Metro Rush Hour?

Well, it’s not about a particular station, but about the trains and the system in general. The few times I use Metro to commute, I get on heading west at either Rosslyn or Foggy Bottom. Those trains can still be crowded well past 7 pm.

Rush Hour hours exist so Metro can charge higher fares during that period. So Metro defines it broadly, and not really based on actually traffic.

Maybe you could argue for bikes being allowed during certain times that don’t line up with rush hour, but that could be more confusing.

If you really want to drive Metro nuts, attempt to carry your bike on the escalator when their elevator is out. They will go nuts. I always toy with riding Metro in late hours, but then I realize the 20 minute wait isn’t going to save me more than 10 minutes for $5 of my money. So I always end up biking.

The last time I took my bike on the train I rode the Yellow up to Metro Center. Then saw 45 minute delays for the Red Line. I was going up by Takoma Park and said screw it. The ride only took me 25 minutes or so.

@baiskeli 63641 wrote:

Rush Hour hours exist so Metro can charge higher fares during that period. So Metro defines it broadly, and not really based on actually traffic.

Maybe you could argue for bikes being allowed during certain times that don’t line up with rush hour, but that could be more confusing.

I’d like some evidence before accepting the premise that metro considers rider confusion as a factor when making decisions.

@Justin Antos 63693 wrote:

Hi all! There is some rhyme and reason behind the hours of the the bike restrictions on Metrorail (which are, as dasgeh says, different from peak fare hours). We look at the overall volume of ridership over the course of the day (entries and exits at 15-minute increments) on weekdays, across the rail system. In the PM, entries peak between between 5 and 6pm, at nearly 100,000 riders/hour. By 6:30pm, things are still going strong at about 60,000 entries/hour, with exits peaking about 30 minutes after that, so 7pm seemed about right. Loads can vary by station and line for sure, but as with most rules, simplicity is also important to consistency and enforcement, so we generalize to the system. I can try to put together a data visualization of these numbers if you’re interested?

Justin Antos
WMATA Office of Planning

Thanks for the response. The flaw in your logic is the assumption that bikes would be getting on in the same places where that last surge is getting off. However, that’s probably incorrect. Those will bikes are probably doing just what those other commuters are doing – getting on near the center and traveling outward. So if you allowed them at 6:30pm, even 6:45pm, they wouldn’t be affecting those already in the system, heading out.

Also, raw numbers are fine, but wouldn’t the better metric be utilization rate? If 60,000 people is really just 80% of the seats filled (no standing), then why not let bikes on?

PS. Given all the recent press about (1) driving to Metro from nearby and (2) crime at Metro stations, allowing more bikes on Metro should be good for Metro: encourage more people to bike to Metro, and let them take their bikes when them to keep safe.

I think Metro has struck a reasonable compromise on bikes…I mean, ideally, there’d be a “bike car” or something, but I can understand how the cost of that would be prohibitive. Given how awkward bikes are, how much room they take up, and how dirty they can be, they really just don’t have a place on a full train. Even a 60% full train likely has plenty of people standing, so bikes would still be a potential hazard. As much as I think Metro can be terrible, this is one area where I simply can’t fault their position, particularly since they now allow folding bikes on at all hours.

Now, if only there was some way to keep airport passengers from bringing steamer trunks on board….

I’ve got an even better idea. If you can hoist your bike on your shoulder, you should be able to take the escalator.