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Re: Marin IJ Editorial: Bike riders should be a SMART priority
Author: BOB2
Date: 11-10-2016 - 16:51
I think you could write a spec to for a secure four bike locker unit installed for a lot less than $20,000 and installation, that still sounds quite high, but is now at least less costly "per bike" and building another park & ride space for a prius.
I have seen a whole truck full of stolen bikes, piled high from driving from Metro station to Metro station with bolt cutter, in broad daylight, just more "workmen" doing whatever at the Station to the passing public, that were then often being sold as scrap metal.....
Which is why most of these are now under a camera being watched by the Sheriff's down at Metro's security center. It is my understanding that they have also made a number of undercover "bike theft" stings....
Bikes on trains, should, if possible, be secured in hangars, or racks, or a specified area, of the train.
On-board bike facilities should, wherever practical, be located in a fully observable space, including from in-vehicle video surveillance.
Bike facilities on-board the train must be in a large enough and easily accessible space so bikes can be easily and quickly enter or exit, without undo interference to other passengers entering and exiting the vehicle.
Bikes must be as unobtrusive as possible to other passengers (nothing like a greasy bike chain rubbing up against the leg of your new suit or skirt go make folks love bikes on trains, and their last trip on Metro...),
Bikes on the train should not create any impediment to the elderly and handicapped,
Bike facilities should not interfere with entry or exit in normal and/or emergency conditions, or create other potential unacceptable tort risks.
Those are my tests for saying "yes" to if you should take bikes "on-board".
Many commuter rail systems pass this test well, many LRT and Subway systems don't.....and many let the friggin bikes on anyhow (you all know how whiney the bike Nazi's can be...),
I'd have to see how they intend to address that here to test against my check list....
I have seen a whole truck full of stolen bikes, piled high from driving from Metro station to Metro station with bolt cutter, in broad daylight, just more "workmen" doing whatever at the Station to the passing public, that were then often being sold as scrap metal.....
Which is why most of these are now under a camera being watched by the Sheriff's down at Metro's security center. It is my understanding that they have also made a number of undercover "bike theft" stings....
Bikes on trains, should, if possible, be secured in hangars, or racks, or a specified area, of the train.
On-board bike facilities should, wherever practical, be located in a fully observable space, including from in-vehicle video surveillance.
Bike facilities on-board the train must be in a large enough and easily accessible space so bikes can be easily and quickly enter or exit, without undo interference to other passengers entering and exiting the vehicle.
Bikes must be as unobtrusive as possible to other passengers (nothing like a greasy bike chain rubbing up against the leg of your new suit or skirt go make folks love bikes on trains, and their last trip on Metro...),
Bikes on the train should not create any impediment to the elderly and handicapped,
Bike facilities should not interfere with entry or exit in normal and/or emergency conditions, or create other potential unacceptable tort risks.
Those are my tests for saying "yes" to if you should take bikes "on-board".
Many commuter rail systems pass this test well, many LRT and Subway systems don't.....and many let the friggin bikes on anyhow (you all know how whiney the bike Nazi's can be...),
I'd have to see how they intend to address that here to test against my check list....
