Metra Bike Blackout Friday

The Tribune is reporting that Metra will be banning bikes on Friday due to the Blackhawks parade.

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Permalink Reply by Rich S on June 27, 2013 at 5:44am



Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

Can we get an intelligent response here.
 
Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Fuck Metra.

Permalink Reply by igz on June 27, 2013 at 5:45am

Mr. Ignaczak,

Thank you for your thoughtful and courteous letter. We will certainly forward it to the decision-makers at Metra for their future consideration.

And thank you for riding Metra.

Regards,

Metra

 

From: Erick Ignaczak 
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2013 10:45 AM
To: Metra Responds
Subject: The Parade and Bikes

 

Hi,

 

My name is Erick and I am a dedicated Metra rider as a reverse commuter on the Milwaukee West line, riding from Western Ave to Wood Dale.  The service is great.  I used to drive for my first few months before I learned of Metra or that the right train was right near my home and dropped me off right near my job at just the right time to start my work day.  The drive was over an hour for an 18 mile trip (crazy right?).  I connect the rest of the way via bike, two miles to the station at Western, 2 miles from the Wood Dale stop to the office.  I do this year round, regardless of weather, temperatures, etc.  Thank you for making my life better by being able to alleviate my road rage, give me time to read books, and even nap. Maybe enjoy the occasional train beer on the way home.

 

But I must express one piece of frustration, albeit a big one.  Metra has come a long way ridding some of the blackout dates, but a few remain, and one like the Blackhawk parade may pop up.  But Metra has adopted a blanket policy statement “no bikes/alcohol on any train”. PERIOD.  I must ask, why is such a policy in place?  Is it for simplicity on Metra’s behalf?

 

I admit that I don’t know the ridership numbers on all trains, I just know the Milwaukee West Line in my experience of riding it for 5 years now.  The call for blackouts on this line during a reverse commute are almost completely unnecessary.  In the past, I actually documented each day of the Taste that were blocked out.  The photos would show empty, unused priority seating areas where our bikes could have been.  It was rather frustrating to witness that.  I sense that tomorrow, the day of the parade, I will have the same frustration.  I don’t see how on a reverse commute the train will be packed in either direction.  People will be coming into the city in the morning, parade is at 1030am (also well after rush hour), and then the celebrating masses will be leaving the city, as the reverse commuters will be coming in.

 

I simply do not understand this decision, nor why it should be affecting the reverse commuters with bikes.  These west neighborhoods do not have sufficient (if any) public transport, and there are no safe routes to ride the entire way in between (I’ve done it twice – once when a train was cancelled, once during the Medina tournament and I couldn’t get on the train at all).  It seems completely silly to make this blanket statement that impacts commuters when the ban is unnecessary.

 

It may be too late to do anything about this for tomorrow’s parade, but I, and the reverse commuting cyclists as a whole, would like to see this policy reviewed.  I understand that on some lines, it may be completely necessary. But I’m sure that in many, it’s not.  Maybe historical ticket purchases can be reviewed in reporting to understand where the need is/isn’t for this policy.

 

Please let me know what you think.

 

 

Your dedicated passenger,

 

Erick C. Ignaczak

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on June 27, 2013 at 5:54am

What kills me about this (in addition to being a blanket ban), and CTA's El 4th of July bike blackout, is that SUV-like children's strollers are not banned. It is so inconsistent and really does treat bikes & bicyclists as second-class citizens.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on June 27, 2013 at 5:58am

It was a thoughtful and courteous letter.

Sadly, it looks like Metra sent you a "[press] F1" response.

igz said:

Mr. Ignaczak,

Thank you for your thoughtful and courteous letter. We will certainly forward it to the decision-makers at Metra for their future consideration.

And thank you for riding Metra.

Regards,

Metra

 

From: Erick Ignaczak 
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2013 10:45 AM
To: Metra Responds
Subject: The Parade and Bikes

 

Hi,

 

My name is Erick and I am a dedicated Metra rider as a reverse commuter on the Milwaukee West line, riding from Western Ave to Wood Dale.  The service is great.  I used to drive for my first few months before I learned of Metra or that the right train was right near my home and dropped me off right near my job at just the right time to start my work day.  The drive was over an hour for an 18 mile trip (crazy right?).  I connect the rest of the way via bike, two miles to the station at Western, 2 miles from the Wood Dale stop to the office.  I do this year round, regardless of weather, temperatures, etc.  Thank you for making my life better by being able to alleviate my road rage, give me time to read books, and even nap. Maybe enjoy the occasional train beer on the way home.

 

But I must express one piece of frustration, albeit a big one.  Metra has come a long way ridding some of the blackout dates, but a few remain, and one like the Blackhawk parade may pop up.  But Metra has adopted a blanket policy statement “no bikes/alcohol on any train”. PERIOD.  I must ask, why is such a policy in place?  Is it for simplicity on Metra’s behalf?

 

I admit that I don’t know the ridership numbers on all trains, I just know the Milwaukee West Line in my experience of riding it for 5 years now.  The call for blackouts on this line during a reverse commute are almost completely unnecessary.  In the past, I actually documented each day of the Taste that were blocked out.  The photos would show empty, unused priority seating areas where our bikes could have been.  It was rather frustrating to witness that.  I sense that tomorrow, the day of the parade, I will have the same frustration.  I don’t see how on a reverse commute the train will be packed in either direction.  People will be coming into the city in the morning, parade is at 1030am (also well after rush hour), and then the celebrating masses will be leaving the city, as the reverse commuters will be coming in.

 

I simply do not understand this decision, nor why it should be affecting the reverse commuters with bikes.  These west neighborhoods do not have sufficient (if any) public transport, and there are no safe routes to ride the entire way in between (I’ve done it twice – once when a train was cancelled, once during the Medina tournament and I couldn’t get on the train at all).  It seems completely silly to make this blanket statement that impacts commuters when the ban is unnecessary.

 

It may be too late to do anything about this for tomorrow’s parade, but I, and the reverse commuting cyclists as a whole, would like to see this policy reviewed.  I understand that on some lines, it may be completely necessary. But I’m sure that in many, it’s not.  Maybe historical ticket purchases can be reviewed in reporting to understand where the need is/isn’t for this policy.

 

Please let me know what you think.

 

 

Your dedicated passenger,

 

Erick C. Ignaczak

Permalink Reply by igz on June 27, 2013 at 6:14am

yep

Permalink Reply by JimmyD on June 27, 2013 at 6:34am

Igz... too bad I live so far away from Chi up near the IL/WI border (I'm a daily bike/Metra commuter)... because I have a handful of old school boards I would happily lend you. Some of the more interesting complete decks I have are:

Santa Cruz - Stacy Peralta - Warp Tail 2

Blind - Jason Lee - Ramp deck

Santa Cruz - Jeff Kendall - Pumpkin Head Ramp model

Permalink Reply by igz on June 27, 2013 at 6:58am

i dont know too much about boards. just enjoy riding them.  no tricks for me, maybe a little tiny ollie here and there.  i just need to get myself a longboard already.  birthday is right around the corner... 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 27, 2013 at 7:29am

Well said!

igz said:

Mr. Ignaczak,

Thank you for your thoughtful and courteous letter. We will certainly forward it to the decision-makers at Metra for their future consideration.

And thank you for riding Metra.

Regards,

Metra

 

From: Erick Ignaczak 
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2013 10:45 AM
To: Metra Responds
Subject: The Parade and Bikes

 

Hi,

 

My name is Erick and I am a dedicated Metra rider as a reverse commuter on the Milwaukee West line, riding from Western Ave to Wood Dale.  The service is great.  I used to drive for my first few months before I learned of Metra or that the right train was right near my home and dropped me off right near my job at just the right time to start my work day.  The drive was over an hour for an 18 mile trip (crazy right?).  I connect the rest of the way via bike, two miles to the station at Western, 2 miles from the Wood Dale stop to the office.  I do this year round, regardless of weather, temperatures, etc.  Thank you for making my life better by being able to alleviate my road rage, give me time to read books, and even nap. Maybe enjoy the occasional train beer on the way home.

 

But I must express one piece of frustration, albeit a big one.  Metra has come a long way ridding some of the blackout dates, but a few remain, and one like the Blackhawk parade may pop up.  But Metra has adopted a blanket policy statement “no bikes/alcohol on any train”. PERIOD.  I must ask, why is such a policy in place?  Is it for simplicity on Metra’s behalf?

 

I admit that I don’t know the ridership numbers on all trains, I just know the Milwaukee West Line in my experience of riding it for 5 years now.  The call for blackouts on this line during a reverse commute are almost completely unnecessary.  In the past, I actually documented each day of the Taste that were blocked out.  The photos would show empty, unused priority seating areas where our bikes could have been.  It was rather frustrating to witness that.  I sense that tomorrow, the day of the parade, I will have the same frustration.  I don’t see how on a reverse commute the train will be packed in either direction.  People will be coming into the city in the morning, parade is at 1030am (also well after rush hour), and then the celebrating masses will be leaving the city, as the reverse commuters will be coming in.

 

I simply do not understand this decision, nor why it should be affecting the reverse commuters with bikes.  These west neighborhoods do not have sufficient (if any) public transport, and there are no safe routes to ride the entire way in between (I’ve done it twice – once when a train was cancelled, once during the Medina tournament and I couldn’t get on the train at all).  It seems completely silly to make this blanket statement that impacts commuters when the ban is unnecessary.

 

It may be too late to do anything about this for tomorrow’s parade, but I, and the reverse commuting cyclists as a whole, would like to see this policy reviewed.  I understand that on some lines, it may be completely necessary. But I’m sure that in many, it’s not.  Maybe historical ticket purchases can be reviewed in reporting to understand where the need is/isn’t for this policy.

 

Please let me know what you think.

 

 

Your dedicated passenger,

 

Erick C. Ignaczak

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on June 27, 2013 at 7:48am

Very well-written letter. I hope you'll post again if you get any additional response.

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on June 27, 2013 at 8:02am

The problem, of course, is that the City does NOT ban or restrict cars and thus locking off the Divvy Bikes (which in theory should REDUCE the use of cars) is plain silly.   The METRA ban on Bikes is also silly, but they have a little more justification for it in that the cars are not designed for it.  What they really need is a last car on every train which is a low rise with limited seats and extra wide doors which is used just for Bikes.   (Or maybe la gallery car with NO seats on the bottom and only seats on the upper level...

Permalink Reply by igz on June 27, 2013 at 8:13am

                                    

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on June 27, 2013 at 8:16am

I wonder how much it costs to retrofit the pics from the above picture......

I cringe when the Metra is filled to capacity and the conductors don't charge anyone for a packed train since they have to handle safety (as I've been told).  TI always wonder if that money they lose on packed trains (like before and after ravinia concerts) could go towards adding a bike car, or half bike car.

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