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Re: [SVBC] FW: [BATN] Caltrain staffers eye fee to reduce riders
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larry_-@alum.pomona.edu
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Aug 13, 2008 12:00 PDT
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Ideally, I agree having other items in the bike car could work, but in reality it never will. For example, in my initial post, all that luggage and my folder on the crowded train was in the handicap stall. When I told the conductor that I had been directed previously that that space is reserved only for the disabled, he said it was okay considering the crowded train. On that previous trip, I put my Brompton between me and the seat and inserted my legs around it. Not everyone can do that as it took a bit of manuevering, my body type and the infinite superiority of the Brompton over all other folders Jym D'yer Mak'er.
Anyway, with the handicap stall and the bike parking, you have infrastructure and a system set up with fairly concise and understandable rules. If you create exceptions than you have to expect civility and compliance among *all* users. I don't want to be the one to tell a parent to move their child and stroller through three cars to the luggage car. For the most part, most of us won't. One time I boarded a very crowded train and freaked when I found a piece of luggage taking up an entire stall. Moreover another bicyclist said it was okay to me and the owner to leave the suitcase when I asked the owner to move it.
In addition to you need to have consistent enforcement by the conductors many of whom already resent having to monitor the bike car. In our current situation, we're never going to get them to move strollers and luggage from the bike car if they become special exemptions from the rules when conductors are unable to ask something much less confrontational, non biking passengers simply to sit elsewhere. Do you expect a conductor to chose some smelly grungy dumb bicyclist with attitude over a mother with her child and stroller?
Finally what do you do about the carefully designed one to one correspondence of parking space to seat?
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Larry Chinn
http://myspace.com/larrychinn
http://larrychinn.com coming soon!
larry_-@alum.pomona.edu
(650) 248-0252
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