Thanks to ongoing expansion, Citi Bike has broken its annual ridership record for a third straight year. A press release from Mayor Bill de Blasio's office bragged that "nearly 14 million trips" were taken, "shattering the record set in 2015 by more than 4 million."

Overall, 139 docking stations and 2,000 bikes were added this year, and it's projected that the program will grow to 12,000 bikes by the end of 2017, with the expansion bringing Citi BIke to Astoria, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights. While many Astoria residents are happy to see Citi Bike grow, someone is going to have to break the news to this guy...

Citi Bike, which began under Mayor Michael Bloomberg (even a technocrat like Bloomberg had to deal with delays), is now the largest bike-share program in North America. Here are some other factoids from the mayor's office:

- It regularly serves "60,000 trips per day - on par with Boro Taxis and the Staten Island Ferry."

- It's possible that this year's Citi Bike trips "have kept New Yorkers out of carbon-producing vehicles, sparing nearly 5,000 tons of CO² out of New York City’s air."

- There are 23 60,000-trip days this year.

- October 19 had almost 70,000 trips, "a one-day system record"



Citi Bike is now managed by Motivate, whose CEO is former MTA CEO Jay Walder. Walder said, "Citi Bike’s latest record shows that bike share is fulfilling its promise as a vital part of New York’s transportation network - increasing access to the city’ transit network and communities underserved by public transit."

"In 2016, we fulfilled our pledge to grow Citi Bike, a sustainable transit option, to a range of more diverse Manhattan and Brooklyn communities - from upper Manhattan to Red Hook," the Mayor said. "New Yorkers in these communities really took to Citi Bike, further cementing its reputation as the nation’s largest popular bike-share program. With more Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods slated to get bikes in 2017, we can continue to expect great things."

Citi Bike currently costs $12/day (unlimited 30-minute rides) or $155 for an annual membership (unlimited 45-minute rides). There are also lower-cost options for NYCHA residents and IDNYC holders, as well as some credit union members, Oxford health plan participants and Citi card holders. For comparison, currently one subway ride is $2.75 and a monthly unlimited pass (not including new card fee) is $116.50.