That's not to say they're fast or hip. At 42-pounds, they're aggressively utilitarian. And it takes a while to get going. Once they get a little momentum, though, it's a pretty smooth ride.