Business & Tech

BART To Lift Bike Ban

Cycling advocates hailed the board's unanimous vote as a momentous step.

by Charles Burress

The BART board of directors voted unanimously Thursday to remove the no-bikes times of day when bicycles are not allowed on trains, the transit agency announced.
Beginning Dec. 1, bikes can be taken aboard any train at any time, except when trains are crowded. BART said.

The move won quick praise from leaders of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.

“Today’s BART decision is a momentous occasion," Leah Shahum, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, said in a statement. "For years, people on both sides of the Bay have had to contort their lives simply because they needed to take a bike on BART but couldn’t during critical times."

The head of the 4,500-member East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Renee Rivera, said in a statement, “By making full access for bikes on BART a permanent policy change, East Bay residents will have a new healthy and convenient commute option.” 

The new rules remain subject to several conditions:

No bikes on the first three cars during peak commute hours (7-9 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m.); no bikes allowed in the first train car at any time; bikes are never allowed on crowded trains; bicyclists must yield priority seating to seniors and those with disabilities; bikes are not to block doorways or aisles and are not allowed on escalators  

Adoption of the new rule follows three bikes-on-BART pilot trials. 

BART provided the following summary of those tests:

The first one took place on Fridays in August  2012, the next one ran for five consecutive weekdays this past March and the latest extended pilot is a five month test that began July 1. 

During all testing periods, BART invited comments from the public and conducted online random passenger surveys.  During the extended pilot, BART invited 4,921 riders to take the survey and 1,774 (36%) people responded.  

“Survey results show that with each bike pilot, the level of bike acceptance grew,” BART Bicycle Access Manager Steve Beroldo said.  “In March, 76% of those surveyed favored lifting the ban as long as the first three cars are bike-free during commute hours.  Currently, 79% favor revising our bike rules.”


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