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Metro is hosting a public meeting tonight to gather input from riders on how to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to Metrorail. If you walk or bike to Metro or have even just thought about doing so, WMATA encourages you to show up at Metro Headquarters (in the Lobby Level Meeting Room at 600 5th Street NW) from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. tonight to offer your feedback. They are especially interested in hearing from cyclists, as one of the main purposes of the bicycle and pedestrian study they're conducting is to look at how Metro can make improvements to bicycle access. Tonight's public workshop comes at a difficult time to be gathering public opinion on Metrorail, given the latest news on the reliability of the system's track sensors.
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The easiest way to improve bike access is to remove the bike restriction hours and allow bike access to all the cars, not just the front and rear. But what's the likelihood of that happening?
I'd also like to welcome back our very own AA Banner Model, Madame Butterface. Now, please, put on some pants.
It sounds like a pretty silly meeting. You can either grant cyclists access to the system during peak hours, or you can choose not to. I can tell you what the cyclists input is going to be, access would be helpful to them.
Cyclists already have access to all the cars on Metro trains (during off-peak hours). The only restriction is that you are supposed to go in the front or rear doors of any car, because the middle door is always the emergency exit (so the bikes don't block the exit in case of an emergency).
They could increase bike access by adding a flat car to the back of sets of metro cars. Bikes would ride on and bicyclists stay on their bikes.
I took a test (at Metro HQ) and was issued a pass to take my bicycle on Metro, when did they stop requiring the test?
Cantoe has a new quote, too:
"We don't intend to improve bike access so from that perspective the system is already bike friendly."
What do you do with 8 car trains? There isn't enough platform and already enough people falling on the tracks. Or wait till we hear this one: "Riders on the Red Line expect significant delays as some dumb ass dropped there bike on the tracks again".
Here's a project involving most of K St NW:
http://ddot.dc.gov/ddot/cwp/view,a,1249,q,647300,ddotnav_gid,1772,ddotnav,%7C34607%7C.asp
Does anyone know what "The project involves the reconfiguration of K Street to accommodate a transitway within the existing right-of-way" means? It's probably completely straight forward but I can't figure it out. Anyway, Metro is having a meeting on this next Wed 6:30-8:30 at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel at 12th and K.
I believe they simply mean re-configuring the road; most options I've heard about involve eliminating the frontage roads. Take a look at the following very cool, if rather dated, animations:
http://www.nc3d.com/projects/k-street-busway.html
The trains are packed enough as it is during peak hours. How on earth is someone going to cram their bike into a crowded car when some of the passengers can't even fit in it?
so what is the greater greater washington crowd complaining about with bikes on the metro? So you can't take up 3 spots and block access during rush hour on the whole train? Gimme a break.
By that logic, Metro should ban strollers, especially the 3 wheeled urban SUV type strollers that yuppies love.
I would TOTALLY support that. At least ban the "double wides" in favor of the inlines.
Here s a radical idea. If you don't like Metro's bike policies, ummm....ride your f'ing bike.
"If you walk or bike to Metro"
As opposed to teleporting to the metro?
I suspect that the majority of people who live close enough to metro to walk already do so.
I agree that it's really not feasible to allow bikes onto the train during rush hour when the trains are already so crowded that people can't always get on. Though it would be nice if they had more bike racks at the station, maybe even something with an overhang so bikes don't get soaked if it rains during the day?
Have you seen the new bike rack at DuPont South station? Its awesome!
To everyone who has or is about to get their tizzy all twisted up in a funk, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, Metro is not going to grant access to cyclists during peak hours. But, Metro is going to have a meeting, and they're going to listen to cyclists cry that they want that, and Metro is going to say, "We've heard you. Thank you. What else can we do to better serve you OTHER than allowing access during peak hours." At which point there will be an unintentional moment of silence and everyone will listen to crickets.
... after 5 minutes of silence, one cyclist will scream "Bike racks! All of our blessed parking meters are gone!" Metro will then install a single bicycle rack capable of holding 2 bicycle in front of every Metro station.
Bike lane on metro tracks!!!!
They should install a bike rack on the front of the trains like they have on the busses (that nobody has ever seen a bicycle attached to).
I use the bike rack on the front of the bus all the time. They're great for when I'm feeling to tired/lazy for the uphill commute home.
Surely you joke! Unless you're really good at scaling the fronts of trains several feet above the track below to reach for said mounted bike...
Yes, it was a joke.
re:>Over the River
"They could increase bike access by adding a flat car to the back of sets of metro cars. Bikes would ride on and bicyclists stay on their bikes."
That'd be a marvy idea - a car w/out seats designated for bikes.
re:>NewHCE
"Here s a radical idea. If you don't like Metro's bike policies, ummm....ride your f'ing bike."
Er, Humphrey, or perhaps Helpless Corpse Enactment - I work like 15 miles from home, and that's if I take the shortest route - 95 South (not exactly bike friendly). If I could take my bike from Columbia Heights to either Van Dorn or Franconia, it'd be a reasonable (safe) biking commute.
Allowing folks to take bikes would allow way more folks to consider giving up their cars.
They actually have those on California commuter rail and they've turned out to be a logistical and fiscal nightmare. They're underutilized and the wasted space on busy trains is actually discouraging more potential train commuters from leaving their cars at home. They're desperately trying to find a way to phase them out without alienating the handful of people who use the cars.
I don't believe you can equate California's with DC Metro Area's public transportation demands. There is much more of a public transportation culture in DC.
...I don't believe you can equate California's with DC Metro Area's public transportation demands
um, a) you're crazy, and b) it's the commuter rail leading into San Francisco.
Never mind that the bike train cars are far more practical on a commuter rail than it ever would be on a subway system: 10 times the capacity every half hour during rush hour, as opposed to the hundreds of cars that would be necessary to make such a system work with trains coming every 5 minutes. Put into account that the station platforms are only large enough for the number of cars that are needed for pedestrian riders, that the limitations to space would drive more commuters back to their cars to avoid the hassle.
But the good news is, Wmata also has a bus system. And the buses have a rack on front that nobody is using other than districtlibrarian.
oops I italicized the wrong part of the quote. Was supposed to be: ...There is much more of a public transportation culture in DC.
and you know, I'm actually sorry. I misread your statement from the start anyway. I thought you said D.C. had more of a bicycle commuting culture than California. Dyslexic moment on my part. You're right. D.C. does have more people using public transportation. But my point still stands, you cannot add a bike car to every metro train, there are too many trains and it would cost millions and millions, and there is only space for 8 cars anyway. The platforms are already maxed out.
Why not just park your bike at the Metro and pick it up when you go home?
Just realized you are probably a reverse commuter. I understand you might want to do this, but you should understand that you are at the bottom of the list when it comes to urban planning priorities. Not editorializing, its just not a big constituency.
How about just removing most if not all the seats from certain cars period. More standing room, room for bikes, room for strollers, and room for fatties. Perfect!
But those fatties need a place to sit after that long grueling escelator ride down with all kinds of people yelling "stand right" when they really are standing right but they're just so fat they block the entire escelator... er whatever...
If metro had large, secure, automated bike parking facilities, more commuters could do what they do in Japan - leave their bikes at the station. When I lived outside of Kyoto, I had two bikes - one for the 15-min commute from my house to my town's train station, and another for the 30-minute commute from the city station to my school. Bikes simply were not allowed on the train, and it wasn't a big deal. I had monthly bike parking passes at both stations, could swipe in and out at any hour so I could use them for more than just commuting, and never had a problem.
Of course, Japan is a lot safer than the US (although bikes do get stolen there), and bikes are a lot cheaper ... but the culture overall, at least in the larger cities, is very public transit- and bike-oriented. I miss it!
How bout returning my money that I gave in order to ride the rails during the pilot/trial program. I renewed one day for 20 bucks and the next day it was free to ride for every one.
Me too I still have my pass. I should show it to folks (not all just the ones who don't read or understand the rules) and ask them to see theirs.
I love riding my bikes and I'm all in favor of biking to and from Metro. But I hope the no bikes during rush policy stays--it's hard enough to get on a train with just people--you get a few idiots trying to cram their bikes in and it's only going to get worse! I know it sucks but there is just NO WAY to realistically make Metro accessible to bikers during the morning and evening rush periods...
As far as the meeting itself, it sounds just like another metro magic trick... hold a meeting, put out a press release, or run a new commercial that makes people think you're reaching out to them and making changes... but in reality you're just having a rant session where the notes are going to be thrown out anyway (if any are taken at all).