Caught On The Train

Every city's mass transit system has its own rules about bringing bicycles onto trains, buses and other vehicles within the system.  Here in the New York Metropolitan area, each part of the system seems to have its own regulations.  For example, on PATH trains, bikes are allowed only in certain cars on the train, while on Long Island Rail Road and Metro North and New Jersey Transit trains, bikes are allowed during certain hours and in certain areas of each car.

On the other hand, in New York City subways, there don't seem to be any rules at all.  At least, I haven't found any, aside from a prohibition against locking a bicycle to any part of a station, such as a gate.  But there is a certain unwritten etiquette which, from what I've seen, nearly every cyclist follows.  Mostly, it's common courtesy:  Don't block doorways or get in people's way, and try to keep your grimy bike away from passengers' clean clothes.  And try not to bring your bike on the train during rush hours!

I try not to bring my bike onto the subway at all, not out of fear, but mostly out of pride.  I prefer to ride the entire length of my route whenever I can; I'd rather be riding my bike on even the busiest streets than wheeling or holding it in a crowded subway car.  If I've had a mechanical breakdown or some other problem (thankfully, these things have been rare for me) and have no other way of getting to a bike shop, home, work or wherever else I have to be, I'll get on the train.  Also, if I stay out later than I'd planned and I don't have lights with me, or if it's a cold day and it starts to rain heavily, I'll get on the train for safety and health reasons.  But I try, at all costs, to avoid "bailing out" because of tiredness. That, to me, is an admission of defeat.  I can't remember the last time I did that, but I can recall one or two occasions when I got on the train because I just didn't feel like riding anymore.  

I wonder what this guy was thinking and feeling when he got on the train:

Is Amtrak About To Make It Easier To Travel With Your Bike?

One nice thing about cycling in Europe (at least, when I've done it) was the relative ease of bringing bikes on trains.  I've brought my bikes on intercity trains in England, France, Italy and Germany.  The drill was always more or less the same:  Wheel the bike up to the baggage handler's booth.  A clerk would give you a ticket and bring your bike onto the train.  Or, in some stations, you could roll your machine directly into the baggage car. Then, wherever you disembarked, you brought your ticket to the baggage counter--or retrieved your bike from the baggage car.  The only variable was cost:  It seemed to vary with the length of your train trip.


Of course, things have never been so felicitous here in the good ol' USA. Some local rail networks, like Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road here in New York, require that you purchase a pass ($5 when I got mine) good for all routes at all times.  If the train is crowded, the conductor might direct you to the rear of the train, or tell you to take a later train. 


 


But things are trickier on Amtrak:  The bike has to be boxed and checked as luggage.   If you want to ride to the station, you can buy a box there for $15.  You  have to remove your pedals and turn the handlebars parallel to the frame in order to fit it in the box.   Then you have to tape the box shut.  Your station may or may not have the necessary tape--and probably won't have the tools you need to prepare your bike.  And you aren't allowed to re-use a box.  If I were a tree, I'd protest!


The worst part, though, is that Amtrak regulations are wildly inconsistent.  ("Inconsistent regulations":  Is that an oxymoron?)  An operator at the railroad's customer service line might tell you it's possible to bring your bike to a particular station, but when you arrive, the clerk insists you can't bring your bike with you.   Or that clerk, or a conductor, might tell you bikes aren't allowed, period.  Perhaps most maddening of all, an operator might tell you it's possible to disembark with your bike at a particular station (usually a smaller one), but when the train pulls in, you find that you can't get your bike because there's no baggage handler in the station.


Now it seems that someone at Amtrak has realized that catering to bicycle tourists can be good business for them.  A few days ago, Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz announced that by the end of this year, all long-distance lines will be equipped with baggage cars containing bicycle racks.


Looks like we might catch up to the Europeans, finally!