Bikes on Metra Scores an F
UPDATE - February 24, 2005 - Bikes on Metra passes the house! Click here for more information.
The grade
The Bikes on Metra program for 2003 has come to a close and it has to be rated a failure. The program did not expand any type of service for passengers with bicycles over previous years and few people took advantage of the program.
We hear from our membership and other bicyclists quite frequently that they want service on Metra trains for passengers with bicycles. The program implemented for 2002 and 2003, however, was so limited and restrictive that it failed to offer meaningful service to passengers with bicycles. People want regular service for passengers with bicycles.
Current program does not work
The 2003 program required passengers with bicycles to make reservations for travel on the Thursday prior to the date of travel, limited travel options to Saturdays on selected weekends, limited travel options to one line per weekend, limited accessible stations to one per fair zone and limited the number of trains on each line to three per program day. The 2003 program allowed travel on only eight days for the entire year.
We have certainly made some progress toward servicing passengers with bicycles on some Metra trains. During the first two years of the Bikes on Metra program passengers with bicycles have successfully utilized Metra trains to travel throughout Northeastern Illinois. While our initial program is not receiving tremendous usage, both Metra and CBF agreed at the onset of this limited service that the initial program could not be used as a determination of demand for service for passengers with bicycles.
What is happening now
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has made a proposal to Metra to dramatically increase the Bikes on Metra program for 2004 (see below). Lt. Governor Pat Quinn has also contacted CBF for assistance in drafting a bill for the Illinois legislature mandating that Metra accommodate passengers with bicycles in order to continue to receive government funding. No bill has yet been introduced but we will certainly let you know the bill number and how you can support the bill once it is introduced.
The Bikes on Metra program for 2003 has come to a close and it has to be rated a failure. The program did not expand any type of service for passengers with bicycles over previous years and few people took advantage of the program.
We hear from our membership and other bicyclists quite frequently that they want service on Metra trains for passengers with bicycles. The program implemented for 2002 and 2003, however, was so limited and restrictive that it failed to offer meaningful service to passengers with bicycles. People want regular service for passengers with bicycles.
Current program does not work
The 2003 program required passengers with bicycles to make reservations for travel on the Thursday prior to the date of travel, limited travel options to Saturdays on selected weekends, limited travel options to one line per weekend, limited accessible stations to one per fair zone and limited the number of trains on each line to three per program day. The 2003 program allowed travel on only eight days for the entire year.
We have certainly made some progress toward servicing passengers with bicycles on some Metra trains. During the first two years of the Bikes on Metra program passengers with bicycles have successfully utilized Metra trains to travel throughout Northeastern Illinois. While our initial program is not receiving tremendous usage, both Metra and CBF agreed at the onset of this limited service that the initial program could not be used as a determination of demand for service for passengers with bicycles.
What is happening now
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation has made a proposal to Metra to dramatically increase the Bikes on Metra program for 2004 (see below). Lt. Governor Pat Quinn has also contacted CBF for assistance in drafting a bill for the Illinois legislature mandating that Metra accommodate passengers with bicycles in order to continue to receive government funding. No bill has yet been introduced but we will certainly let you know the bill number and how you can support the bill once it is introduced.
What the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation proposes
Because of the configuration of Metra train cars, only those cars that meet the guidelines set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can be used to accommodate both passengers and bicycles. All new cars added to the Metra train system must meet the standards put forth in the ADA.
With the planned replacement of old non-ADA cars with new ADA cars to many of the Metra lines starting in 2003, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation contends that it is time to take the next significant step toward servicing passengers with bicycles. As ADA cars replace older non-ADA cars to train lines, it is our hope that Metra will be able to identify at least one line that will have at least two ADA cars on it during all weekend runs. We propose that a line, determined to have this two-ADA-car configuration, be open to passengers with bicycles on all runs during weekends starting with Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend 2004.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation proposes that one ADA car on this Metra chosen line be designated as the car on which bicycles are allowed and reservations not be needed to board this train with a bicycle. We further propose that no extra fee be charged for passengers with bicycles and that passengers with bicycles be allowed to board at all stations. Rules for this program would be printed and distributed in a manner similar to the CTA Bike & Ride information as well as on the CBF and Metra Web sites.
Based upon the demand we have experienced for passengers with bicycle spaces from the 2001–2003 programs and the usage of other commuter rail services throughout the East Coast, we believe that this program will work and will not present significant problems for Metra management or staff.
For more information on Bikes on Metra or to find out what you can do to help push this program, please contact Randy Warren.
Because of the configuration of Metra train cars, only those cars that meet the guidelines set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can be used to accommodate both passengers and bicycles. All new cars added to the Metra train system must meet the standards put forth in the ADA.
With the planned replacement of old non-ADA cars with new ADA cars to many of the Metra lines starting in 2003, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation contends that it is time to take the next significant step toward servicing passengers with bicycles. As ADA cars replace older non-ADA cars to train lines, it is our hope that Metra will be able to identify at least one line that will have at least two ADA cars on it during all weekend runs. We propose that a line, determined to have this two-ADA-car configuration, be open to passengers with bicycles on all runs during weekends starting with Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend 2004.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation proposes that one ADA car on this Metra chosen line be designated as the car on which bicycles are allowed and reservations not be needed to board this train with a bicycle. We further propose that no extra fee be charged for passengers with bicycles and that passengers with bicycles be allowed to board at all stations. Rules for this program would be printed and distributed in a manner similar to the CTA Bike & Ride information as well as on the CBF and Metra Web sites.
Based upon the demand we have experienced for passengers with bicycle spaces from the 2001–2003 programs and the usage of other commuter rail services throughout the East Coast, we believe that this program will work and will not present significant problems for Metra management or staff.
For more information on Bikes on Metra or to find out what you can do to help push this program, please contact Randy Warren.
