Originally Posted by
Ferdinand NYC
It is a full-sized road bike. And getting it onto and off of the bus was no problem at all. I was sort of nervous about this; but it went off perfectly. But realise that I am a member of the site and that I had already bought the ticket, so I was in the "A" group. It is probably for this reason that, on the way back, the driver signalled for me to put my bike in first before anyone else put their luggage, and he even helped me put the bike in.
Also, because I waited on board as the crowd filed off the return bus, I was one of the last to get off. And when I got off, I found that he had taken the bike out of the cargo hold himself. (I thought later that I should have tipped him. But I didn't think quickly enough at the moment.)
Thanks for the info. Are you saying you signed up on the Bolt site? I generally took NJ Transit/SEPTA when I was in NJ (better service from NJ than Bolt), but maybe I'll sign up for Bolt's reward program. To be fair, when I've spoken to the Bolt drivers in Newark, NJ, they were helpful to everyone.
Originally Posted by
Ferdinand NYC
Each transit system has its own rules for bikes, some requiring passes, some not; and then, having different sets of hours during which bikes are prohibited. So you'd have to check with the appropriate authorities for each service you are using. But I think that a folding bike should be good anywhere that you could take a briefcase.
Yes, Amtrak is very strict that bicycles must always be folded, even when the train is 20% occupied and the luggage areas are empty at 5:30 am; SEPTA and PATH conductors react more to how crowded the train is. My travel plans have changed (trip to Seattle before returning from Boston to Phil), and I don't have a bike I want to bring on the flights.
Originally Posted by
Ferdinand NYC
Do you ride a lot in Boston? By reputation, those drivers are even worse than the ones here in New York! And the street grid seems pretty incomprehensible. For those reasons, I am not really tempted to go up to Boston. Also, I am eager to continue expanding on my understanding of the streets of Washington; and I'd like to get back to Philadelphia, too.
I haven't ridden much in Boston since 2009, but I grew up in the suburbs, and lived and worked in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston until 1990 (i.e. pre bike lanes).
If you look for a grid, you will find the streets incomprehensible. The local joke is that the roads were originally cow paths (Boston Common was used for grazing cows in the 17th & 18th centuries) that were later paved over for automobiles. Some towns also assume you know the main road and only put signs on the smaller cross roads. So the roads were laid out by cows and not consistently marked - not ideal for visitors.
I don't find drivers in Boston any worse than NY, Philadelphia, or a short visit to Washington. Traffic enforcement is limited, and congestion and unpredictable drivers keep speeds down. Drivers seem to deal with bicyclists like any other traffic. Some Philadelphia drivers were hostile to bicyclists not using the bike lanes when they were first installed (I still see no penalties for parking in bike lanes), but they seem to have figured out that it still works if they treat bicyclists like any other traffic. I hear this is true and bike lanes are generally ignored in Boston also.
Traffic in Cambridge seemed lighter and calmer in 2009 than in the late 80's but this may be because I wasn't commuting in rush hour traffic.
Red lights/ Bike lanes
You seem to have better experience with anti-bike crazies and bike lanes than I do. I also stop for red lights, but the crazies seem to be upset that bicyclists are using streets and are just as profane waiting at red lights. Fortunately, they are a minority.