Caltrain considering ban on oversized bicycles

By CBS Bay Area

Caltrain said it is eyeing a new bicycle policy as they try to address rider concerns that some bikes are taking up too much space on trains.

Matt Sorgenfrei hops on Caltrain at the San Francisco station two to three times a week. 

“I have a single bike seat at the back here for one of the boys. I have two sons who both really like their bike,” Sorgenfrei told CBS News Bay Area. 

He bikes his children to school, before taking Caltrain down to the Peninsula for work. 

“You can see there’s bungee cords, positions for basically four bikes on each side. So, people come in, lock their bikes up, secure them at least, and go and sit down for the remainder of their commute,” he said, showing the bike setup onboard. 

When Sorgenfrei hops off Caltrain, it’s a five-minute bike ride to work. But soon, his commuting ritual could change. 

Caltrain is considering a plan that would ban oversized bikes that are over 6feet long and tires that are more than 3 inches wide.

“Let’s consider the extra-long, maybe cargo bikes. Or let’s consider multiple attachments. Or maybe you can have no more than one, or something like that,” Sorgenfrei said. 

Dan Lieberman, public information officer with Caltrain, said that they average about 7,600 bikers on board every weekday. 

“We’ve also been getting an increasing number of complaints from people who found it difficult to navigate around these larger vehicles, and thought they were just taking up too much space onboard,” Lieberman told CBS News Bay Area. 

He added that ridership in February was up 30.4% compared to the same time last year. 

“Our original intention was looking at larger e-bikes, which really take up a lot of space. Clearly, parents have reached out. They felt they were being unfairly targeted in there. So, really, we want to have a big ole’ conversation with our whole bike community, make sure we hear everyone out,” he said. “This is going to get worked out in our bike committee meeting.”

That meeting is a public forum at the Caltrain San Carlos office on March 19 at 5:45 p.m. 

“Let us know what you’re thinking, let us know what you need,” Lieberman said. 

Nothing is officially set in stone just yet, as the agency’s Bicycle and Active Transportation Advisory Committee (BATAC) will be holding the meeting. Members of the public can join in person or virtually. They will also be able to send comments in advance. 

“We really need to hear from the BATAC, we need to hear that conversation,” he added. 

For Sorgenfrui, who said they are a one-car household, added that his bike setup works for his family. 

“Maybe drive, every now and then? I don’t know, I really don’t want to be driving all the way down to the Peninsula. This is great. I can work. I can have some coffee,” he said. 

Caltrain officials added that they have about 500 bike lockers across all stations. 

But Sorgenfrei said the cost and efficiency of storing a backup bike in the Peninsula won’t be feasible. 

“There’s got to be some solution in which people can still have their kids on their bikes, but also being able to accommodate all of the workday travelers such as myself,” he said.