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ChineseDaily Transit Links Roundup for 7/2/08
Contributed by Fred Camino on July 2nd, 2008 at 9:41 am
- The bike/train debate goes on. Are bike riders classist? Racsist? Worse? Read more at The Bus Bench.
- Move a fourth of the freight from trucks to trains, save the world?
- What would you do with $40 billion big ones? Here’s what Metro would do.
- Is McCain’s disdain for mass transit the nail in his presidential coffin?
- CalTrain makes room for bikes on their trains, but even that’s not enough.
Discussion
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Please keep discussions civil: exercise Troll Controll.
I think McCain will lose, but as a big a fan I am of improved public transit, I think the people who are ideologically and inherently anti-public transit are voting for him anyway (although a few of the hard core libertarians might vote for Bob Barr).
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That Bus Bench rant is a hoot. Since when did riding a bike become an elitist activity? What utter nonsense.
“That Bus Bench rant is a hoot. Since when did riding a bike become an elitist activity? What utter nonsense.” dan
whatever dude? when did cyclist’s rights trump, bus rider’s rights? why is it that cyclist can take away seats from noncyclist and no one even goes, “hey wait maybe some people want to sit down.” did people who take public transit without a bikes just become nonpeople?
well right around that point, that’s when it became elitist.
browne
Dan,
Riding a bike is not an elitist activity,” but a fair amount of the burgeoning bike riders do possess that attitude. Even now, I am investigating an incident whereby some all-too-common spandex-clad clowns (approximately 12-15 of them) elected to cut off a few firetrucks (which were screaming north toward Los Feliz Blvd, lights and horns blazing all the way from down near Sunset) on Hillhurst near Avacado, so they could get to their morning ride. This after having DRIVEN their bicycles to the Albertson’s on Hillhurst, parking and forming a group that proceeded to do what I just described. While I failed to get my camera out in time to get shots of the riders, I do know where they park and when they do (early a.m.) and have shots of the wreck (a rather bad one; but perhaps the motorists deserved it for not being bicyclists or transit riders, hm?) which will be posted after I get some comments from the LAFD as well as LAPD lead officer Govan.
That is the attitude that is being put forward by cyclists in Eric Garcetti’s and Tom LaBonge’s nabes, and as an occasional bike rider myself, I despise such behaviour.
Rude behavior is rude behavior. No one is saying there shouldn’t be guidelines about bicycles and transit.
However, that doesn’t make bicycling an “elitist” activity.
did i say cycling was elitist? no. i even said that i have a bike and i don’t take it on the train during rushhour, in fact when i do wake up in the daytime (it happens) and i need to be somewhere at around 8 or 9 i leave at 5:45am (if i’m taking the train) just so i won’t have to be an a**hole and take up room that someone else who may not be in as good of shape as me may need.
i know it’s weird, in l.a. the “the it’s all about me,” selfish prick capital of the world that someone would leave two hours early, out of consideration, but i do.
but some people on bicycles are acting elitist, but if that’s what you want to focus on, have fun…if you read what i wrote, then you wouldn’t keep focusing on that, fred’s intro was a teaser, that i appreciate, but a teaser headline, i should probably enlist his help in headline writing for thebusbench blog…
browne, thebusbench
The Bus Bench said, “It smacks of classicism.”
However, the point isn’t worth laboring, and I would agree with you about frustration regarding “it’s all about me” culture. However, changing that culture will be even harder than modifying the car culture.
There’s no denying an air of elitism around certain elements of the burgeoning LA bike culture (like the story bustard told). Now I don’t really think it applies to most bicyclists with their bikes on the trains because for most hours it’s allowed and even on the hours when it’s not allowed it’s a)not enforced and b)not really advertised. I’m sure most peeps with bikes on during rush hour don’t know that it’s technically not allowed.
This being said, and as I person who often brings my bike on the train, I long wondered what would happen once LA transit ridership got up to more respectable levels. Well that time has come, and a lot sooner than I ever imagined, and it’s a tough situation. As a person who brings my bike on the train from time to time, I admit I feel kinda like an a-hole if the train is really crowded. That has nothing to do with me being a really open minded person or caring that I’m making someone who is poor, sick, or from an oppressed minority group uncomfortable. It has more to do with fairness and the logistics of space and efficiency. My bike, which takes up the space of maybe two or three people (dirt poor or filthy rich, doesn’t matter to me), is making the train service (which is designed to move people) less efficient. Two or three more people, and thus two or three more fares could be packed in that train (and likely more comfortably) without my bike there.
Of course, one solution I thought up a while ago was adding an extra car for bikes only… and maybe that train with a bike car attached comes by less regularly. Another idea is perhaps a surcharge for bringing on a bicycle, after all, I am taking up precious space, why shouldn’t I pay for it? And then of course there is the idea of banning bikes all together. Personally, I think a better solution than the latter can be found because in LA, with our kind of spotty transit system, bringing a bike a long can really fill in the gaps.
But seriously, bike culture peeps and transit culture peeps should stay friends. Each camp has their a-holes, and typically the elitism is little more than your typical liberal holier-than-tho ‘tude that comes from delusions of “saving the world”. I think most of us know we’re not saving the damn world and just trying to get from here to there in whatever way suits us best, so let’s just ignore that vocal minority and live in car-free harmony.
I would tell you to get a folding bike–I’ve been in Amsterdam this week (for an intensive transportation economics course) and have seen ‘em on the Metro and a few trams–but I’m not sure how useful one would be in considerably hillier Los Angeles.
Maybe with the new faregates that are being installed will come roving or stationary Metro attendants (whichever they have planned); I think they would be the ones to enforce the rules, in addition to any remaining Sheriffs that Metro retains under contract. I know BART strictly prohibits trains during rush hour with dark shading on their timetables and No Bike icons on the trip planner. Bikers can even be ticketed for bringing the bike on the escalator and they would actually be in violation of CA Vehicle Code Sec. 21113 and Sec. 42001.
I thought I had seen crowded trains on the Metro Red Line during rush hour until I came out to DC. I’m here for the summer and they have been recording some 825,000 unlinked trips per weekday recently. The platforms become so packed that people can wait 3 or 4 trains before finally getting to the edge of the platform (happens to me at Farragut North and Gallery Pl/Chinatown, and I’ve also seen it at Metro Center and L’Enfant). I haven’t seen a single person try to bring a bike on during those times.
The Silicon Valley Bike Coalition has written a position paper on CalTrain’s bike master plan:
http://svbcbikes.org/advocacy/positions/caltrain-bicycle-master-plan
It’s worth a read, or take a look at a summary on the Cycleiciou.US blog:
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/07/position-paper-on-caltrain-bicycle.html
I personally think transit agencies should team up with bike shops and distribute coupons for foldies.
I have tried to stay away and not post responses to the whole bike/public transit shabang (sorry if is not a real word or is not how you spell it), anywho…… I used to have a car a long, long time ago but for whatever reasons I don’t anymore and don’t think I even need one. I have been a constant Metro rider for the last (at least) ten years. I was taking public transit when gas prices were not as high and only “poor” people and minorities were in it. Even while I had a car, I found myself preferring to
ride the bus or the train to the amazement of my co-workers and friends.
I was on public transit back when the slogan was “is getting better on the bus…” Before I would take my bike once in a while on the train and have tried to be compliant to any restriction there might be. Lately, as anyone that has read my previous entries will know I moved from the San Fernando Valley to Compton and work in Van Nuys borderline Panorama City, and let me tell you that is quite a commute to be doing on an everyday basis but I do it regardless.
I find that I am better off doing a bike/MTA combo than to just rely on the MTA. As always, I try to be compliant to the restrictions there might be. A while back when I had a two week gig in El Segundo I took my bike on the train and like Fred mentioned earlier, if you have considerations for other people, you tend to feel awkward and even guilty for taking up space when the train is overcrowded, so I only did that one time.
Now to get to work in the Valley from Compton, I do as Browne does…me fully knowing there is a policy whether is enforced or not is not my concern, my concern is to be compliant to it, I will get up earlier to catch the Blue Line and Red Lines respectively to get to NoHo Station where I ride the last leg of the way to Van Nuys…a 6 point some mile commute one way commute.
On my way back I will ride back to NoHo but since is before 6:30 (the cut-off time for the restriction), I have learned to ride to Burbank instead where there I can catch a bus that will take me to downtown and by the time it arrives the ban on bicycles has been lifted and I can safely with no guilt or worries of being cited by Sheriff’s will take the Blue Line home or I can just catch the 760 bus. Either way I make it a point to be within the guidelines of the system.
Now it would be nice if they were to lift the ban or add a bicycle car but in the mean time it is the duty of bicyclists to be considerate of others and worst case scenario just use common sense and courtesy towards other passenger for as Browne has stated most of these people (me amongst them) have been taking public transit WAY before this surge in gas prices was even in the radar.
I would like to purchase a folding bike in the near future and hopefully will as soon as I can but I know for a fact MOST people on the train that take their bikes on board are hard working people that would think a folding bike to be an unnecessary purchase when there are other real important things to worry about.
I am a cyclist, a pedestrian, a transit user and do not own a car. I cannot speak for any one else but I do believe we should all work together. Only thing I can appreciate about all of this is that at least is being talked about and there’s the pressure and the reality that we are living now and something needs to be done.
All I know is that if the prices were to drop back tomorrow to what they used to be, most people on transit, even most cyclists, would bail out but me and thousands others would still need to rely on the system and most would be voiceless. I thank GOD for having the option and CHOOSING a car-less life but most people, the real transit users would not have much of a choice.
Sorry if I went too long… just wanted a piece of the action…lol. j/k.
Ride on!