Taste of Chicago Bike Blackout

yep, taste of chicago is upon us again.

but all that means to me is that Metra is on its bike blackout again. from Wednesday July 11th, through Sunday the 15th, no bike are allowed on any train, no exceptions. no, no, no...  even if the train is thoroughly empty and able to accommodate said bikes.

each year i take pics of all the availability to accommodate bikes, but metra only accepts snail-mailed correspondence, an active conversation doesnt seem possible.

 

i do commend metra for getting rid of every other bike blackout.

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on July 10, 2012 at 4:41am

I wish they would allow us to ride out with our bikes in the morning. Considering no one is coming from the Taste at 7:30 am to head out to the burbs, this blackout is not terribly logical. 

That said, I'm planning to take advantage of the blackout days as full bike commute days to rack up miles for the week. 

So glad the Taste was moved this year - the heat last week would have been brutal if I had to do a full commute for 4 days.

Permalink Reply by igz on July 10, 2012 at 4:50am

the only time i noted any particular surge in ridership was on Fridays evening commute, and frankly, it was no greater than a game day in the city. i cant speak for the weekend, and im sure that blockout does make sense then. but not during week days.

unfortunately, working in wood dale, the commute via bike is horrible, no safe paths, industrial roads, construction, unsafe neighborhoods, etc.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on July 10, 2012 at 4:57am

Sorry to hear that. There is a stretch that I white-knuckle it for a few miles but nothing as bad as unsafe neighborhoods, etc. 

Just because the city decides to have a fest, it doesn't eliminate the need to bike commute using the train. Esp. if you are carrying a monthly pass. This is especially painful when they decide they are at capacity (3-4 bikes/car) when they could easily fit much more per car. This summer the conductors have been told to crack down on "too many bikes". You always run the risk of getting denied entry - monthly pass or no.

Permalink Reply by igz on July 10, 2012 at 5:04am

the milwaukee west line has been lenient for the 3+ years ive been riding it, the cars often carry 6-8 bikes per train.

Permalink Reply by Eduardo on July 10, 2012 at 6:05am

The reason I gave in and bought a folder.

Permalink Reply by Lee Roy on July 10, 2012 at 8:01am

Iggy,

I had success with this E-mail...
"Please complete our online contact form to send us an e-mail.  If you would like to make a comment or do not require a response, please e-mail onthebilevel@metrarr.com."

 

I will also mention there are still blackouts this year.

Although on the weekend. But I think that is what you meant.

Just to clarify... (No bikes)

Lollapalooza - August 3, 2012 to August 5, 2012

Air & Water Show - August 18, 2012 & August 19, 2012

 

...I also have a folding bike, beats walking, still slow. Make sure you have a bike bag too.

 

Permalink Reply by igz on July 10, 2012 at 8:14am

yeah, the weekends are negligible in terms of commuting. i know it still impacts some, but not in the same way or scale. i did forget about lolla friday.

 

im working on getting a bike and bag as we write...

Permalink Reply by Peter Grimaldi on July 10, 2012 at 8:41am

This is going to cause a problem for the people planning on taking metra to Wheaton and back for GITYup this weekend. I contacted Steve Buchtel and let him know about it.

Permalink Reply by rb on July 10, 2012 at 11:20am

@Igz thanks for the heads up on this. will definitely impact me.

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on July 10, 2012 at 3:25pm

If you ever have questions in the future about bring bikes on board Metra, or want a quick answer to the question, "Can I bring my bike on Metra right now?", my two-year old website will help. 

Can I bring my bike on Metra right now?

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on July 10, 2012 at 4:21pm

That is awesome Steven!

Bookmarked for future use.  It's too bad that Metra has constantly relegated itself to the choice of last resort for me. 

Steven Vance said:

If you ever have questions in the future about bring bikes on board Metra, or want a quick answer to the question, "Can I bring my bike on Metra right now?", my two-year old website will help. 

Can I bring my bike on Metra right now?

Permalink Reply by Sherry Azaria on July 11, 2012 at 12:57am

Awesome...



Steven Vance said:

If you ever have questions in the future about bring bikes on board Metra, or want a quick answer to the question, "Can I bring my bike on Metra right now?", my two-year old website will help. 

Can I bring my bike on Metra right now?

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