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December 4, 2007

Part two of the trifecta ()

by fluffy at 11:21 PM
So I just took my bike on BART to visit friends in Berkeley for Hanukkah dinner. That went well. Lots of people were curious about my bike (though a few people were glarey and bitchy because OMG U HAS A BIKE ON THE TRAIN DURING THE BIKE EMBARGO PERIOD and I'm all YES BUT IT IS A FOLDING BIKE AND THOSE ARE ALWAYS ALLOWED).

All that's left is taking it on Caltrain and then I'll have completed the trifecta of use cases for why I bought the bike. (I have a stupid training seminar thing down in San Jose in a couple weeks, which seems like as good a time as any to complete it.)

I still haven't actually used Zipcar/Flexcar, either. Ho hum.

Two things to get a better handle on, though:

  • Getting the bike up and down stairs (there's "no bicycles on escalators" signs everywhere though I don't know if that applies to folders, but I didn't want to press my luck)
  • How to get the bike through the gate without the gate closing either on me or on the bike. (Obviously the answer is to only have it unfolded while outside the pay area, but I wasn't quite thinking. The Berkeley station has a special gate for bikes but the Powell one doesn't.)

Comments

#10188 12/05/2007 01:04 am
Why is there an embargo against bicycles?
#10189 R343L (unregistered) 12/05/2007 07:36 am because bart sucks
They take up "space" so during rush hour they don't want bikes. Also, are you sure that applies? Isn't it you can't take it westbound *past* Embarcadero during rush hour? I.e. you can get across the bay but then have to get off (this is westbound -- I don't know about the other direction).

In any case, caltrain is much more reasonable, since if you need a bike at your destination, odds are you need it during commute hours!

Now that I'm in the city, I can't decide on this whole flex/zip car thing. I'm not sure I would use it often enough .. and my roomies mentioned I can borrow *their* car. So it seems unlikely I *really* need it.
#10190 12/05/2007 09:04 am
The rules:
Bikes are allowed on all trains except those trains shown in highlighteds areas of the BART Fares and Schedules brochure. It is the rider's responsibility to refer to BART schedules.

Regardless of any other rule, bikes are never allowed on crowded cars. Use your good judgment and only board cars that can comfortably accommodate you and your bicycle. Hold your bike while on the trains.

Bikes are allowed in any car but the first car of a train.

Bicyclists must use elevator or stairs, not escalators, and always walk bikes.

Bicyclists must yield priority seating to seniors and people with disabilities, yield to other passengers, and not block aisles or doors or soil seats.


And the specific embargo stuff (which is confusing and I'm glad it doesn't apply to me):
During morning commute hours, bikes are allowed in the Embarcadero Station only for trips to the East Bay (as indicated by the Fares and Schedules brochure).

During evening commute hours, bicyclists traveling from the East Bay must exit at the Embarcadero Station (as indicated by the Fares and Schedules brochure).

During morning and evening commute hours bikes are not allowed in the 12th and 19th Street Oakland Stations (as indicated by the Fares and Schedules brochure).

Folded bikes are allowed on the trains at all times. During commute hours, folding bikes must be folded before entering the paid area at the Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, and Civic Center San Francisco Stations, and the 12th and 19th Street Oakland Stations. At all other stations, they may be folded on the platform, but must be folded before boarding a train.


If you already have access to a car then there's no reason for zipcar. I don't already have access to a car and paying $35/year for the ability to reserve a car for a few hours at a time is worth it, IMO. (Like, I will definitely want to go furniture shopping soon, when I finally finish unpacking my shit.)
#10191 12/05/2007 09:08 am
The embargo is there because during rush hour, the trains can sometimes barely contain all the people who want to ride, much less bikes. They can't add trains because unfortunately the star-shaped design of the system means that the downtown stations are at capacity. They excuse the fold-up ones because those take up much less space.

People were more likely glarey and bitchy because they hadn't managed to get a seat. The train drivers enforce the bike thing pretty severely, so they've got no cause for complaint if you are on board.

What they should do is rent bikes at the BART stations. Then people wouldn't need to try to bring them on.
#10192 12/05/2007 09:13 am
Bah, the train I was on was nowhere near crowded. Nearly everyone was sitting. I actually gave my seat up for someone else (the most vocal bitcher, who then made a big production about me giving her the seat as if Justice Was Served) to make things easier. And people still glared.
#10193 12/05/2007 09:42 am
Ah wait...you were going to berkeley, the land of the self-righteous ass-hole. Unless they were pregnant, ancient or disabled, fuck 'em. You have as much right to a seat as they do.