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Not $150 but just $20 would suffice. In other words, we can remind people without harming them.

I brought this up with WABA a few years ago and they said this was an extremely low priority, in that it would take a lot of effort to get done and would help relatively few people, and besides I could just buy a folding bike. Which I did end up doing, grudgingly. I can definitely see that perspective and I can't really say where to prioritize this for the region, but personally I think this is very important and it would be among the very top improvements I could hope for.

I used to be a regular bike commuter with the same problem: I would try to get on at Dunn Loring going into the city in the evening and would be forced to wait outside the turnstiles as empty train after empty train rolled through the station going back into DC. I'm a curtious commuter who would follow a sensible rule like the one proposed in this article. I'm also a big proponent of public transportation, so it makes me wonder how many potential metro riders are being turned away?

Yes, this would be great! In my case, the rush hour restrictions (btwn Foggy Bottom & Vienna) have meant more driving, even though the trains are mostly empty btwn Rosslyn and Vienna.

Metro is incredibly bureaucratic and they need to be more flexible.

I can understand Metro's concern with crowded trains and blocked exits. But why do they specifically single out bikes? Wheelchairs, baby SUVs, and huge luggage containers all cause the same problem.

Of course we wouldn't exclude anyone based on those so why such a hard line on bikes?

I think a good first step would be to shrink the hours that bikes are banned from rush to peak of peak.

Also - the bike problem could be easily solved just by adding so hooks by the doors. Then the cyclist could hang the bike vertically so that it is out of the way.

JeffB, I think making an exception for wheelchairs and, to a lessor degree, strollers makes sense. But bikes really are comparable to luggage. I guess the main idea is that a bike takes up space that could be used by a paying passenger. Which makes sense to me. Of course, Metro always claims it's a safety concern, which is ridiculous. Once I heard them talk about the comfort of customers, which at least is more believable, but in general I think it's about revenue and as such that is a legitimate Metro concern. Even a hook doesn't solve that.
If revenue really is the main concern, I wonder if bike commuters would be willing to pay a fee to bring their bike on during rush hour. An annual fee perhaps? I probably would. At $250 (or about $1 a day) it would be only slightly more than renting a locker and you have your bike with you at all times. Just a thought.

The reverse commute does not crowd out anyone so the fee seems unnecessary for revenue purposes for a reverse commute.

Another reason for reverse commutes is that alot of suburban employment centers are a 10-15 minute bike ride to a Metro, whereas in the city is might be a 10-15 minute walk.

Using the Orange Line to New Carollton as an example, I'd say that the really easy step is to allow bikes on at New Carollton starting at 6:00 provided they exit at RFK. Most will honor the terms, given the penalty of going beyond (I'd say the fee might be somewhere between an HOV violation and a parking in handicap space). But the few who don't can cause too much mischief because they are unlikely to go Metro Center before 6:35 anyway.

Similarly, RFK might allow bikes until 7:45 AM for Eastbound trains--a 7:00 AM cyclist from Shady Grove might arrive around that point anyway.

Prohibiting wheelchairs is an ADA no-no. Lots of lawsuits there. Generally, I think families get an extra nod. If you really want people to rely on Metro, then parents need to take the kid places and carrying them is often not a serious option.

Luggage and bikes are somewhat comparable. So I think that the average bike takes up more space -- volume and floor space --than the typical piece of luggage there are exceptions. I've heard the complaint that oily chains distinguishes the two and the wheels of a bike tend to get dirty and are much easier to bump into than say luggage wheels.

Nonetheless, I think WC has an excellent point about reverse commutes. The only potential hitch is enforcement.

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