Transit and your commute......
 

I was wondering what any of you do in terms of negotiating your commute using transit?

SEPTA | Sustainability | Bike & Ride

That's what we deal with here.

Please share your own situations!!

- Andy

I live within jogging distance (10km) with buses. If I have a failure (i.e. running the tire through the nylon) I usually walk it to the shop and buy a new tire.

It's optimal for me.

There's also five train stations within one mile of the road used for commuting. Trains always take the bikes for free.

And a couple of taxi stands that will call a van to through the bike into.

I've been car-free for 15 years. The first seven were done with the bus and shoe-leather. It was the issues of schedule, routing, and a change in the fare structure that drove me to the LBS eight years ago.

I live on a bus line. I can see the stop out my apartment window. The city locates libraries only on bus lines. We have a stop at either end of the block. So I have no need to fill in a gap at either end of the commute.

The bus schedule doesn't line up between the city's east and west sides. Even during peak periods, there's a 20 minute wait for a transfer. Thus, it takes a full hour to travel the 4.3 miles to work. Coming home from work, I have to wait either 15 or 75 minutes for the next bus, depending on closing time. I can walk it in 80 minutes, or ride it in 17, 35, 45, or 57 minutes depending on the route I choose.

I've had flats and mechanicals over the years, but have always been able to fix things roadside, or at least rig them for a limp-along mode. I always leave enough time in my schedule to cover that sort of thing.

That leaves conditions. This past December, I ended 1,596 consecutive workdays (seven years, four months) bike commuting due to weather. I also used the bus twice in January, once in February, and once again in March.

An MTB with studs would probably have worked on those five days. I briefly considered it, but even a cheap, BikeDirect 29er with disc brakes would have cost $150 per day of use this past winter. And I'd have to find a place to keep it for the other 361 days of the year. So I used the bus to work those days, and walked home.

Standing around freezing while waiting for the bus was a good reminder of just how nice it is to ride through the winter.

We have a pretty good public transit here in the suburbs. I haven't used it for a very long time , I just bike everywhere.

We have an "okay" public transit system here in Seattle. It is a joke compared to what we have in any major city in Japan, but we do have usable bus and light rail lines. I live a couple of blocks from the bus route that takes me right into downtown, where I work, and it is one of the most frequently run routes. When I don't commute by bike, I happily take this route.

I bike 5 miles to transit stop, ride 5 miles on transit, then bike 12. I could take transit much further with transfer, but the next leg goes past university and bike capacity is inadequate. The 5 miles I do go on transit gets me past undesirable road conditions.

Took look at OP link. St. Louis is similar, but no trolleys. Also there's conflicting info on bike capacity. The transit site says one bike per designated area, local cycling advocacy group says two on their site. I emailed the transit group for clarification and never got response. Never got around to calling them. It appears most people know, assume, or don't care; often see two per area. I always look for empty area and so far have always succeeded, once on last shot. Also, I've suggested they mark the areas on the train. Once I almost didn't get a spot due to two guys standing were I needed to be. The train was well below capacity with plenty of seating overall, but the guys preferred standing I guess. There really was no way for them to know if they weren't regulars or cyclists.

I am about an 11mi rt from work, I just bike the whole way every day, rain or shine, unless I have a school-pickup obligation or something (I've got three boys, I can't fit them all on my bike!). I loathe buses so much, I would never consider taking a bus or figuring out how to get a bike onto a bus rack. I have brought my bike on trains a couple times though, and if I had a commute that was too long to ride the whole way, but I could do some on train, then I would definitely be up for that.

Bike gets locked up at the train station.

You can't take a bike on the train during rush hour unless its a folding bike. Unless you've got a reverse commute, which... I don't know anyone who does and takes the train.

New Jersey Transit

Why are you waiting for 75 minutes for the bus? This doesn't make sense because I never wait more than 10 minutes for the bus. I use a bus schedule and estimate how long it will take to arrive at the stop. Once it arrives, I make note of the time so I'll have an even better estimate of when it will reach that stop the next day. I can time the bus within 5 minutes.

At work, I'll do the same creating a short schedule of when the bus leaves so I don't have to wait standing on the corner. This schedule stays on my computer so I know to the minute when the bus reaches the stop to take me home.

Most bus lines don't have cross town service so I'll use one that takes me closest and then walk or kick scooter. (see Xootr.com) This is easy and makes it kinda fun.

I am 75 miles from my office and have a few options, but one I do regularly. I drive to the train station or ride to the express bus station which takes me and the bike to the train station. Then the train the city with the office. I can catch our campus shuttle there or ride my bike the 6 miles to the office. It changed my work routine quite a bit as I used to stay late all the time to avoid the worst of the traffic on the way home but now traffic is not an issue on teh train.

A bit off, but which part of California are you in? Is a 75-mile commute common in your area? I'm a little taken aback. Seattle isn't the middle of nowhere, but our typical commutes are within 20 miles. My wife drives 30 miles to work, and her co-workers think it's a long way.

Every bus in Albany and the Capital Region has a bike rack on the front. That being said, it's a small city and I could probably ride anywhere as quickly as it would take to use the bus. We don't have light rail or commuter trains, although I think light rail could be useful getting all the state workers into town during the week. Lots and lots of buses, but I've never taken one. I'd probably just drive instead of taking the bus. The exception would be if I was going to NYC or Montreal... I'd probably take the train.

I am in the Central Valley. Actually I am 32 miles as-the-crow-flies from my office, but since the Bay Area is surrounded by mountains, I have limited choices in crossing them to get there.

I am not sure of the numbers but there are a lot of so called "super commuters" here in the central valley. Those that commute 30+ miles each way. The Bay Area is very expensive to live. Personally I moved to the valley when my ex wife was transferred and I was able to work telecommute part time. We moved closer to here new office location.

Just think of it like Seattle but about a 10x larger "bowl" that the main "city" exists. Just that adds to the commute distance, then consider the suburbs on the outskirts having a larger set of hills between them and the "city". Miles add up.

Do you really think I'm so stupid that I can't use a bus schedule?

Did you perhaps miss the part of my post where I said I was a bus commuter for seven years?

Do you think I couldn't figure out how to time the bus in seven years?

On the nights when we close at 7:00, the next bus is at 8:15. That's 75 minutes. And no, clerical staff are not allowed to remain in the building alone after closing.

That's why I don't wait for the bus. I use a bike.

The OP (i think) was pointing out the shortcomings of his transit agency and how after 7 years of loyal use he basically jumped ship and got a bike. For a 4.3 mile commute who could blame him?

There is a lot to say about the state of public transit in this country, especially the work-horse local bus network. Not sexy & often ignored they suffer from generations (seriously) of complacency. Everything from "This route has always been in this neighborhood and always will" to "I need a bus stop in front of my house" are examples of attrition that in time destroy the utility of the network, but the most vocal transit advocates are banging the drums of the sexy "light rail" or streetcar projects that make a neighborhood look fun by rarely provide improved mobility for the people most likely to use transit.

A 75 minute wait is a 75 minute wait regardless of what you do in that time. Transit (and mobility in general) should provide you with the freedom to do what you want when you want. Most people don't want to sit around for 75 minutes waiting for a bus or pretty much anything in this life.

Are you by chance a transit professional?

I looked at taking the bus before I started riding as a way to save money on gas. The local system is arranged like spokes on a wheel, with Lancaster city in the center. I'd have to take one bus into the city, then transfer and take another bus out to where I work. Due to the horrible scheduling, the bus into the city arrives 5 minutes after the bus leaving the city. I'd end up waiting at the bus depot for 45 minutes. Then, due to some ever better scheduling, I'd miss the last bus out to my house in the evening.

I've suggested to their customer service people that they install a route or two that cross the spokes, but they don't have the money.


To the OP: I love how SEPTA wants you to use your bicycle to get to work, and then restricts bicycles on train to non-commuting times.

Bus . Mostly to get the car less day shift serfs to work, and shopping . it goes away at night

for the tourists there is an old Trolley . a diesel-electric conversion of an overhead wire powered antique,

It takes tourists for 1/3 of what the transit bus charges for the local zone (passing into 2nd zone is more)

When I was able to take my bike on a train, it was the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, from Old Town (OLT) to San Clemente (SNP). One time I handed my bike up to a porter in I guess a cargo car (I didn't get to go up and see inside), the other time there was a car where half of the seats were removed and bike racks installed.

Around here it is more common for commuters to ride "The Coaster", a commuter train that runs between Oceanside and downtown San Diego, but I've never been on it and don't know their rules for bikes.

I also lived in Reading UK for two years and daily commuted to Paddington (NW London), and it was often very crowded and I only vaguely recall the occasional folder. I was not a cyclist back then, so I wasn't really so aware, but you're probably right, it's uncommon to be able to take full-size bikes on trains. Although it seems a shame, it should be easy to put racks on the front or back like on buses.

Transit around here is pretty decent, And my house and work are both located at the train stops, so in really nasty weather (thundersnow, welcome to Cleveland), I'll use my RTA pass I get from the University to cover part of the distance and bike to and from the stations. Otherwise, My commute takes me all along the two major bus lines and past a few bike shops, so I'm pretty solid if I get an injury or have a major damage to the bike occurs.

It gets complicated though. At some of the stops, only the front of the train makes the station, at others, its the rear of the train. At some points, you can't get to the front or the rear of the train. The preferred height of the platform is even with the train door, and on double deckers, that is high up.

So I get why they don't. There are areas and racks you can use, and I know a guy who used to be on my commute (when I was going in so early or so late that it wasn't considered peak) that would bring his bike. It worked, but it was too late for me on the regular, that train had me getting home at 9pm instead of 7pm.

The bus system here in Wilmington, NC sucks (as expected for a city in the South where everything is car-dependent) - I do take it from time to time because even though I have to bike in the complete opposite direction to get to the bus stop (go 6 miles west, hop on the bus vs. 14 miles north by bike), overall it shaves a good chunk of miles on days where I don't feel like doing 28 miles round trip.

I wish somebody would figure out some routes that made some sense for the bus. How it's arranged right now is that there are 3 major transfer stations around town and then different "loop" routes that come out of those transfer stops. No bus route that goes cross town and the loops are a headache because if you get on in the middle, you have to ride it all the way around to get to another point towards the beginning.

I'm usually the only person riding the bus so loading my bike on the bike rack is no problem. One time though it took me 5 minutes to load my bike on the rack since the spring arm wasn't cooperating with me. (the other spot had a completely broken arm) Good thing the bus driver got off the bus to use the bathroom at the community college in the middle of his route :) (Like I said, bus system sucks and I'm the only person usually riding it)

It's 15 miles 1-way home to office. When I first started biking, I set out to ride home to bus-stop and use the bus' bike rack into town. It's 3 miles from my house to a stop. The bus would drop me off about a half mile from my office.

It works fine, I still use it when the weather is bad. However, I enjoyed biking so much that I started extending the ride, at first on my home side, riding a bit farther to the next stop, then further to a park-n-ride location. Then, i started getting off the bus sooner extending the ride downtown.
Last week I rode the bike all the way in 4 days, all the way home 3.

the MTA Bike n Ride brochure

I'll admit, I am a transit professional. In fact, I stopped bike commuting years ago and only did the activity shortly after Hurricane Sandy.

Having said that, I would not stand out in the cold for 20 minute or longer. Seriously. There should be a coffee shop, resturant or fast food joint where one could stay indoors away from the elements. I've been riding buses and trains for most of my life and most people do not make use of the bus schedule. Too often, people make transit more difficult on themselves.

I'm one of those lightrail advacates who use the system each day. Unlike the bus, my full size bike is allowed and with 15 minute wait times during rush hour, what's not to like? It's not only about transportation but about jobs and urban development as cities are looking for economic solutions in this slow growth economy. I've see this lightrail line bring in billions of new housing, hotels and business that would never have came if it were constructed.

As far as I know all buses in the metro area have bike racks but there's no guarantee they won't be full. The trains technically let you take bikes on at any time but when I used to do the multi-modal thing I would have to wait for the next train now and then because they were full. Also, getting a sloppy, slushy bike through a crowd of people to get off a train doesn't make you a lot of friends.

I'll still take the train now and then in the winter if I need to get work quickly without working up a sweat. It's also my backup and I've used it a few times during bad snow storms when even walking is faster than riding. A lot of times I'll just leave the bike at work rather than pushing it through the snow to and from the train stations. That leaves me with a mile walk home but that's OK. When I tell my future grandkids that I used walk a mile in the middle of a raging snow storm just to get home from work I won't be lying. A raging snowstorm is about the only time I walk a mile to get home from work.

My normal commute is a 4 mile ride to the bus, 18 miles on the express bus, then 2 miles to work here in Kansas City. We have a long way to go, but I see more and more bicycles on buses here.

There are really four tough problems that public transportation has to tackle in this country. The first is the relatively low population density in most areas that makes it less practical than in other parts of the world. The second is the unwillingness of the public to spend much on subsidizing it. In fact, it would have an even harder time if the public knew exactly the degree to which it is being subsidized.

The third is that even though public transportation is subsidized it's still not much cheaper than driving for lots of Americans and far less convenient. And fourth, buses are seen by many as an undesirable means of travel used by the poor.

Like it or not, trains are seen as a classier means of travel than a bus. They do have some advantages too. The routes are simpler to follow. They're less affected by bad weather. They don't get stuck in traffic (as much) and they can fit a lot more people.

I have only had to use transit with my bike once, and that was to return to LA from San Diego after a century ride.

I had a friend who used those front racks on the buses and had his bike stolen while the bus was at a red light. Now he sits closer to the door so he can run out and catch any potential thieves..

I knew it!!! [I'm also a transit professional, so it takes one to know one].

We can debate this all day long, but it's my personal belief (and not mine uniquely) that quality transit service shouldn't require a paper schedule. the bus should be there when you need it. but I'm preferential to solving mobility problems, others may have preferences to other values.

Have you read Human Transit yet? If no, do it now. Robot Check

the first two problems you point out are correct, but in the transit planning BIZ those are markets that we just say "forget it, it's not worth the resources to try to attract riders in these areas." Resources are finite so good transit goes where it's easiest to attract riders - density around stations, walkability, destinations, etc. So often technical and political "experts" get hung up on equality to everyone since "everyone" helps "subsidize" "it" - i'm using lots of quotations here on purpose to illustrate that most people don't really understand what it means to say "everyone subsidizes transit."

If people fully understood the extent to which they subsidized the roads they needed to drive they'd be furious. I think in my City the local investment in public transit is around $80 per person per year. Try to maintain a roadway network for that amount.

mode is irrelevent to mobility. people are hung up on the "stinky" "poor people" bus syndrome. The solution to overcoming that fear/perception is not necessarily to build a railway system (there are trade-offs with every technology). the perception issue is probably rooted deeper in societal or cultural issues that your community would be best to address sooner rather than later. that's just my opinion however.

You would really enjoy the book Human Transit by Jarrett Walker. Robot Check