Another change in transit bylaw allows pets in carriers on buses and trains
Commissioners derail idea of rush-hour bike ban on LRT
OC Transpo customers should be allowed to bring their bikes on Confederation Line and Trillium Line trains during all hours of operation, the transit commission recommends.
As part of changes to the transit bylaw, the commission on Wednesday also approved allowing customers to bring their pets on buses and trains as long as the animals are in carriers that can sit on the customer’s lap. In addition, the transit commission directed Transpo to draw up a program that regulates busking in transit stations.
But it was the bylaw change regulating bikes on trains that revved up some transit commissioners who feared turning people away from the O -Train network.
The commission’s decision reversed a staff-preferred rule banning bikes on trains during rush hours.
Staff thought the restriction would be a more cautious approach when the Confederation Line LRT opens in November.
Councillors were in disbelief that Transpo would put a rushhour restriction on bikes when the transit company is trying to boost ridership through the $2.1-billion LRT line.
Coun. Jeff Leiper won over all but one transit commissioner to change Transpo’s proposal and allow bikes on the trains at all hours.
“Out of a total train trip of 600 people, the potential that three or four people might have to wait in order to make room for a cyclist or two is pretty minimal,” Leiper said. “I think overall the risk is very low that this will go wrong.”
Leiper said he trusts transit customers to get along.
“Remember, there are strollers that are getting on our trains, there are strollers that will be getting on our new LRT as well, that have just as much potential to create a conflict,” Leiper said. “I have absolute confidence that the residents of Ottawa will figure out how to get on and off the train in a way that minimizes those potential risks.”
Coun. Stephen Blais, the chairman of the transit commission, was the only commissioner present who voted against letting people on trains with bikes at all hours.
Blais said Transpo is making a huge change in how people get around using public transit, considering there will be new transfers between buses and trains, and riders might not get a seat for their entire transit trip.
“You put bikes in the mix that will take anywhere from four to six spots away without any additional revenue, I think that creates the possibility for conflict,” Blais said.
Blais said if Transpo allows bikes on trains during the rush hours and there are conflicts, it will be impossible to reverse the rule.
“It’s almost impossible to take something away,” he said. “OC Transpo is many things. It’s not nimble. It takes a long time to make changes.
“There’s going to be hard signage that’s paid for, manufactured and installed in stations indicating the rules, and so it’s not something that can be changed very fast.”
Transit commissioners grappled with a lack of data to make an educated decision about bikes on trains. They only knew there weren’t many complaints about the Trillium Line, where customers are allowed to board with bikes during all service hours.
Transpo doesn’t have up-to-date statistics on how many people use the rack-and-roll service, which allows transit riders to attach bikes to the front of buses in the warmer months.
Nine of the 17 North American transit agencies researched by Transpo allow bikes on rail vehicles at all hours, but Transpo’s director of planning, Pat Scrimgeour, said staff in Ottawa preferred to start with the rush-hour restriction and report back after a year.
“We’re a town where caution is our default,” Coun. David Chernushenko said. Chernushenko called for one all-hours bike standard for the O -Train network.
Customers with bicycles would need to board a train at a designated door and stand with their bike in the closest multi-use area.
I have absolute confidence that the residents of Ottawa will figure out how to get on and off the train in a way that minimizes … potential risks.
Staff would have the flexibility to restrict bikes if there’s extremely high demand for transit.
The transit bylaw changes on bikes and pets will be up for a council vote next Wednesday.