May is National Bike Month

Bike Month 2011

The League of American Bicyclists is the national sponsor of Bike Month and we are promoting Bike-to-Work Week 2011 from May 16-20 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 20. (Via American League of American Bicyclists)

Photo from Stanford

Metro Board Approves Removal of Peak-Hour Restrictions for Bikes on Rail

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors today approved a staff recommendation to remove peak-hour restrictions for bicycles on the Metro Rail system and authorized the removal of seats on light rail vehicles to better accommodate bicycles and other large items, moves that will help make bicycles a more viable alternative mode of transportation throughout L.A. County.

Metro’s Bikes on Rail policy previously prohibited bikes from being taken on board Metro Blue, Gold, Red and Green Line trains in certain directions of travel between the hours of 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and in all directions within L.A.’s Central Business District during those hours.

Elimination of the time restrictions will allow unfettered access to the rail system and encourage more people to ride transit knowing that they would be allowed to begin and end their trips using bicycles.  It will also help reduce their carbon footprints and increase ridership on the Metro Rail system.

The Board also authorized the phased-in removal of seats on the Metro Gold, Green and Blue Line trains.  Seats on the Metro Red/Purple Line have already been removed.

To accommodate a greater numbers of bicycle customers as well as regular transit customers, Metro plans to to increase the frequency and capacity of its rail services as seats are removed.

Metro will amend its Customer Code of Conduct, which goes into effect July 1, 2011, to be consistent with the revised policy.