Bike Share program a liability

From the NY Times:

The New York City comptroller, John C. Liu, is warning that the city’s ambitious bike-share program, which is to begin next month, could face lawsuits from accidents involving those bikes.

In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Liu said that he was concerned that the Transportation Department had not adequately prepared for litigation that could result from the program, which is expected to put 10,000 bicycles on the streets by next summer. “I support bicycling in the city, but I also think we need to be realistic about the potential exposure the city faces,” he said.

Mr. Liu, a possible candidate for mayor next year, is set to outline his concerns in a report next week that he said would focus on improving the safety of riders and pedestrians and, as a result, better insulate the city from liability.

But accidents will happen, as will lawsuits, and the $10 million insurance policy the city required Alta Bicycle Share, which is operating the program, to obtain may not be large enough, he said.

“It’s unclear; it’s untested,” he said. “What we do know is that claims against the city to date have exceeded $10 million a year, and that’s without these 10,000 rental bikes.”