Bike Policy

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CNJGeep wrote:http://railwayage.com/index.php/passeng ... channel=55
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Seems to be a reasonable compromise. Generally it has been my observation, especially at low level platforms, a regular bicycle does result in longer dwell times at stations during busier hours. Folding does not take longer.

Since the majority of Hoboken (and RVL) stations are low level, bike access was heavily limited under the current policy.

... but progress nonetheless, as noted above.

Kudos to Jtgshu for avoiding the 'I hate bikes" hysteria by inserting some real-world, more-than-once experience with them.

Like other groups of people (clubs, advocates, what have you), there are fools and idiots and there are responsible, thoughtful folk. Most bike riders aboard trains this advocate has encountered are at least as aware of their immediate surroundings, and the space they and their belongings occupy, as folks with backpacks or stroller or other items. Common courtesy overcomes many problems, even in the 21st century.

Good to see you Mr. Bowen! Hope all is well!

I did find the restriction on the weekends interesting. Maybe i read it wrong, but I think it might cause some confusion with the train crews at least if bikes are allowed on trains going to NY, but just not taking the bike itself INTO NY or not allowed on those trains at all. I would ASSUME they meant that you can't travel with bike on a train INTO or OUT of NY (and only NY) during those hours, but you could other stops.

Just the fact that there is "rush hour" of sorts on the weekends is a statement of how busy weekends are becoming, especially with baseball games and in particular events at Met Life Stadium, etc.

I still think there should be a push for a removal of some seats from cars and adding fold up seats and grab irons for larger areas for folks to store not only their bicycles but luggage and strollers, bags, etc.

Jtgshu wrote:Good to see you Mr. Bowen! Hope all is well!

I did find the restriction on the weekends interesting. Maybe i read it wrong, but I think it might cause some confusion with the train crews at least if bikes are allowed on trains going to NY, but just not taking the bike itself INTO NY or not allowed on those trains at all. I would ASSUME they meant that you can't travel with bike on a train INTO or OUT of NY (and only NY) during those hours, but you could other stops.

Just the fact that there is "rush hour" of sorts on the weekends is a statement of how busy weekends are becoming, especially with baseball games and in particular events at Met Life Stadium, etc.

I still think there should be a push for a removal of some seats from cars and adding fold up seats and grab irons for larger areas for folks to store not only their bicycles but luggage and strollers, bags, etc.

Oooph! I'm already confused because I had the exact opposite interpretation JT. I read it and ASSUMED that any train destined for NYP between the listed hours wouldn't allow bike regardless of boarding or end point.

I would also seek clarification regarding the restricted time. Are they the arrival time in NYP (like the quiet cars) or the boarding times?

If they were to make a bike car or several, they should convert some comet 3's as to not take away from the regular active fleet.

but they won't so stop dreaming.

About the whole bike car thing Mr. 25Hz is talking about, wouldn't that just turn into a logistical nightmare? Sure, we have a bunch of bike cars, but how do we determine which trains they go on?

Should it be NJCL trains? NEC? MTBN? M&E? RVL? MidTOWN Direct trains? Newark Division? Hoboken Division?

It's highly unlikely that they would make enough for every train, and with the equipment rotations it can be hard to get them onto trains that need them. And they can also end up on trains that DON'T need them. Last thing you need on an overly crowded rush hour train is 2 or 3 cars with half of the seating taken up by these bike racks (which can't even be used during rush hour).

And let's say that you could find away to make sure there is a bike car on this train every day (if that is possible, I don't work for NJT), you also have to be sure that all of their possible connections also have these bike cars. We don't need a RVL train dumping 25 people with bikes at Newark only to leave them to transfer to an already crowded NEC train with no bike car. Same with a Main/Bergen Co. Line train, what if those people have a bike car and want to transfer at Secaucus for New York?

The only "bike car" alternative I can see here is on the next order of Comet VI's, Multilevel III's, Arrow IV's, or whatever NJT comes up with next, have the cab cars built with 10-12 or so bike racks right inside the door and in that case you'll definitely know that every train has a couple of bike racks. But until then...

The MBTA bike cars are meant to be used on a few coastal routes on weekends, although it was pointed out in another thread that they are being pressed into service on weekdays because of equipment shortages. With train lengths and slots at NYP at capacity, NJT isn't likely to do something that reduces the number passengers. The best bikers can hope for is more cars like the bilevels, where there are a number of fold-up seats, or for bike racks to be added to buses.

I was thinking of putting them mainly on the bay head shuttles and a few NEC and other trains. Midtown direct would be a good idea, Newark broad connects to some bus and the light rail, so that might be useful. You could focus on running them weekends for a start, and If the ridership is there, see if a few weekday trains could work with them.

Weekend bike program expanded as of Saturday August 11.

In response to customer requests regarding bike access at train stations, Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Simpson and NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein today announced the designation of selected “bike-friendly” trains on weekends and other improvements in support of the transportation needs of the cycling community.

“After gathering valuable input from members of the cycling community, we worked to make some common-sense changes that help make NJ TRANSIT one of the most bicycle-friendly systems in the region,” said Commissioner Simpson. “By implementing designated bike trains on weekends on most of our rail lines, in addition to the regular weekend trains, we are providing capacity for up to 7,200 bicycles on Saturdays and Sundays combined.”

Effective Saturday, August 11, all weekend trains on the Raritan Valley Line and Atlantic City Rail Line and on rail service to and from Hoboken Terminal will become “bike-friendly” trains, providing capacity for up to 12 bicycles per train. The current policy allows for bicycle access only on open rail cars, meaning if four cars of a six-car train are open to customers, that train can accommodate only eight bicycles. Under the newly revised Bike Aboard program, train crew members will be able to open unused rail cars on designated bike trains as needed to provide additional capacity for cyclists.

As part of the expanded Bike Aboard program, NJ TRANSIT will be offering 418 designated bike trains on weekends on the Raritan Valley, Main/Bergen, Pascack Valley, Gladstone, Montclair-Boonton and Atlantic City Rail lines. An additional 273 non-designated bike trains on weekends can accommodate up to two bicycles per car on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast and Midtown Direct lines.

mtuandrew wrote:

25Hz wrote:I love when families board with a big non-folding stroller and 10 huge shopping bags & just expect everything to fit and be fine. Now, on one hand this is irritating & can create tripping hazards or take up seat space etc. On the other hand the train is there to serve a purpose and if you purchase a ticket you've paid to utilize it. I guess the point is where's that line? Why not restrict anyone with over-sized carry on items t the discretion of the conductor? If you want to bring something that might not quite fit the penalty shouldn't be banned from boarding simply you get lower priority & have to wait for a less crowded train.

I know septa isn't njt and is in a different state, but bikes are allowed on all non-peak trains as far as i can remember. Also low platforms make up a large percent of the system, which also connects to busses which all have bike racks on the front. If SEPTA can do it and maintain some semblance of on time performance NJT should be able to do same, it's not like the equipment is that much different.

It'd be faster to ride the bicycle than to carry it on SEPTA. Regarding your earlier advocation of a bike car, the thought of hauling an extra 60 ton car to carry 1000 pounds of bicycles and other mobility accessories (not wheelchairs) just makes me mad. That said, it's probably a good idea to get more Americans out of their cars, considering the way most of us prefer to travel. I'd be a lot more forgiving if use of such a car meant a small fee imposed on oversize bicycles and strollers, so it didn't come directly from the pocket of the commuter agency.

You did hit on one of my pet peeves though - oversize strollers. I understand wanting to protect your kid, I really do. I don't understand using a four-foot-wide, six-foot-long M1A1 baby tank with crawler tracks and climate control for little precious. A lightweight folding stroller or wearable child carrier would be far less of a hassle for everyone. Even those stupid backpack kid leashes are better than carting your six-year-old around in a stroller the size of Kansas!

LMAO Andrew, as an avid Battlefield 3 player I found your M1 Abrams baby tank analogy outright hysterical. Anyways I think instead of retiring the CIVs they should do the bike conversion on the back half of the car and leave the front for seating, maybe insert one per train in the back of the consist so they're not in the way, I would say do it to the CIIIs but they've been sitting around for so long that they would need a rebuild first before you even thought of putting them back in service.

Can't wait until the next person gets hurt because of a bike. This is going to be interesting.