Portland’s Bike-Rail Project a victim of its own success?
In an ironic twist, it seems that too many bikes are winding up on Portland Max rail cars during rush hour.
A recent Oregonian piece discusses several problems that have come up as bikers have come to rely on Portland’s MAX system as part of their daily velocommute.
So many bikes show up on the trains that several altercations have occurred, souring the relative success that this represents for Portland transportation officials. Several riders have complained that bikes are now taking up aisle space, handicapped areas, and generally making cars more dangerous, should an emergency arise.
This is an interesting issue that velocommuter plans to follow closely. We have always wondered ourselves what to do when there are already two bikes on a bus’ front bike rack. What is the third biker supposed to do with her bike? Wait for another bus in another half-hour? That’s not very practical for the average businessperson…