Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Drunk Citi Biker Swears He's Never Blacked Out While Biking
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 22, 2013
Modified Aug 22, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Via @NewYorkist's Twitter
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 22, 2013
Modified Aug 22, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Of all the Citi Bike trend stories that we've come across since the program launched this spring—and that includes homeless spin classes, celebrity sightings, basket children, and conspiratorial reactionaries—we've somehow made it all these months without anyone bringing up (or rather, critically invoking) the common occurrence of drinking-while-biking. Thankfully, the NY Times is on it today with a story all about Citi Biking while intoxicated, and the joys and perils that come along for the ride.
Technically speaking, cycling under the influence isn't illegal—but that doesn't mean you can't get stopped and charged with disorderly conduct or reckless endangerment or salmoning. Okay, so even more technically speaking, the Citi Bike user agreement prohibits riding "under the influence of any alcohol, drugs, medication or other substance." But members are more worried about getting their bikes back on time than being given a breathalyzer.
And oh, there are all the wonderful upsides of drunk Citi Biking: saving money on cabs, avoiding long subway waits, getting a little exercise in between drinks, the opportunity to explore slightly out-of-the way neighborhoods, and the beautiful summer scenery. “At night, not to sound cheesy, but you have the wind at your back and you just feel carefree,” said Jillian, a 29-year-old Chelsea lawyer. There's really nothing more freeing than the wind whipped up by a brush with death.
Of course there are no statistics on how many people have Citi Biked drunk but one sign of the growing trend is that the five most active docking stations between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. are all located in lower Manhattan nightlife areas, including: the East Village (Lafayette and East Eighth Street), West Village (Carmine Street and Sixth Avenue; West Fourth Street and Seventh Avenue), Chelsea (Eighth Avenue and West 31st Street) and SoHo (Cleveland Place and Spring Street).
There have only been eight reported injuries on Citi Bikes so far (no one is tracking whether any of those people were drunk), but bike lawyer Daniel Flanzig is convinced it's just a matter of time: “it’s probably inevitable that there’s going to be a Citi Bike crash involving alcohol.” Shawn, a 30-year-old who uses the bike-share program about 20 times a week and admits to drunk biking, might disagree: he broke his toe while riding home over the Williamsburg Bridge one night recently. But he has a healthy attitude about it: “I really wasn’t that drunk,” he said. “I’ve never blackout Citi Biked.”
Tagged
alcohol
citi bike
drunk
drunk citi biking
ny times
trends
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .