Free Rides for Bicyclists on Buses/Rail Thursday May 17

Metro Promotes Bike to Work Week with Bike Rally, Free Concert, Prizes

Metro will kickoff its 13th annual celebration of Bike to Work Week with a bike rally and fair featuring Ed Begley, Jr. and a free concert by the Ditty Bops at Los Angeles City Hall, Monday, May 14. Metro also will be offering as prizes several commuter bikes and bike accessories to those who register in advance online at metro.net/biketowork and pledge to be part of the solution to alleviate gridlock by pedaling to work, school or other destination on Thursday, May 17, Bike to Work Day.

The rally will begin at 11:30 am on the South Lawn of Los Angeles City Hall, 200 North Spring St. in Downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles City Council members Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge, Los Angeles County Bike Coalition (LACBC) and Los Angeles City Department of Transportation (LADOT) and Metro will participate. The concert will begin at 12:15 pm.

In addition, on Thursday, May 17, Metro will offer free rides to bicyclists on Metro buses and trains throughout Los Angeles County. Moreover, LADOT Commuter Express, Beach Cities Transit, Commerce Municipal Bus Lines, Gardena Municipal Lines, Long Beach Transit, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit, Santa Clarita Transit, Torrance Transit, and Whittier Transit also will offer free rides to bicyclists who use transit for part of their commute day.

Just board with a bicycle and/or bike helmet. (Note: Beach Cities, Commerce and Gardena buses are not equipped with racks; participants planning on using these carriers should park their bikes and board with their helmet only.)

Cyclists also can bring their bikes on Metro Rail trains for no additional charge. Since Metro Rail trains may be full during weekday rush hours, Metro doesn’t allow bikes on its trains from 6:30 am to 8:30 am and from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. unless trains are moving in a direction opposite the peak hour flow of commuter traffic on the Metro Blue, Green and Gold lines.

On the Metro Red Line subway trains, bikes are not allowed in either direction during peak hours from Union Station to Wilshire/Vermont only. No other restrictions apply.

During the week, Metro will launch its Bike Safety Campaign with posters on the back of Metro buses, posters folded as take-ones and ads in newspapers to create awareness between drivers and bicyclists to share the road and obey the bicycle traffic signals to avoid accidents.

Other activities on Bike to Work Day will include bike pit stops co-hosted by Metro with local organizations inviting bicyclists to stop by for refreshments and free giveaways on Thursday, May 17, from 7 am to 10 am only. For exact locations go to metro.net/biketowork. Hosts include City of Los Angeles, Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, Flexcar, illuminateLA, City of West Hollywood, City of Glendale and TMA Glendale, Nestle USA, Pasadena Fire Department, City of Pasadena, Polytechnic School, REI Arcadia, Foothill Transit, City of Whittier, City of Covina, City of Claremont, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), Aerospace Corporation and Raytheon, Torrance Transit, Bikestation Long Beach, UCLA Transportation, REI Santa Monica, City of Santa Monica, REI Northridge, Office of Council member Wendy Greuel, City of Santa Clarita and Newhall Bicycle Company.

Metro is promoting Bike To Work Week in Los Angeles County with the following partners and sponsors: the California Bicycle Coalition, Clif Bar, Caltrans, LACBC, LADOT, Flexcar, 24-Hours Fitness, LAWA, 7-Eleven, City of Whittier, Kaiser Permanente, Ocean Potion Suncare, Dahon California, PediGreen.com, Velo Pasadena, The Landyman, Black Angus, Claim Jumper, The Laugh Factory.

Metro also is supporting a series of events such as the fourth annual interfaith Blessing of the Bicycles at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles River Ride on Sunday, June 10, sponsored by the LACBC.

Details of these and other bicycling events, a guide for employers participating in Bike to Work events, helpful transit information for bike riders including LA City and Metro bike maps and resource links are easily accessible on Metro.net. Metro Commute staff also is available to answer questions by calling (213) 922-2811.

In addition, the Metro Bike Map guides bicyclists through Los Angeles County’s 1,252 miles of bike paths, on street lanes and designated bike routes. It also indicates bike paths access points, location of bike racks and lockers. Customers can pick up one at any Metro Customer Center or can request them on metro.net/biketowork.

Among bikeways featured is the Metro Orange Line bikeway in the San Fernando Valley, which runs along the 14-mile Metro Orange Line from North Hollywood to the West Valley. This facility is part of more than 100 bikeway projects in Los Angeles County that Metro has funded along the Los Angeles River and in Whittier, Bellflower, the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, Long Beach and other cities, as well as bike bridges and underpasses.

In addition, Metro has spent more than $150 million funding such projects as the Long Beach Bikestation, bike lockers and racks at Metro Rail and Metrolink stations and other public facilities to encourage commuters to bike to work, and also for education of children on safe riding habits and other bike expenditures.

For more information on Bike to Work Day and the Metro-supported bike program, go to metro.net or call (213) 922-2811.

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