SacRT staff has claimed that since the policy of four bicycles per light rail car is not being changed for the new light rail low-floor cars, Siemens S700s, that everything is OK with bicycles. The policy is four bicycles per car. But staff is gaslighting the MAC, the public, and apparently the SacRT Board as well, because there is an actual reduction of space for bicycles.

The existing light rail cars are in two groups, 100 series dating from 1985 to 1991, and the 200 series dating from 2002-2003. SacRT briefly used ex-VTA cars, but could not keep them in running order. Both 100 series and 200 series cars were modified by the removal of some seats to provide better wheelchair access and space for bicycles. The 200 series cars had four bicycle hooks per car, but there was a great deal more space in the hook area, and most bicyclists lined up their bicycles side by side to accommodate the most bicycles. Though a few cars have signing to indicate bicycle priority, most do not, so regular passengers often take up that space. In a practical sense, the old cars had space for 12 bicycles per car. Dan has observed crush load of bicycles on trains going to Folsom in the morning, and from Folsom in the afternoon, with probably 24 bikes per car. This high level of demand is rare, but it does occur.

The new light rail cars have space for four bicycles, sort of. That space is in front of the doors on the side of the car which will not open at the next stop. Of course the boarding side varies with the station, so bicyclists might need to be moving back and forth between sides, station to station. If there are no wheelchair or mobility device users on board, then that space might be used by bicyclists, however, they do not have priority on that space since it is priority seating for elderly, pregnant, and disabled, with or without devices. If a bicycle is in that space, and a wheelchair boards, the bicyclist must move. Where to?

The MAC addressed bicycles on the new cars at the May meeting (minutes). When someone at the June meeting asked to talk about bicycles, they were told by staff that bicycles had already been discussed in May, and would not be discussed again. The text from the May minutes related to bicycles is below.

“Mr. Beatty presented new policies for bikes on S700 trains. There were no changes to the number of bikes allowed, to passenger priority, bike lockers, or carts/strollers. Bikes will be allowed to board through either rear or front doors, and bike decals will be placed on doors. Bikes will be placed on the lower level, which will be identified with bike decals, and passengers must stand with bikes. Mr. Lozano asked about where bicyclists would stand; Mr. Beatty said there is space near priority seating areas. Mr. Lozano asked if this has been tested with a train in motion; it has not yet.”

I find the ‘passengers must stand with bikes’ remarkable. The end-to-end Sacramento Valley Station to Historic Folsom Station is about 59 minutes, and Watt/I-80 Station to Cosumnes River College Station is about 63 minutes. Stand with your bike for an hour?

For some bicyclists, their bicycle is their mobility device. We don’t know what the percentage is, but Dan has talked to a number of people who are mobile on bicycles, but can walk only very short distances. The assumption that only wheelchairs are mobility devices is wrong. An hour would be a challenge for any bicyclist, but for a rider who uses a bicycle as their mobility device, impossible.

The minutes also indicate that no change will be made to bike lockers: ‘no changes to… bike lockers’. The existing rental lockers are mostly unused. A number of transit and bicycling advocates have asked SacRT to consider on-demand secure bike lockers (probably BikeLink since that is the leading brand) at busier stations, so that some bicyclists do not need to take their bike with them on light rail. The City of Folsom has installed secure on-demand BikeLink lockers at Historic Folsom, Glen, and Iron Point stations. The minutes indicate that SacRT staff is refusing to consider this.

Many months into burn-in and testing of the new light rail cars, and staff has not thought to do tests with bicycles and trains in motion? Really? What have they been doing?

Many Siemens S70 cars, and older version of the S700, have either bicycle hooks or dedicated bicycle space. There are issues with hooks, as some people are unable to lift their bike to a hook, and the handlebars of the bike extend a little bit into the aisle, so hooks may not be the best general solution, but they would expand bicycle capacity into the four fold up seats per train. Having dedicated space simply means shifting space from seating to bicycles. Of course most rides on streetcars are much shorter than on light rail, so more riders and willing to stand for their trip, making for better space flexibility.

After the July 22 board meeting at which Dan spoke on these issues, SacRT staff first said that I had misunderstood the MAC minutes, and then that they didn’t really mean what they said. Well, its a public document, and as such, represents the position of SacRT, until it is changed.

STAR is not suggesting that bicycles be a top priority on the new light rail cars. What we are demanding is the SacRT staff take seriously concerns and address them in a professional manner. That has not happened so far. The attitude seems to be ‘we hear what you are saying, but we’ll do what we want’.

• SacRT light rail modernization