A Refresher on Taking Your Bike on Regional Rail

In theory, taking your bike on regional transit opens up new travel opportunities. You can be more mobile on both ends of your train trip, and bike in otherwise inaccessible or inconvenient places. In practice, however, you have to manage byzantine rules regarding which trains will accommodate your bike, and when. You may also have to deal with train conductors who don't know the posted rules of their own transit system.

To deal with the former, here are the rules for our regional train systems. To deal with the latter, we recommend carrying a copy of the rules with you. Put it in your wallet or on your phone and refer to it in a friendly way if a dispute with a conductor arises.

On SEPTA
All rules are laid out in this handy 3-page PDF. For regional rail specifically:

• 2 bikes per car, stored in designated areas, allowed on all trains except:
• Weekday inbound trains arriving at a Center City Station btw 6:00 - 9:30 AM
• Weekday outbound trains leaving a Center City station btw 4:00 - 6:30 PM
• Center City stations are: University City, 30th Street, Suburban, Market East, and Temple University

On PATCO: PATCO allows bikes at all times.

On NJ Transit:

• Bikes are allowed at all times on the RiverLINE and the Atlantic City Line
• The Northeast Corridor Line to New York has a complicated set of rules. 

Amtrak:

• You can only take a folding bike on Amtrak, although new baggage cars with bike racks are coming to long distance trains in 2014.

You can view SEPTA's bike and ride brochure below:

Crowdsourced Bike Parking Map Identifies Rail Stations Most In Need Of Bike Parking

This thing. Remember this thing?

Back in September we asked for your help to improve bike parking at area rail stations and transit hubs by adding information to a crowdsourced map. The project was a collaboration of DVRPC, SEPTA, NJ TRANSIT, DRPA (PATCO) and the Open Plans Shareabouts application.

The public input portion ended in December, and DVRPC has now compiled the 462 responses the map generated. PlanPhilly also covered the release of the survey results.

At the bottom of this post, you can see the three maps DVRPC generated based on the user responses.

This Map Wants To Know Which Transit Stops Need More Bike Parking

Do you bike to a transit station? Would you do it if the station near your house had more bicycle parking? We've got a map that needs your input!

Combining a short bike ride and regional transit (ie, multi-modal commuting) has great potential for helping people avoid the stress of highway gridlock commuting. This commuting strategy doesn't happen in great numbers because of two obstacles:

1. The lack of secure, covered, plentiful bike parking at stations;
2. Gaps in the bikeway network to get you safely to the station.

Improving bike parking at transit stops has been on our radar for some time. Recently, SEPTA asked the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to study obstacles that prevent more potential customers from using trails to get to transit stops. This seemed like a great opportunity to figure out where the demand for better bike parking and improvements to the local bikeway network exist. If this information could be obtained, it would help inform SEPTA, PATCO, and NJ Transit where to prioritize their resources.

We asked Open Plans to create a crowdsource map to accomplish this goal. We collaborated with DVRPC and the three transit agencies to prepare the survey and Open Plans developed the website with its new software Shareabouts, a tool to crowdsource data in a neighborhood or city.

Here's where you come in: visit the map and tell us which transit stops need better bike facilities! Then share the map with your friends, family, coworkers and others. The more input the map receives, the better the recommendations provided to DVRPC and the transit agencies.  The map will be up until December 1st, 2012 and we encourage you to return to the map to respond or discuss other people's responses.

If you have questions about the project or find issues with the map, direct them to bike@bicyclecoalition.org with the subject line "Bike Parking Map".

Talk to SEPTA About Their Bike-Transit Policy

"The Customer Connection," SEPTA's public outreach program, offers customers the opportunity to meet SEPTA staff, ask questions, get travel information, and learn about the many positive improvements SEPTA is making. This is also an opportunity to offer suggestions, comments and commendations through SEPTA's Customer Service staff.

On Wednesday, June 1st the Customer Connection team will be at Suburban Station talking about the agency's bike and ride program.  Get the skinny on the number of bikes allowed per train and the times you can take your bike on public transportation.  We know you have dozens of ideas to improve the connection between bicycles, buses and trains, and this is your chance to make them known to SEPTA.

It will also qualify you to participate in a drawing for a Family Independence Pass, a pass which gives up to five people unlimited travel on SEPTA for one day.

Topic:  SEPTA Bike & Ride Use and Policy
Date:  Wednesday, June 1
Time:  11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Where:  Suburban Station (At the entrance to the Comcast Center MetroMarket)

SEPTA's Sustainability Plan Supports Bike Sharing

Last week the SEPTA Board approved the Transit Authorities first Sustainability Plan, "SEPTAinable The Route to Regional Sustainability " In the Social Element of the plan, is the goal to make more livable communities. SEPTA wants to achieve this with the community building targets of these initiatives:

• Integrate with bike-sharing programs,
• Increase bike-and-ride visibility and
• Support the City of Philadelphia and county bicycle goals.

The Bicycle Coalition and Bike Share Philadelphia congratulate SEPTA for its understanding that bicycles are an integral part of our region's transportation system. Bike-sharing is a solution for fixed route transit systems to complete the "first and last mile" of its traveler's trips. We look forward to SEPTAinable implementation.

SEPTA Bike Policy Now Ready For Prime Time

Thanks to the co-operation with SEPTA's Planning and Customer Service Departments the R1 Airport Line mixup has been corrected on SEPTA's bike and ride web page. With that now out of the way we can examine the changes to the Authority's new policy and what it means for bike access.

A long term goal of the Bicycle Coalition for the past 10 years has been to change the long standing policy of two bikes per train on regional rail to two bikes per car. The old policy limited options recreational riders who wanted to take their friends along and it created an air of uncertainty for those who depended on their bikes to cover the last 1 -3 miles to get to and from their suburban jobs.

It also matches the real capacity for the new Silverliner V cars which are due to be in service by the end of the year. These trains will have tie downs for bikes in the wheelchair accessible areas in each car. These areas are adjacent to the center doors on the new trains and will eliminate the somewhat tedious task of rolling your bike down the aisle.

Previously the rules stated that if a wheelchair passenger boarded the train then bicyclists were required to get off . The policy now allows the conductor to direct the cyclist to another appropriate location on the train. This policy reflects the solution that most conductors practiced when this conflict arose. The conductor still has the option of ejecting you from the train if it is crowded.

The flexibility of taking your folding bike on any transit vehicle has been a long time coming. Savvy commuters have been using folding bikes to access rush hour trains for years but it was an option that was not available for those who wished to take them on the trolleys, which do not permit full size bicycles. Allowing folding bikes inside buses also frees up the bus bike racks for other cyclists to use.

As with any large entity there is often a delay between a policy change and the communication of that policy to individual employees. We would strongly advise downloading and carrying the PDF version of the bike policy and taking it along just in case you are challenged.

SEPTA Expands Bikes on Trains

SEPTA has posted their new bicycle regulations on their website and it contains a nice surprise-the two bikes per train rule has been changed to two bikes per car. Doubling the number of bikes that can be carried on most off-peak trains and offering the potential of carrying as many as 14 bikes on SEPTA's seven car Comet Train Sets (although most of those trains run peak hour/peak direction only). In addition folding bicycles are now permitted on buses and trolleys. This is a major step forward in improving bicycle access on transit lines.

Unfortunately, included in the new policy is a statement forbidding bicycles on the R1 Airport Line at all times. The Bicycle Coalition has made their objections known to SEPTA and we are working with them to rescind this policy change. If you are concerned about the prohibition of bicycles on the R1 line, please email or call SEPTA Customer Service at (215) 580-7800.
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UPDATE 2/24 4:40PM - Susan Dannenberg at SEPTA has notified us that bikes access will be re-instated on the Airport Line, we'll put up a new post once the policy has been updated on the website.

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Bike the Strike Rewind

Remember the SEPTA Strike in November 2005. Perfect Indian Summer weather, a bike parking station at the Municipal Services Building, and a commuter race in which the bicyclist lost to a speeding cab (at least it didn't cost him $12).



But it was also a time of gridlocked rush hour traffic and long cues of commuters waiting for trains with Tokyo subway like crowds.

You can relive the 2005 SEPTA and the 2006 NY MTA strike experiences by going to the Bike the Strike Blog.

If recent history repeats there won't be a SEPTA Strike in March, April or even May but just in case SEPTA has quickly put up a service interruption guide, which shows a lot of not so great Regional Rail options and nothing about bikes.

Folding Bikes On Amtrak and Peak Hour SEPTA Trains

Yes Amtrak allows folding bicycles, the official policy states:

Folding bicycles may be brought aboard certain passenger cars as carry-on baggage. Only true folding bicycles (bicycles specifically designed to fold up into a compact assembly) are acceptable. Generally, these bikes have frame latches allowing the frame to be collapsed, and small wheels. Regular bikes of any size, with or without wheels, are not considered folding bikes, and may not be stored as folding bikes aboard trains.

You must fold up your folding bicycle before boarding the train. You may store the bike only in luggage storage areas at the end of the car (or, in Superliners, on the lower level). You may not store bikes in overhead racks.

Not every conductor is familiar with the rules and from time to time some passengers have had problems, we recommend carrying this page change order from the official Amtrak On- Board Operations Manual. Download the PDF and either print it or store it in your PDA.

Amtrak Policy

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Regional Rail

Folding bikes are also allowed during rush hours on Regional Rail. Even during the off peak times taking a folding bike on regional rail makes sense. Make sure you pick trains where you have room to sit with your bike, which must be folded at all times.

Folding bikes that have luggage rollers on them are the best ones to carry on to trains. A tough conductor will may force you to fold your bike and you may wind up carrying your folder down a narrow aisle. These rollers are often located on the rear rack and you can push the bike along with the saddle (like the Breezer i3 in the photo).

While folders are generally more expensive some retail in the $250 - 400 range. Breezer, Downtube and Dahon all offer low cost models.

Tips for Taking Your Bicycle on Regional Rail

Bike access will be a bit easier when the Silverliner V cars go into service next year

This week we will be offering a few tips on taking your bicycle on public transportation.
Monday - Regional Rail and the subway lines
Tuesday - Bikes on Buses
Wednesday - NJ Transit Trains
Thursday - Subway, Market Frankford EL and the PATCO High Speed Line
Friday - Folding bikes on Amtrak and Rush Hour SEPTA Trains

SEPTA Regional Rail

For the basics read the official SEPTA Bike Rules here, we highly recommend that you print them and take them with you as not all SEPTA employees are well versed with the rules.

You may also want to check out the BCGP bikes on transit page here.

• The two bikes per train rule is well known, although the absolute enforcement of that varies from conductor to conductor. What is not well known is that up to 5 bicycles are allowed on weekends if there is sufficient room on the train.
  


• To proceed down the narrow aisles lift the front wheel up and roll the bike down the aisle. This makes it easy to maneuver and avoids other passengers getting hit by handlebars
  


• Try to use a station with a high platform if possible. Examples in the City include Temple U, University City, Fern Rock, Cheltenham, Chestnut Hill West and all Central Philadelphia stations.
  


• If you work or have errands in the suburbs SEPTA allows reverse commutes (outbound from Center City in the AM and inbound in the PM).
  
  
• If the wheelchair seats are not available then consider using the center seats, its like having a semi private car. If you run out of options then go all the way to the rear and stand with your bike in the aisle.
  


• The R7 to Trenton can get crowded on weekends, lots of frugal travelers with luggage. At these times we highly advise that cyclists traveling towards Trenton board at Market East at these times. On Wednesday we will talk a little about transferring from SEPTA to NJ TRANSIT to get to North Jersey, New York and beyond.
  

Several stations are convenient to trails including:

R1 Airport-Eastwick (John Heinz NWR)
R3 West Trenton -Yardley and West Trenton (Delaware River Canal Towpaths)
R5 Thorndale -Downingtown (Struble and Uwchlan Trail network)
R7 Trenton - Holmesburg Junction and
R8 Fox Chase - Fox Chase (Pennypack Bikeway)
R8 Chestnut Hill West - Chestnut Hill West (Wissahickon and Forbidden Drive)
R6 Norristown - All stations from East Falls to Norristown (Schuylkill River Trail)

Bicycle Tie Downs For SEPTA Trains. YES!

David W. Casper, Assistant Chief Engineer of SEPTA's New Vehicle Programs Department confirmed that bicycle tie downs will be included in the wheelchair access area of the new Silverliner V rail cars. Delivery of the first rail cars are expected in October of 2009 with 20 rail cars delivered every month until 2011.

Putting the SEPTA Rail Car to the Test

We brought a bike down to track 0 at Suburban Station today to see if we could place a bike on the new Silverliner V train mock up.

There are two sets of doors a high platform and a door with a trap for the low platform stations. To the left of the doors were two fold up bench seats which is the wheelchair priority areas. The good news is that a standard sized bicycle can fit in each space fully extended.

We are still hopeful that tie-downs will be included in the final design of the railcar as per the 2005 Technical Specifications Document . With tie downs and no wheelchairs occupying the space it would be possible to fit 4 bicycles in each rail car.

New SEPTA Rail Car Mockup At Suburban Station

TSEPTA General Manager Joseph Casey invites the public to get a glimpse of the new Silverliner V Regional Rail Cars. A full-scale mock-up version of the Silverliner V car will be on display at Suburban Station (Track O) on Thursday, October 2nd and the viewing event will commence with a special ceremony at 12:00 noon.

The mock-up of the Silverliner V car will remain on display at Suburban Station from October 2 through October 16 (weekdays only) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to provide an extended opportunity for everyone to "steel" a peek into the future of SEPTA.










It's a great opportunity to take a look at the interior of the rail car, and we'll be able to look at how a bike will be accommodated on the train. The mock up does not have a bike tie-down in the wheelchair spaces installed although the 2005 Technical Specifications Document states on page 3-29:

3.5.8 BICYCLE TIE DOWN
Suitable provisions shall be made at the folding passenger seats to secure two bicycles in each car. A versatile clamp arrangement designed for a 4 g vertical and lateral load and an 8 g longitudinal load is desired. The feature shall not displace any passenger seats. Details of the design and construction shall be as proposed by the Industrial Designer and approved by the Engineer.

10:49!

Congratulations to Pat Cunnane who handily won todays Commuter Challenge travelling from 45th and Spruce to the Municipal Services Building (across the street from City Hall) in just ten minutes and forty nine seconds.

2nd Place PhillyCarShare Mazda Miata - Heather Kemp 20:10

3rd Place SEPTA Bus 42 Rider - Jill Minick 35:17

















Thanks to Jim Mohan Director of the Woodbury Relays and Somerdale, NJ FD for supplying the race clock and generator. And to PhillyCarShare and Fuji Bikes for helping to make this race possible.

Bike to Transit and Save 50%!

Photo by Tracey O Under a Creative Commons License

Well we would like announce this as a special deal, but the reality is that effective August 1 SEPTA will be eliminating transfers. So instead of taking two buses some bike savvy SEPTA riders will be pedaling for part their trip or maybe even ditching SEPTA for everyday transportation.

SEPTA transit riders without passes will face a 55% increase in fares. For example a one way fare (token+transfer) from the Northeast Philadelphia is currently $1.90 and that will increase to $2.60 a second transfer boosts the tab to $3.90 and up to $6 if you don't have a token.

Daypasses are also going away it will be replaced by a eight ride convenience and it will no longer be good on regional rail.

Perhaps this will spur more bike on transit activity, we'll be monitoring the bike racks at Frankford Terminal this week to see if that happens.

SEPTA Bike Policies

Update - A Court Order has put an injunction on the elimination of transfers through Sunday, a decision by the court is due by the end of the week.