[BIKE] RiverLINE bicycle count

[John Boyle]

I was inspired last Friday when I took my bike on the RiverLINE to extend my ride home and was in the company of 4 other cyclists. So today I conducted an informal bike count by boarding as many trains as possible between 8:30am and 1:20pm. I was able to ride or observe 14 trains at various points between 36th Street Camden and Trenton.   Highlights: 20 bikes were spotted on the trains plus two cyclists were seen waiting for another train this equals to 1.4 bicycles per train 88 daily trips X 1.4 bikes = 123 bikes per day Only 3 trains were not carrying bikes, one two of those trains I rode only through one or two stops, the third train I rode through 5 stops.   11 bikes were parked at 7 stations along the line.  2 stations, Palmyra and Burlington Town Center did not have racks for the bikes.   8 teens and tweens brought their bikes aboard, these kids seemed to ride the rails a couple of stations up the line, it also suggests that a drop in bike traffic will occur when school starts up again.   The River Line carries about 5000 riders per day that means that bicycles would make up 2.4% of the weekday riders, to put that in perspective that would be the equivalent of 2400 bikes crammed on SEPTA Regional Rail, an almost unthinkable prospect.   I was only checked by fare inspectors for a valid ticket once, one bicyclist was cited for not having a ticket, they were using the same method as me; getting off at stations just before the train in the opposite direction was arriving.   Forget about all the negative press about low ridership – The RiverLINE carries more daily passengers than several Regional Rail Lines during the week and outperforms every line except the R5 and R7 Trenton on weekends.   John Boyle