Metro Rush Hour?

[Justin Antos]

Yeah, good points all – at 6:30pm a station like Archives could be deserted while, say, Greenbelt is busy. But a station like U Street could also be hopping at 6:30pm. The rule isn’t perfect, for sure – I just wanted to let folks know it wasn’t totally arbitrary! And absolutely, utilization (passengers per car) would definitely be better than just raw volumes. Volumes dropping to 60% of peak doesn’t mean the trains are ‘60% full’ – some are empty, some are jam-packed. (Actually this is true at the peak hour too) And as Bob says, the capacity constraint is both the train and circulation within stations. This is inspiring me to refresh and present the data! Let me see what I can muster up.

And yes! Folding bikes always welcome. I particularly like SharrowsDC’s description of brining his Brompton aboard – “bringing a bike on Metro is like bringing a guest to a party”

[Greenbelt]

@DismalScientist 63709 wrote:

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

CX bikes, properly shouldered, should be given special consideration!

Seriously, I think Metro should allow more bikes during rush hour, perhaps with a permit, and possibly at the discretion of the train operator and station manager. Here’s how it works:

Cyclists should be allowed to get a counter rush or expanded hours permit. For example, there’s no reason to ban bikes heading from Fort Totten toward Greenbelt in AM rush, or from Greenbelt to Columbia Heights in PM rush. This would help reverse commuters immensely, and raise Metro revenues for otherwise empty train cars. Permitted cyclists during rush hour would be only allowed in the front car, and only allowed to board if waved in by the train operator. That is, if there’s a full train because of some delay or something, cyclists would have to defer to the train op’s permission before boarding. What could possibly go wrong?

[mstone]

@Greenbelt 63715 wrote:

What could possibly go wrong?

So you’re new to Metro?

[DismalScientist]

I ain’t got no stinking CX bike. But then again, I could probably beat any Metro train by just riding instead.:p

[Terpfan]

@Hbenbow 63673 wrote:

If you don’t mind me asking, what route do you take from Metro Center to Takoma Park? I bike from Takoma to Alexandria in the morning, so when I bike back, I’m usually a bit too worn down to go all the way back. I come down 11th st mostly.

That’s the main reason why I take the metro back.

Well, I hadn’t really ridden the route so I kind of made it up as I went. I went west to 15th St Cycletrack and took that up until 16th. Took 16th over to Piney Branch and then Piney Branch in. I did switch to the sidewalk toward the end of 16th portion.

Doing it again, I’d probably do cycletrack up and then cut over to 13th or 11th.

[consularrider]

@DismalScientist 63724 wrote:

I ain’t got no stinking CX bike. But then again, I could probably beat any Metro train by just riding instead.:p

That’s what I do from EFC to Rosslyn (if you count the time it would take me to get to/from the station).

[Riley Casey]

As Dasgeh mentioned the bike racks on Metro buses along with the iNextBus app is a great way to let the bus do the hill climb for you. Just about any of the 16th St or 14th St buses will get take you above the real elevation change from downtown and make for a pleasant, side street ride to Takoma. For riding to Takoma I try to get east as soon as possible from 11th St as 5th St is a much lower traffic ride than anything west of Georgia Ave.

@Hbenbow 63673 wrote:

If you don’t mind me asking, what route do you take from Metro Center to Takoma Park? I bike from Takoma to Alexandria in the morning, so when I bike back, I’m usually a bit too worn down to go all the way back. I come down 11th st mostly.

That’s the main reason why I take the metro back.

[CPTJohnC]

My first observation is that the rules regarding bikes are not uniformly enforced in the system. Just yesterday I watched a young lady take her bike off a train at Rhode Island Ave. in clear violation of the rules (it was about 1720/1730), though I would say she inconvenienced no one. I have, on several occasions, seen folks with bikes at Union Station during the prohibited hours, and this often is an obstruction because of the crowds.

I think there could definitely be a workable ‘permit’ system as was proposed by another poster, though I can already imagine the potential for abuse (oh, I know I’m only permitted from Ft. Totten to Greenbelt, but I just need to go to NoMa this once…). OTOH, if the penalty were a swift revocation of the permit, that might keep folks very honest. I also think that the idea of a ‘bike and standee only’ car would be great — remove all seats! front/back car on every train, perhaps? every other train? paint them different color?

Lastly, I have to admit that it annoys me to no end that bikes are banned from trains during rush-y hours, while other large obstructive items (large luggage, strollers, and that ilk) are not! I admit bikes are more obstructive that most suitcases and strollers, but if you’ve ever been on a train with a double jogging stroller hogging the entire entryway of the train at rush hour, or you have the couple that has 4 (or 5) duffel bags that they’re trying to wrangle on and off the train (and up the escalator) you know that bikes are not the only horrors. Wheel chairs are one thing – they are a necessity for their users. But strollers? I’m sorry — I have little sympathy for folks who use enormous strollers in metro during rush hours. They’re actually a pain for everyone, including the user, and there are many better alternatives. The luggage thing is tough, because most of them are tourists, and we certainly don’t want them to stop coming to visit this wonderful city, but at the same time, I wish there were a way to urge them into cabs esp. if they have 2 large bags each, at rush hour. Perhaps station managers should be given some discretion to deny entry to anyone with oversized or awkward items at rush hours except items required for disabled patrons…?

(*I’m sure there are tons of holes in my thoughts here, but I’m not trying to make a real, comprehensive proposal, mostly just venting)

[Bilsko]

@CPTJohnC 63827 wrote:

But strollers? I’m sorry — I have little sympathy for folks who use enormous strollers in metro during rush hours. They’re actually a pain for everyone, including the user, and there are many better alternatives.

Agreed that large items can be burdensome on other Metro users…but as someone who, for a couple years, had to occasionally wheel a stroller onto a Metro train or hoist it up onto a Metrobus – I very much sympathize with parents (and very often other caretakers!) who have to navigate the system with a stroller.

I’m curious what alternatives you have in mind. Wheelchairs and other personal mobility aids/devices are a necessity – I would say that a stroller is no different for the infant.

[CPTJohnC]

@Bilsko 63829 wrote:

I’m curious what alternatives you have in mind. Wheelchairs and other personal mobility aids/devices are a necessity – I would say that a stroller is no different for the infant.

Obviously everyone is different, but IMHO a sling (or other front carrier) is a far superior device for moving an infant from place to place, esp. in crowded environs. Personally, I preferred a backpack carrier once they were old enough (6 months or so) — I will admit that this is not without a certain degree of ‘obstructiveness’ too, but not much worse than other backpacks, and less problematic than a stroller.

If one is married to the stroller concept, then the small folding umbrella type strollers are reasonable for navigating metro and other similar spaces, but the gigantic jog strollers, prams and other luxo-barge strollers that seem to be favored are just huge pains.

Let me admit that I did not do a ton of metroing with my kids when they were little, but I did plenty of taking them from place to place as a pedestrian, and overall, I was not crazy about strollers in ‘crowds’ — the only thing I found them great for was carrying other stuff one collected along the way.

Toddlers are the tough age — too big for most people to comfortably use an ‘on-person’ carrier, but not really ready to do all the walking. Of course, many toddlers won’t sit in their strollers anyway…

[elbows]

And, unless I’m wrong, strollers are permitted on escalators while bikes are not. I will race up an escalator with my bike against someone with a doublewide any day.

[dasgeh]

@CPTJohnC 63858 wrote:

Obviously everyone is different, but IMHO a sling (or other front carrier) is a far superior device for moving an infant from place to place, esp. in crowded environs. Personally, I preferred a backpack carrier once they were old enough (6 months or so) — I will admit that this is not without a certain degree of ‘obstructiveness’ too, but not much worse than other backpacks, and less problematic than a stroller.

Last week, I would have totally agreed with this statement. Then I threw my back out, and I’m 99% sure it’s child-carrying related. Depending on the kid, a stroller can be a necessity. Some kids are too big, or not stable enough, or too defiant (ah, the strapped-into-the-stroller wiggle), or… you just don’t know. And the umbrella strollers seem great, until you realize that the cheap ones are really hard on your back as well, and the expensive ones are CRAZY expensive. Don’t forget that a lot of the tourists are out ALL DAY in our fair city, and the stroller is a great way to get the kids some rest (which benefits anyone who encounters them towards the end of the day).

My point: I think the rules should treat strollers as wheelchairs.

As to other bulky items: the problem with your proposal is that people need some ability to plan. I would support signs instructing people with large bags to the first car (the last is often packed because of where trains stop on the platforms), and encouraging them to wait on the next train if one is too full. Oh, and telling them to look after their stuff, and make sure people can get around…

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