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| Fat woman riding a bike |
If you thought of moving to New York City in order to join the new bike sharing program, just forget about it.
The city has announced that those weighing more than 260 pounds will not be able to sign up for the bike sharing program, according to a statement released by New York City officials.
New York City has reached international headlines with its efforts to curb obesity through weird proposals, such as an attempt to ban large sodas.
The city has launched a new obesity fighting effort that has also been copied by other cities in the United States, a bike sharing program, but if you are hoping to shed the pounds, there is a catch, as the city said that you must weigh less than 260 pounds to join.
The city said that the weight limit was enacted on the recommendations of the bicycle manufacturers.
When the program is fully implemented, it will offer more than 10,000 bikes at 600 locations across the city, the largest in the United States.
“The weight limit is a silly rule. What was the point of launching the bike sharing program to begin with? Was it not to help fat people lose some weight? The city should purchase bikes that are strong enough to hold obese people,” Kimberly Taylor, 33, of New York City told YourJewishNews.com after learning of the weight limit.
The bike sharing program works by allowing people to collect a bicycle at a fixed location and then either return it to the same place or take it a different location.
However, the restriction is sure to draw more negative attention to the efforts of the health program. Before people can participate in the program, which costs $98 per month or $25 per week, they must sign a contract stating that they meet the weight requirements.