The Chainlink

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.

Views: 897

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

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.

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.

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.

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

The reason I gave in and bought a folder.

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.

 

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...

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.

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

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?

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?

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?

RSS

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service