The plan to ban e-bikes on PATH trains follows a growing and alarming backlash to this particular form of transportation. "They take up the same space as regular bikes or strollers, sometimes less," she said. "With my scooter, I take up so little space that it really doesn't make sense to me." Ingram said he would likely be forced to take a ferry from New Jersey to New York, which is more expensive.Īnother e-mobility user, who declined to give her name, also thought the ban was "nonsense." "Like right now, it’s completely empty, just me and a couple other people." "As long as you follow the rule of not getting on at those peak hours I feel like you’re fine," he said. Ingram said that he observes the peak-hour bike bans, but rarely encounters a crowded train during non-rush-hour periods. "We still need to get back and forth to the city, and how else are we supposed to get there?" "I think it’s dumb," said Rasheed Ingram, a videographer who commutes on the PATH train with his electric bike every day. "Many of them use the PATH train to get to New York for work and they need their bike."Īnd e-bike riders were especially appalled. "It definitely creates a hassle for delivery workers," said one cycling activist who requested anonymity because of dealings with government. E-bikes are also larger and we must maximize our onboard train space. Prohibiting e-bikes, which aligns w/our 2018 rule change prohibiting electric scooters & electric skateboards, addresses the lithium batteries powering them. The safety of our riders remains a top priority. NJ Transit appears to have an e-bike restriction.Ĭycling advocates were also quick to point out the implications for workers who either need their bike for their job or to get to their jobs in areas unserved by the pokey PATH. Amtrak also allows all bikes under a certain weight (on its routes that allow bikes, that is). Whatever the Port Authority's motivations, they don't match the main transit agency in the area: The MTA does not ban e-bikes on any of its rail systems (though all bike riders need a once-per-lifetime $5 permit). We’re committed to developing a strategy that works best for all customers.") We’re listening and working with our partners and biking community to review our current rules surrounding motorized vehicles on PATH. (Under additional questioning from Streetsblog and members of the public, the agency vaguely tweeted on Wednesday that it may be reconsidering its ban plan: "Thanks for your feedback on our earlier post about #ebikes. The unidentified PATH official also claimed that electric bikes are bigger than standard bikes, though that is not generally accurate. And two electric bikes in San Francisco apparently caught fire in 2019 as well, though the cause of those fires were also unclear, and may have been vandalism. There was a fire in 2019 at a Citi Bike plant where batteries are charged en masse, but that blaze may have been sparked by a test of how much charge a battery could take. According to Lyft, which operates 4,000 electric Citi Bikes in New York, customers have taken 7.4 million rides (nearly 15.7 million miles) on the company's lithium-powered e-bikes with not a single fire or explosion. It is true that lithium batteries must be properly handled, but incidents with them are exceptionally rare. In a subsequent tweet, an unidentified PATH official claimed that the lithium batteries that power electric bikes are dangerous, and the new policy expands on an existing 2018 ban on other forms of electric mobility. (Electric scooters & electric skateboards already not permitted.) /snnn8m6pao- PATH Train June 11, 2021 □⚡ Starting 7/1 electric bikes not permitted. □ Non-folding bikes permitted all times EXCEPT M-F 6:30-9:30a & M-F 3:30-6:30p Visit the blue SmartLink Card Vending Machines at these PATH stations: Newark, World Trade Center, Journal Square, 33rd Street, Exchange Place, Pavonia/Newport.PATH rules for bike, scooter & skateboard users.Print and complete the downloadable mail-in request form.To purchase a PATH SmartLink Card, you may do one of the following:
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