Bike Racks on Metro-North!

OK, so technically, this photo isn't such a good illustration for this post, because the post has to do with taking full-sized bikes on Metro-North during peak hours, while this is, of course, my beloved Xootr Swift Folder, which is allowed at all times (because it folds - hence the name), but you know what? The post also isn't about Hartford, because the Beat is still under the cruel tyranny of Amtrak rail service, so back up off me, OK? It's a picture of a bike at a Metro-North station, and that's good enough.

Clearly, my frequent exhortations to the powers that be, in which I sing the praises of multi-modal commuting and the need for Metro-North to become more bicycle friendly, have swayed M. Jodi Rell and Metro-North's Grand High Vice-Chancellor (whoever that may be): They're actually going to put some bike racks on some trains on the New Haven Line. As you may know, bicycles are currently not allowed on peak trains (on the theory (I suppose) that they don't even let bike commuters live in Darien anyway), forcing commuters to drive to the stations and park there, or (God forbid) take the bus to the train station (and bus riding is another activity forbidden by Darien and Westport municipal ordinances for being too declasse). The new plan is to put bike racks on some peak trains as a pilot program, without removing seats. I can't find any specific info on how they plan to do this, aside from one story saying they might put make bikes share space with the handicapped seating area (which doesn't seem so bad until you have to ride your bike home from Harlem to Bridgeport because a guy in a wheelchair got onto the last Connecticut-bound train at 125th Street). I don't understand why they can't use some of the bar cars for this purpose (except that I do understand because all those alcoholics will go absolutely crazy if some nerdy bike commuters are the reason they can't numb the pain of their suburban ennui with anything stronger than a tallboy of Budweiser), but whatever, a pilot program is better than no program. So, thanks, Metro-North, for taking a good first step.

Now I'm going to start ranting on this blog about the perennial crappiness of schools in Connecticut's cities and see how long it takes M. Jodi and the state legislature to abolish town control of education and move to countywide school boards. Expect good news on that front within months.