South Shore Line

[Peter Ternes]

Would anyone be interested in starting a campaign with me to force the
NICTD to change it's current policy of prohibiting assembled bikes on
the South Shore Line?

[Ben Beyeler]

I have been wishing for years that they would change this policy.  It would be great to at least hear why they have the policy.

-Ben

--
-Ben

[Jim Moffitt]

I believe it's a matter of economics. If you could prove it would
increase ridership I think they may consider it. There are groups of
cyclists in the Hammond-Chicago region that may help, checkout the
Chainlink.org or Calumet Citizens for Connecting Communities
(cc4cc.org).

On Aug 16, 6:55 pm, Ben Beyeler <benbeye...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have been wishing for years that they would change this policy.  It would
> be great to at least hear why they have the policy.
>
> -Ben
>
> On Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 12:42 AM, Peter Ternes

> <peter.rock.ter...@gmail.com>wrote:

[hpscott]

I wrote in several years ago and was told that it was a matter of
infrastructure. According to them, many platforms would need to be
redone to accommodate safely getting bikes on and off. Keep in mind
that if they allow bikes, they'd have to consider all interested
cyclists: from those who could easily throw bikes over their shoulders
and navigate an obstacle course, to a family with young kids.

Also, ridership varies a lot-- I've been surprised to see just how
crowded it can get. For example, I used the train to come back to
South Bend just yesterday, and I couldn't even get a seat for the
first two hours (I got on at Van Buren, the second station along the
line). It was frustrating, but seeing how little room was available
it became quite clear to me just how many real obstacles they have
before they could realistically allow bicycles, even if they were so
inclined.

I love the South Shore, but more because it exists at all, not because
of what it actually is. It is often crowded, all the way to South
Bend, and I wonder why it isn't better. IMHO, an improved train
connection to Chicago would be a HUGE attraction for Michiana living,
but I'm afraid the investment to get there would be huge (tracks,
stations, trains-- just about everything would need to be redone).

I hope that investment is eventually made, but in the meantime I've
been getting by using a folding bike. I've done that quite a few times
now, and it works out pretty well (although yesterday it was fairly
unpleasant to stand at the end of a car with it for two hours!).

On Aug 16, 6:55 pm, Ben Beyeler <benbeye...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have been wishing for years that they would change this policy.  It would
> be great to at least hear why they have the policy.
>
> -Ben
>
> On Sat, Aug 15, 2009 at 12:42 AM, Peter Ternes

> <peter.rock.ter...@gmail.com>wrote:

[Peter Ternes]

While everything here makes sense, none of this explains why the
Amtrak (from Chicago to southern Illinois and beyond), and the Metra
(from Chicago to the surrounding suburbs) both allow bicycles on their
trains. For instance, if the trains can accommodate the physically
handicapped, they can accommodate a family with bikes. If the train
has certain peak times (rush hour, before and after Cubs/Sox games and
events like the Taste and the Air and Water show), the NICTD can
prohibit bicycles during those peak hours, just as the Metra does
during rush hour and on certain weekends. Allowing bicycles sometimes
does not necessitate allowing bicycles all of the time.

I'm going to find out who has control over changing this policy, and
I'll start with some simple things (facebook group, signatures for a
letter writing campaign to particular members of the Indiana
legislature and the Chicago City Council), and then follow that up
with an effort to get coverage by various media. If none of that
works, I'll try to get more creative.

If anyone can help in any way, please let me know.

Thanks.

[Ben Beyeler]

Yes, many train systems around the country allow bikes.  There do have to be restrictions and rules like limiting the number of bikes per train, limited hours, etc. 
If NICTD needs help assessing the situation maybe some of us could give input by finding rules that other train systems have and offer suggestions. 
I found the Metra info on bikes: http://metrarail.com/Special_Promotions/bikes_on_trains.html

--
-Ben

[Paul Taylor]

Peter.

Senate Bill 1001 (the Budget Bill) contains a little noticed provision
that may affect the South Shore. It says

"Provides for a referendum in November 2009 in Lake, Porter, LaPorte,
and St. Joseph counties for the creation of a regional transportation
district in northern Indiana ("district"). Provides that the district
is created January 1, 2010, if the voters in at least two of the
counties vote in favor of the creation of the district. Specifies that
the district consists of all the incorporated and unincorporated
territory in those counties where the majority of those voting on the
public question vote in favor of creating the district. Provides for a
regional funding, service area, and coordination board, a regional
transportation district advisory board, a commuter rail service board
(which is the northern Indiana commuter rail service board (NICTD)), a
rail service advisory board, a bus service board, and a bus service
advisory board."

The date of the referendum is still up in the air, but it will
certainly occur within the next 9 months, and it may pass. Keep this
in mind as you move forward, as it may affect the administration/
funding of the South Shore.

I don't have time to assist you in your initiative, but if I were in
your shoes, here is an action plan outline:
1. Find someone in the NICTD you can talk to. Try to arrange a face-to-
face meeting in his/her office. E-mail probably won't work. If you
can't meet face to face, at least find a time when he/she can have a
relaxed phone conversation. You only have two goals in this meeting:
a) explain what you want (your wishes will not come as a surprise, so
don't plan on spending a lot of time explaining WHY) and b) get ADVICE
on how to proceed.
2. I have no idea what the advice will be. Hopefully it will be to
talk to someone higher in the bureaucracy who can give you even better
advice. You want to find a mentor who can help you through the web of
funding and decision making. I don't expect you to find anyone in
NICTD who is flat-out opposed to bikes, but you will find a lot of
folks with reasons why they won't work with today's South Shore
infrastructure and funding.
3. Follow the advice from your mentor (or the closest you can come to
a mentor), and be prepared to spend years on it.

Good Luck
Paul

> > > -Ben- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Paul Taylor]

Here's another suggestion. Contact Steve Buchtel at
st...@activetrans.org. Steve is with the Active Transportation
Alliance in Chicago: http://www.activetrans.org/ . One of their goals
is to get bikes on the South Shore, and I'm sure he would love to hear
from you. Steve lives in Chicago now, but grew up in Goshen.