Metro Considers Ending Rush Hour Ban for Bikes on Trains

7_6_09_bike.jpgPhoto: bhop/flickr

This Thursday, Metro will take the first public steps to remove its rush hour bans against bikes on certain trains.  In just the year and a half since LA Streetsblog began publishing, Metro has threatened to vigorously enforce this ban, backed off strict enforcement, piloted a program of taking out seats to make more space for bikes on trains, expanded that pilot to more trains and now is publicly talking about ending all "bike bans" in favor of signage directing cyclists to the best places to rest bikes while riding the trains.

Details on the timing for the end of this ban, and how news of the potential new policy would be communicated to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Metro secutiry have yet to be revealed.  To help get this information out, Streetsblog will "live tweet" the noon meeting at twitter.com/lastreetsblog.

The first step in the public process to end the ban will be a pair of meetings this Thursday in Metro Headquarters at noon and 6 P.M.  The meetings will be held at the Board Overflow Room on the Third Floor across from the cafeteria.  For more information, you can read Metro’s official announcement, available online exclusively at Streetsblog, here.

  • gotta love the 6pm meeting – nice one Metro! Glad to see some accommodation for those who need to be at work during the day.

  • Um… bad link alert: that PDF file doesn’t seem to exist.

  • Fixed. Try again.

  • I always thought it strange that wheeled transportation for adults (bicycles) had restrictions, but wheeled transportation for children (strollers) and stuff (carts) were welcome at all times.

  • DJB

    Ideally there’d be enough space for lots of bikes on trains during the peak hours . . . If you want to take a bike on a crowded train, you should probably consider one that folds up. Good compromise no?

  • I present to you:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariaiop/2671620303/

    MTA gives us lemons, Zahnradbahn gives us lemonade.

  • Is cart in front of the train or the back? Looks like the back.

    With a rack on the bus in the front, the driver can see when you are done mounting or unmounting your bike. You also have eye contact with the driver.

    The cart idea is great. I just hope there’s some sort of way to communicate with the train operator. Can you imagine if the train took off with your bike and you weren’t on it? Even worse – some one makes off with your bike while you are in the train.

    I’m just sayin’…

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Will Rush Hour Trains Be the Next Bike Battleground?

By Damien Newton |
Crowded Bike Racks Below Metro HQ. Picture Taken at 9:00 A.M. It is long standing of Los Angeles MTA to not allow bikes on trains from 6:30-8:30 every morning and 4:30 to 6:30 every evening. However, the law is never enforced and when I’ve asked LA County Sheriffs checking tickets on trains about it, they […]

Breaking News: Metro Reverses Rush Hour Ban on Bikes on Trains

By Carter Rubin |
Gunpowder doesn’t have to fear getting ticketed on his way to Metro Board meetings. Photo: LAStreetsblog/Flickr Announced this morning at LA Bike Week’s kickoff event in front of LAPD headquarters, Metro will be lifting restrictions on when and where you can bring your bike onto Metro Rail (the Purple, Red, Blue, Green, and Gold Lines).  Current […]