Photo credit: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Back in August 2012, BART experimented with removing the current bike rush hour restrictions on Fridays. Following the “Bike Friday” pilot, BART invited riders to provide feedback so the agency could see how people responded to bikes being allowed on board at all times of day. The results of the pilot program were made available in late September but if you missed them they’re well worth reviewing.
Some interesting results from lifting the rush hour bike ban include:
- When asked if lifting the blackout would impact their likelihood to ride BART, 25% of respondents said they would be more likely to ride. 10% said they would be less likely to ride and 66% said they would be equally as likely to ride.
- Asked how lifting the blackout affected their BART trip, 17% said it made their trip worse whereas 9% said it made their trip better, and 74% said it had little or no effect.
- 90% of respondents aware of the pilot who rode during the commute reported they did not personally experience any problems related to it. Of the 10% who did experience problems, the most commonly cited problems were bikes blocking aisles, doorways and seats; bikes entering crowded trains; and bikes running into or brushing up against people.
Be sure to head over to BART for more details regarding the August bike ban removal and to brush up on the existing bike rules.
