Friday, September 26, 2008

Monday is the Eve of Rosh Hashanah - Don't Bring Your Bike On The Train

This is perhaps my favorite NJ TRANSIT Bike on Rail rule.

Standard-frame bicycles and Segways are permitted on other rail lines at all times, except:
  • On weekday inbound trains that end their trip in Hoboken, Newark or New York between 6-10 a.m.
  • On weekday outbound trains that originate in Hoboken, Newark or New York between 4-7 p.m.
  • On major holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day)
  • On Fridays prior to major holidays.
  • On Friday after Thanksgiving.
  • On the eves of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Since Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur begin at sundown does this mean that you can bring your bike on the train after sundown?

An 8PM inbound train from Gladstone probably has far more room than a 2PM departure from Penn Station, yet with this blanket rule bikes are treated the same on both trains.

These rules are modeled after the Metro North and Long Island RR bike on rail rules which were hammered out in the late 1980's when very few commuter rail systems allowed bicycles and the effects of bikes on trains was largely unknown. For some reason the holiday restrictions have stuck around, perhaps a detailed analysis of ridership patterns on trains on those days needs to be looked at to align the rules with the reality.

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