BCGP position on
SEPTA bike access
The BCGP supports
full bicycle access to every transit vehicle
SEPTA, a regional
transportation provider should be aligning its goals with regional
transportation plans. Montgomery County's "Bicycling Road Map",
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Horizon’s 2025 long
range plan and Pennsylvania's "State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan"
specifically recommend bike access to transit vehicles. While total access may
not be possible with the design of current fleet vehicles, future vehicles
should be designed to accommodate all users including cyclists. The BCGP believes
that rail vehicles should be designed with folding seats and tie downs for
bikes.
The BCGP does not
support SEPTA's 2 bikes per Regional Rail train rule
People who depend on
reverse commute trains and bicycles to access jobs in the suburbs can be denied
boarding, no other regular paying customer faces such
uncertainty. The 2 bikes per train rule is arbitrary
with no measured data presented to justify this number. Conductor’s discretion
was practiced unofficially for several years without any major problems.
Justification for denied boarding should be unsafe conditions onboard due to
crowding, not 2 bikes on a 3 car train.
We continue to hear reports
that some SEPTA conductors do not completely understand bike access rules, such
as allowing folding bikes at rush hour and not allowing 5 bikes on trains
during the weekend.
The BCGP applauds SEPTA's initiative to install bike racks on buses and for
the purchase new buses with bike racks pre-installed.
We thank SEPTA for
installing bus bicycle racks in a timely manner. History has shown that bike on
bus programs work best when the bus system is 100% accessible. However about
100 older buses remain without bike racks and these continue to be used on bike
accessible routes. There also appears to be a handful of other buses which for
one reason or another do not have bike racks.
Middle door cutout
seats in the center of Silverliner rail cars should
be designated for bikes.
Normal sized bicycles
fit in these spaces, and the bikes are out of the aisles. This would be an
ideal spot for folding seats and tie-downs. NJ
TRANSIT's River Line have racks that could be installed along with folding
seats.
Boarding and
alighting trains should be made as easy as possible
Some of our members do
not use SEPTA Regional Rail because they feel that taking a bike on the train
is too difficult. This can be achieved by opening the doors next to the
accessible area and by allowing cyclists to use mini high platforms.
Bike Lockers are not
an exceptional security risk and should be installed at select regional rail
stations. NJ TRANSIT has over 340 bike lockers and Washington Metro has bicycle
lockers at 49 stations. In addition bike locker vendors now offer lockers with
windows.
Modern bike lockers have
translucent viewers that allow officials to see what is inside. If SEPTA was
serious about station security then hundreds of parking spaces that are
directly adjacent to the station platforms would have to be removed. At Bryn Mawr for example the bike lockers are located farther away
from the transit station than every parking space. Bike lockers are
particularly successful at stations where the demand for parking exceeds the
supply.
SEPTA should track
the progress of the bike program with performance measures such as survey's and
bike on transit counts.
These can be integrated
into SEPTA's normal counting routine. Bikes should be
counted on buses and trains as well those parked bikes counted at rail stations.
A portion of the Transit
Enhancements set aside should be earmarked for improving bicycle access.
SEPTA has already used this funding mechanism for bike on bus. Most
projects require 20% matching funds. The 5% match for bicycle access equipment
offers the best use of these funds. Folding seats, bus racks, tie downs and
bike parking devices can be purchased this way.
SEPTA can benefit
greatly from a well managed bike program.
At least 1.3 million bike on transit trips are taken every month in North
America. Cycling is a healthy transportation choice that can increase ridership and reduce parking demand. Bike friendly transit
agencies report ridership gains of up to 3%. The bike
racks and lockers at NJ Transit's Princeton Junction Station reduce the parking
demand there by over 100 spaces. The catchment area
for bicycles is about 2 miles for bicycling and only 1/4 mile for walking.
Finally the public views the carriage of bicycles on public transit as a sign
that the transit system is progressive and responsive to customers needs. Bikes on transit is good for SEPTA, its customers, and the
Greater Philadelphia region.