Metro interns ride the rails to spread word about new bike policy

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Metro’s Alice Tolar marshals her troops-in-training on the Gold Line platform. Photo by Office of Zev Yaroslavsky.

A nice story was posted today on ZevWeb — Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s website — about a new Metro intern program to help explain the agency’s new bike policy to the public.

The Metro Board in April changed the agency’s policy to allow bikes on all Metro trains at all times, including rush hour. The interns are on the trains and talking to customers to explain where to put bikes (some seats are being removed from rail cars) as well as other big items that people carry aboard. Excerpt:

Enforcers they’re not. Rather, the train ambassadors’ role is to “catch people being good,” said Alice Tolar, a Metro transportation planning manager who is overseeing the program.

“If I see you standing with your bike in the appropriate area, I’m going to thank you for that…We’re also letting non-cyclists hear what’s going on,” she said.

The story is a good read — check it out. The interns will start visiting trains this coming Monday, July 11.

 

 

Categories: Bicycle

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7 replies ›

  1. It is great but what METRO needs to now do is to make the stations more bike accessable. Elavators only fit one or two bikes with a few other people and lugging a bike up a flight of stairs is no fun, or having to take two elevators for that matter. Metro needs to install small ramps down on the sides of the stairs or just to flaten out the stairs so that one can just push their bike up the stairs, like they have in Holland and Denmark.

  2. I’m Glad to hear that seats are getting removed to accommodate Bikes and Luggage. The current “designated” bike locations for the Blue, Gold and Green line are in a terrible place. The Center of the train where you have to pass people sitting and standing through a NARROW path is just AWFUL. Duh!

  3. I like what theyre doing but do you really have to stand w your bike? I want to try bringing my bike to ride a short distance when I arrive after a 90 min train ride and sure dont want to stand for all that. Also I have to transfer trains. I just bring my bike with me…Will I get help finding a place for it now or is it up to me? What if it is “full” is there anywhere besides in front of the doors?

    Thanks!

  4. Hopefully this will work , especially at the Highland Park Station , and people will put their bikes in the right place , I am so tired of getting injured by bikes that are not in the right section of the train.

  6. This is awesome. If people can ride bikes to transit you can space the stops two or three miles apart, making trips MUCH faster. I commuted in the bay via bike/BART and it was never a problem; people adjust.

    Rapid buses and trains are the most sensible transit. They move people much faster than buses that stop every block. I don’t even bother with regular buses since I can usually beat them on my bike.

  7. How this works out will be of great interest to me as I’m still skeptical about this idea.