Bikes on the Metro During Rush Hour - WABA Petition

**Judd** · 09-19-2018, 08:01 PM

Metro is considering allowing bikes to be carried on the metro during rush hour. Full details and a WABA petition are here:

http://www.waba.org/blog/2018/09/tak...ing-rush-hour/

This is a low effort advocacy event. Just enter your e-mail address and hit enter.

**infinitebuffalo** · 09-19-2018, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by Judd

This is a low effort advocacy event. Just enter your e-mail address and hit enter.

Note that this will get you a survey that asks about how often you ride various forms of transit. Apparently if you don't ride Metrorail often enough, you won't get asked about taking your bike on it...

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**CBGanimal** · 09-20-2018, 06:09 AM

Originally Posted by infinitebuffalo

Note that this will get you a survey that asks about how often you ride various forms of transit. Apparently if you don't ride Metrorail often enough, you won't get asked about taking your bike on it...

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Yup! Happened to me too

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**Tania** · 09-20-2018, 09:05 AM

This is a terrible idea. I can barely get ME on the train during rush hour.

**dasgeh** · 09-20-2018, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by Tania

This is a terrible idea. I can barely get ME on the train during rush hour.

It seems your situation is more the exception than the rule, and could easily be dealt with by rules that allow bikes when they fit.

**dplasters** · 09-20-2018, 10:16 AM

Metro ridership peaked in 2008.

I do feel for Tania here though. There are not great spots to safely put your bike on a train and the city doesn't have the NYC Subway standard of being the city's lifeline and we all know the change in policy isn't coming along with a change in train-car design.

**mstone** · 09-20-2018, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by dasgeh

It seems your situation is more the exception than the rule, and could easily be dealt with by rules that allow bikes when they fit.

yup, because people follow the rules and metro is good at enforcing rules on the trains

**lordofthemark** · 09-20-2018, 10:25 AM

There are definitely times (the trains are much less crowded on Fridays, somewhat less I think on Mondays, and less crowded near the end of peak) and places (the reverse commute direction in many places, for example) where the current rules are unnecessarily strict, and of course some times and places where there is no room for bikes. IIUC BART asks riders to not take their bikes onto crowded trains, and IIUC that has worked out there. It is of course possible that riders in DC are less likely to be polite than those in the Bay Area, I don't know.

I would point out that some people already DO violate the rules and take bikes on metro at peak times. I think its likely that adding people who will take their bike on metro only after the rule changes, is likely to bring more rule abiding riders onto metro - but I could be wrong.

**Tania** · 09-20-2018, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by dasgeh

It seems your situation is more the exception than the rule, and could easily be dealt with by rules that allow bikes when they fit.

Really? I'd say it seems you live in metro fantasy land. I actually have to take the train a stop or two in the OPPOSITE direction in order to get back on a different train heading in my direction. And that's at 4:30pm before the real rush hour crush.

We can't even get cyclists to call their passes; there's no way they're not going to board crowded trains. And what if the train fills up after they've boarded?

I'll say it again, it's a TERRIBLE idea. Metro is bad (crowded) enough as it is. Ridership may be down but safety issues or crowded tracks (OSB for example) mean the trains aren't running as frequently.