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Cyclists celebrate the Citi Bike Jersey City launche on September 21, 2015. The city has announced it is adding 15 bike stations to citywide, adding to the existing 35 stations. Michael Dempsey | The Jersey Journal

(Jersey Journal file photo)

JERSEY CITY -- Mary Ford loves Citi Bike Jersey City, but barely uses the bike-share station closest to her home.

Ford, 57, who lives on Garfield Avenue, would have to walk to Bayside Park to grab one of the Citi Bike bicycles stationed there and use it to get to the Downtown financial services company where she works.

"That's sort of a long, lonely walk past a cemetery," she told The Jersey Journal. "After dark, I don't really want to do that."

Ford is in luck. This week Jersey City announced the locations of 15 new Citi Bike stations, and one of them is outside the Danforth Avenue light rail stop, much closer to Ford's house. She is thrilled.

"I will use it constantly now," she said.

Citi Bike Jersey City launched in September with 35 stations citywide. Along with the 15 new stations, the system will also add 150 bikes, bringing the total size of its fleet to 500.

Installation of the new stations is expected to begin this week.

Nine of the new bike-share stations are located Downtown, where most of its users live: Sixth and Monmouth streets, Sixth Street and Jersey Avenue, Brunswick and Seventh streets, Third Street and Jersey Avenue, Second and Grove streets, Columbus Drive and Monmouth Street, Columbus Drive and Warren Street, the Marin Boulevard light-rail station and at Morris Canal Park.

Of the rest, three are in Bergen-Lafayette: Astor Place and Park Street, Berry Lane Park and one outside Lafayette Park. There are two new stations in the Greenville area, near Audubon Park and the one outside the Danforth Avenue light rail station, plus one new one in the Heights, outside Leonard Gordon Park.

In addition, an existing bike station is being moved to make a second location outside Berry Lane Park.

Earlier this year, the city sought suggestions for where 15 new stations should be located, and says it received over 500 responses.

Mayor Steve Fulop has said he pressed Motivate, the company the runs the bike-share system, to install bike stations citywide, and not just outside the Downtown and Journal Square PATH stations.

"Part of the commitment we made when we launched was that the service would be accessible and convenient for residents in every neighborhood across the city," Fulop said in a statement. "Today's expansion is part of that ongoing commitment."

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.