WMATA Welcomes Bikes on Metro Trains

[Sunyata]

In case this is buried in the thread about the folding bikes on Metro, I figured I would post here as well.

Starting next week, Metro customers will be able to bring their bikes with them on the train – at any time – as Metro ends a longstanding restriction that prohibited bicycles during rush hours.

The policy change, which takes effect Monday, is expected to make Metrorail a more attractive travel option for reverse commuters (i.e. customers traveling outbound in the morning and inbound in the evening) who want to take their bike to travel between the rail station and their workplace.

Metro reviewed its policy and determined that it could respond to requests from the bicycling community by ending the rush-hour bike restriction without significant negative effects. The review took into account that the majority of rush-hour trains are 8 cars in length (the longest possible), and that new 7000-series trains provide more open space.

“We received requests from Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and others in the bicycle community asking us to take a fresh look at our policy,” said Metro Chief Operating Officer Joe Leader. “We believe this change supports ridership growth by Metro a commuting option for those who want to have a bike with them.”

Full news release can be found here.

Topic

[streetsmarts]

This is huge! Wow.

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[huskerdont]

This made the home page of the Post. At the moment there are zero (0) comments. That’s as beautiful as it’s going to get.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/01/02/metro-allow-bikes-trains-during-rush-hour/?utm_term=.12a06022727c

It’s also made ArlNow, with 50 comments so far, every single one of which I pledge to never look at.

[sjclaeys]

ARLNow is doing a poll about bikes on Metro. Totally unscientific with no real impact, but hey, if you’d like to see more “yes” votes than “no” votes: https://www.arlnow.com/2019/01/04/morning-poll-bikes-on-metro-at-rush-hour/

[buschwacker]

Has anyone taken their bike on the metro since this new rule went into effect? I’m trying to work up the nerve to do it myself.

[josh]

@buschwacker 184813 wrote:

Has anyone taken their bike on the metro since this new rule went into effect? I’m trying to work up the nerve to do it myself.

No bikes allowed on the metro until Freezing Saddles is over .

[Emm]

@buschwacker 184813 wrote:

Has anyone taken their bike on the metro since this new rule went into effect? I’m trying to work up the nerve to do it myself.

Bikes can only go on during rush hour starting Monday Jan 7.

Or you can follow Josh’s guidance and pretend it doesn’t start until the end of FS

[LhasaCM]

Tomorrow’s(?) Express story on the disaster it has (not) been so far: https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/01/15/riders-have-started-bring-their-bikes-metro-during-rush-hour-so-far-so-good/

[jrenaut]

@LhasaCM 185925 wrote:

Tomorrow’s(?) Express story on the disaster it has (not) been so far: https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/01/15/riders-have-started-bring-their-bikes-metro-during-rush-hour-so-far-so-good/

He misquoted my wife and made her sound like an asshole

[buschwacker]

Took my bike in today from Eisenhower to L’Enfant in an effort to allow the MVT to thaw. No major issues!

[cvcalhoun]

Given that the DC portion of the CCT is now unrideable due to the NPS shutdown, I’m very happy to have Metro as an alternative.

[Judd]

@jrenaut 185944 wrote:

He misquoted my wife and made her sound like an asshole

What did Barb really say?

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[jrenaut]

@Judd 185971 wrote:

What did Barb really say?

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Not that she cuts off cars. The rest is just presented a little misleadingly

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[Judd]

@jrenaut 185972 wrote:

Not that she cuts off cars. The rest is just presented a little misleadingly

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I didn’t picture her as cutting off cars. The bad thing about print is that it takes away the non-verbal parts of communication that convey more meaning than the words.

In a long ago life I was a journalist and once quoted a soccer coach saying something really nice about some of his players. The next time I saw him he was unhappy because the words in print could be interpreted as not being complimentary without hearing him say it with enthusiasm.

Lesson learned for a young reporter.

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[LhasaCM]

The direct quotes weren’t an issue, in my reading. It was the lead-ins or other words surrounding quotes that gave me heartburn, which makes me wonder what was said to lead the reporter to that interpretation and how much inherent bias there was. For example, the line “And Sheehy does cop to running stop signs at times and cutting off drivers.” followed by a quote that does not say anything about cutting off drivers makes me think that she said something that we’d find perfectly innocuous or upsetting to us (e.g., sometimes she has to merge in front of a car when someone is parked in a bike lane) that was misrepresented as “cutting off drivers.”

I almost wonder, as I often do, if the reporter set out to write about all of the problems caused, didn’t find any, so then tried to fit the new story into that existing framework.

[Crickey7]

@cvcalhoun 185970 wrote:

Given that the DC portion of the CCT is now unrideable due to the NPS shutdown, I’m very happy to have Metro as an alternative.

Hey! I rode it! It was slow, bumpy and so white-knuckle that I was afraid to even blink, but I only dabbed twice.

[Author]

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