SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, July 15, BART announced its implementation of bike straps on all their lines to assist bike rider’s experiences as they ride.
The strap design was tested on about 60 bike spaces in the legacy cars and received strong positive feedback where BART will be adding them to all of their lines. The straps are flame-retardent, made from nylon material, and can hold two bikes in each strap.
Riders who had trouble holding onto their bikes while traveling can attach their bikes to the hands-free bike strap, allowing them to maintain their own security while riding.
“We wanted to offer a more formal method for people to hold their bikes,” said Steve Beroldo, Manager of Access Programs at BART who started the pilot project.
He added: “What was ultimately chosen as the best design is a flame-retardant, nylon strap, similar to the overhead hand straps for holding on, with a simple, black buckle, attached to the rail using a rivet for security. An online survey to gather rider input on the straps and produced “overwhelmingly positive feedback.”
One rider wrote “I love them! They are very helpful and I don’t have to worry about my bike sliding and hitting others sitting nearby. Please install them everywhere!”. Another commented on the increased room it provides, “I love love love them. Such a huge help and clears up space.”
The bike strap will make it easier for bikers to travel, which is apart of the 2012 BART Bicycle Program, BART’s personal goal to increase the percentage of passengers who bicycle to BART from 4 percent to 8 percent by 2022. The program hopes to decrease traffic congestion and increase ridership while making it easier and more accessible for everyone who uses BART to travel.
“We listened to the feedback from bike riders, and they said the racks weren’t working well, so we’re going to take them out and go with the straps on all trains,” said Beroldo.
To learn more about Bay Area Rapid Transit updates, visit www.bart.gov.
Written Grace Willcox and Donald Roberts
