governor rell directs department of transportation to provide space for bikes-on-trains on pending order of M-8 cars
New Haven Register Thursday, June 12, 2008 A3
Rail cars to get more bike space
By Mary E. O’Leary
NEW HAVEN — Ask and you shall receive.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell, at the request of New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., has ordered that the 380 M-8 rail cars on order for use on Metro North be modified to allow for increased bicycle storage.
After viewing a mock-up of the rail cars in late May, the mayor asked for the revision to the cars, as well as a change in Metro-North policy which currently does not allow bikes on rush-hour trains.
Rell, in a letter to the mayor, said she had similar concerns about limiting bicycles on trains, which commuters now use to ride to a train station and use again to make the last leg of their commuting journeys.
Rell told the mayor that since the first of the new cars are not scheduled for delivery until 2009, “there is sufficient time to modify the design without delaying the scheduled delivery.” The proposed changes will be made by the state Department of Transportation.
Rell said new bike racks also have been installed at stations and the state DOT will review its policies on bicycle access.
But the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council feels that until there are enough train cars to allow all paying passengers to sit, bicycles should not be allowed to take up space.
“Everyone is tired of standing. How can you accommodate a bike without blocking the aisle?” asked James Cameron, council chairman.
He said the council does support more bike racks at train stations as a low-cost solution to help commuters, who now have a four-year wait for parking permits.
On the other side of the issue, cycling advocates point to successful programs in other states, particularly California.
Richard Stowe, of the New Canaan Environmental Group, has taken on Cameron in his blog, pointing particularly to price of oil as a reason to act.
“With the price of oil cresting 120 dollars per barrel never has there been a better time for Metro-North to accommodate bicycles during peak hours,” Stowe wrote. He also criticized Cameron’s defense of keeping bar cars, but not accommodating bikes.
Rail cars to get more bike space
By Mary E. O’Leary
NEW HAVEN — Ask and you shall receive.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell, at the request of New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., has ordered that the 380 M-8 rail cars on order for use on Metro North be modified to allow for increased bicycle storage.
After viewing a mock-up of the rail cars in late May, the mayor asked for the revision to the cars, as well as a change in Metro-North policy which currently does not allow bikes on rush-hour trains.
Rell, in a letter to the mayor, said she had similar concerns about limiting bicycles on trains, which commuters now use to ride to a train station and use again to make the last leg of their commuting journeys.
Rell told the mayor that since the first of the new cars are not scheduled for delivery until 2009, “there is sufficient time to modify the design without delaying the scheduled delivery.” The proposed changes will be made by the state Department of Transportation.
Rell said new bike racks also have been installed at stations and the state DOT will review its policies on bicycle access.
But the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council feels that until there are enough train cars to allow all paying passengers to sit, bicycles should not be allowed to take up space.
“Everyone is tired of standing. How can you accommodate a bike without blocking the aisle?” asked James Cameron, council chairman.
He said the council does support more bike racks at train stations as a low-cost solution to help commuters, who now have a four-year wait for parking permits.
On the other side of the issue, cycling advocates point to successful programs in other states, particularly California.
Richard Stowe, of the New Canaan Environmental Group, has taken on Cameron in his blog, pointing particularly to price of oil as a reason to act.
“With the price of oil cresting 120 dollars per barrel never has there been a better time for Metro-North to accommodate bicycles during peak hours,” Stowe wrote. He also criticized Cameron’s defense of keeping bar cars, but not accommodating bikes.
Labels: bicycling, bikes-on-trains
posted by Richard Stowe at 5:56 PM
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