NJ Bike Riders Want NJ Transit To Pump The Brakes On Inconvenient Policy
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (CBSNewYork) -- Bike riders in the Garden State are up in arms over an NJ Transit policy that prevents them from carrying bikes onto trains at stations without elevated platforms.
Andrew Besold, author of the blog, "WalkBikeJersey.blogspot.com," said that the policy is particularly problematic in Bergen and Passaic counties.
NJ Transit has 60 stations with high level platforms that allow riders to board a train without climbing stars, according to Penny Bassett Hackett, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit.
Kevin O'Connor, head of NJ Transit's rail division, told The Record that bikers carrying bikes onto trains from the ground, or low-level platforms, pose a safety hazard both for the biker and for other passengers because the cyclist must wheel the bikes past them at head level.
David Joseph of Clifton said that he was forced to ride his bike to Harrison because he was unable to board trains at the Delawanna train station in Clifton.
Currently the Pascack Valley Line does not have any high level platforms and the Main and Bergen Lines have only four stations with high level platforms.
Transportation Commissioner jim Simpson has directed the North Jersey Transportation Advisory Committee to review the policy.
Should the policy change or remain the same? Let us know in our comments section below...
