If you grew up in the US, or have studied American History, you know that the Underground Railroad isn't the New York City subway system and, in fact, has nothing to do with steel wheels screeching on tracks.
Likewise, a Bike Train isn't something Amtrak or any other railroad system has set aside for us. It refers to a group of cyclists who ride, in a train, and are joined by other cyclists along the way.
I'll confess that I just learned about Bike Trains when I received a BikeNYC e-mail from Transportation Alternatives. The cycling concatenation in question begins at the very upper end of Manhattan, near the Cloisters, and wends its way down the Hudson River Greenway to Midtown. It departs at 8 on Friday mornings and is intended to provide "safety in numbers."
More than two decades ago, I lived not far from the train's starting point. Back then, they probably wouldn't have picked up very many cyclists until the caravan reached the area around Columbia University, nearly five miles to the south. Or they may have had to go even further downtown before they had anything that could be called, without irony, a train.
Likewise, a Bike Train isn't something Amtrak or any other railroad system has set aside for us. It refers to a group of cyclists who ride, in a train, and are joined by other cyclists along the way.
I'll confess that I just learned about Bike Trains when I received a BikeNYC e-mail from Transportation Alternatives. The cycling concatenation in question begins at the very upper end of Manhattan, near the Cloisters, and wends its way down the Hudson River Greenway to Midtown. It departs at 8 on Friday mornings and is intended to provide "safety in numbers."
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| Bike Train in Brighton, England |
More than two decades ago, I lived not far from the train's starting point. Back then, they probably wouldn't have picked up very many cyclists until the caravan reached the area around Columbia University, nearly five miles to the south. Or they may have had to go even further downtown before they had anything that could be called, without irony, a train.
