On his last “Daily Show†episode Thursday before leaving for the summer to direct a film, Jon Stewart devoted the first nine minutes to New York City’s bold plan to import “Europe’s most boring idea.â€
Mr. Stewart appeared flummoxed by the system’s time constraints (“What is an unlimited 45-minute ride?â€), its lack of a helmet requirement (“A lot of people are going to dieâ€), and its very premise (“The idea of New Yorkers sharing anything other than sexually transmitted diseases is wackadooâ€).
The back end of his segment, including a field piece in which the correspondent Al Madrigal interviewed bike share critics, was kinder to the program’s fans. “Apart from the 159 meetings,†Mr. Madrigal said, addressing one man’s concerns over the city’s community outreach, “they didn’t say a word.â€