“Every weekday I commute by bike and BART to work. I bike to the Walnut Creek station, to take BART to Rockridge, and then ride by bike again to Emeryville.
Last year I tried riding BART with my normal bike, by getting to the stations before the blackout periods. However, this forced me to get to work exceptionally early. And my job was at risk because I could never stay late, otherwise I would not be able to go home on BART with my bike because of the afternoon blackout period. So in both the morning and afternoon I had to make big compromises.
Eventually, this situation wore on me to the point where I was forced to by a folding bike. This was expensive and added unnecessary consumption to my life, as I already had a fine bike. Now I can take my bike on BART any time. However, I can’t convince co-workers to do the join me on BART because they would have to either follow my initial strict early work schedule or buy a folding bike. My wife can’t join me either, because she is not going to buy a folding bike just for occasional uses. This rule puts an extraordinary demand on cyclists.
The BART bike black-out discourages cyclists by making it inconvenient and/or adds extra costs to their commute. At some point, it is just easier or cheaper to drive.”
– – – Danny Milks, Walnut Creek resident