Metro-North, DOT seek to lock in bike rack design

Stamford Advocate, 10/07/09

By Martin B. Cassidy

Staff Writer

Posted: 10/07/2009 07:40:47 PM EDT

Updated: 10/07/2009 08:08:31 PM EDT

As part of an ongoing effort to find ways to increase space for bikes aboard trains, Metro-North Railroad and Connecticut are preparing to seek bids on a contract for designing a storage rack that could be used aboard the state's fleet of new M-8 rail cars.

Metro-North is expected to issue a request in coming weeks for proposals to produce up to three different bike rack prototypes to be used in a trial aboard M-7 trains. The devices would be compatible with the state's 300 M-8 rail cars, which are similarly configured to M-7s, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.

About $100,000 has been set aside for the work, which is to be completed by June, Anders said.

The M-8 rail cars are being built in Japan, with the first set to arrive for testing in Connecticut late this fall, according to the DOT.

If a bike storage design is approved, funding would play a large part in when the device would be manufactured and installed, Anders said.

"It all comes down to money," she said. "When we find a design that works to everyone's satisfaction and have a price tag and New York and Connecticut have enough money to pay it at the right time, it could work."

In spring 2008, Gov. M. Jodi Rell asked the state Department of Transportation to find ways to allow more bikes aboard the new cars to encourage people to leave their cars at home.

The DOT and Metro-North conducted a trial last spring using a wall-mounted rack system aboard two

M-7 train cars, but the design was not successful because the device did not secure the bikes well enough.

Cycling advocates consider the new work a step forward that could bring the railroad closer to adopting a usable storage device, but they continue to seek abolishing the bike ban on rush hour trains, said Richard Stowe, founder of Rail*Trains*Ecology*Cycling, a group seeking equity for cyclists on commuter trains.

Metro-North currently issues permits to bicyclists; conductors have discretion to bar bicyclists from trains if they are deemed too crowded.

Earlier this year, Metro-North authorized bicycles aboard 35 of 49 "reverse-peak" trains, those traveling north from Grand Central Terminal before 10 a.m. and headed for Grand Central between 4 and 8 p.m., but even with the expanded access, the restrictions are onerous to bicyclists, said Stowe, a New Canaan resident.

"If you eliminated the peak hour ban and prohibition, it would have a number of benefits to not just cyclists, but to Metro-North themselves," Stowe said. "Cyclists want to take the train in the peak hour currently, which forces Metro-North to lose revenue or, in some cases, opting to drive."

Members of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, a state-appointed body representing commuters, say other passengers should have priority for scarce seating before bicycles are allowed on peak-hour trains.

"Our position is very simple," said Drew Todd, a council member from South Norwalk. "We're not against bikes on trains, but until every paying passenger gets a seat, you can't really be discussing more bikes on trains."

The space requirements of the racks are also a concern and the probability of the bikes coming loose is an issue for the group, Todd said.

"The trains are bumpy, they stop short and make sharp turns," Todd said. "All of a sudden, a bicycle is flying somewhere. It's a problem waiting to happen and could possibly scare people from taking the train."

In the unsuccessful trial last spring, Metro-North used wall-mounted racks that secured the front wheels of bikes on a wall hook, the lower wheel to a divot on the floor, and the middle of the bike attached to a second hook in the wall.

DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said the state would work with Metro-North to develop bike rack ideas, but plans to install an approved device depend on funding.

"The governor's directive remains a priority for the department," Nursick said. "...We are partnering directly with Metro-North in the thorough evaluation of options, with the goal of implementing a bike rack that meets customer and operational requirements."

Staff Writer Martin B. Cassidy can be reached at martin.cassidy@scni.com, or 203-964-2264.