Caltrain quietly paused its blanket ban on large bicycles pending a discussion at the Bicycle and Active Transportation Advisory Committee (BATAC) meeting. The meeting is Thursday, March 19, at 5:45 p.m. ("Bike on Board Update" is number eight on the agenda).
From the updated Caltrain website:
By "bike attachment rules," Caltrain is referring to its recent ban on bikes with child seats, panniers, or anything else that takes up more width than a standard bike.
Two weeks ago, Streetsblog first reported on the ban. The following week saw coverage of the issue in the SF Chronicle, followed by reports on TV. Shortly after that, it was reported that Caltrain was going to pause the restrictions.
"I was disappointed to hear from staff (for the first time) that the new bike rules were already fully baked and posted on the Caltrain website," wrote Adrian Brandt, a Peninsula rail advocate and a San Mateo County representative on the Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), in an email to Streetsblog. "I ... (again!) asked/reminded staff that they run new policies or rules such as this past their BATAC and/or CAC advisory committees ... before announcing or releasing them in final form."
Now, at least, it seems, Caltrain will be consulting with the BATAC and bike advocates.
"We are asking that Caltrain enforce the restrictions only on the most impacted trains—peak hour express trains on weekdays—and collect data about bike bumps and capacity, then evaluate after six months," wrote Streets for All's Robin Pam. The group has a quick email form for advocates who want to support that goal.
“Caltrain is proud to carry more bikes on board than any other heavy rail system in the United States and wants all bike-riding passengers to feel comfortable using Caltrain," wrote Caltrain's Dan Lieberman. Caltrain has also been rolling out oversized bike lockers to give riders of cargo and other large bikes a secure option for leaving their bikes at the stations.
Lieberman encourages riders to attend the March 19 meeting or to email comments to BATAC@samtrans.com.
Still, many advocates said the ban is a symptom of a larger issue at Caltrain. "Too often it seems staff doesn’t solicit our input until after they’ve made all the decisions or policies and we just get to react instead of being afforded opportunities to provide meaningful early input, reactions, and suggestions to help better shape whatever is being developed," said Brandt. "Isn’t that a key function of even having advisory committees?"
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