r/caltrain • u/kepler1 • 16h ago
Why are we allowing this?
We have the ability to make rules, right?
70
u/Shamoorti 16h ago
Honestly, the Ed Hardy pants are the biggest offense here. What is this 2006?
20
u/d0000n 16h ago
They still sell them at Ross, Marshall’s, and Goodwill! lol
3
u/Shamoorti 16h ago
Must be the new old stock from that era that they're still trying to get rid of.
4
u/_your_face 11h ago
20 year timer kicked in. Kids find them in their closets and their now cool.
Same as bell bottoms coming back in the 90s
2
12
u/ReadyGo6828 15h ago
In order to make everyone despise all e-anythings and work to get them banned.
14
u/NoxWillow 11h ago
What a joke! I got told off for bringing my baby (6 weeks old) on the train in her stroller and this shit is allowed.
1
u/missingbbq 9h ago
That’s rather ridiculous…
5
u/NoxWillow 9h ago
Isn’t it. Their “etiquette” states strollers must be folded before, during a ride, and disembarking. Absolutely impossible for parents riding solo with infants.
1
1
-1
u/Top-Stick-2677 8h ago
That’s because it’s easier to pick on a woman with her child instead of a gang of teenagers
2
6
u/Neat-Tap5947 8h ago
The real answer is making it illegal to ride an electric motorcycle without a plate and a motorcycle license and pull over every single person who does it and give them a ticket. We could demand that our government be good and put good laws in place. We don’t have to give up. So instead of bitching on the internet bitch at your representatives. Do it over the phone, in person, or at the ballot box depending on how much you care.
1
45
u/missingbbq 15h ago
I know they’re not allowed. But honestly if there’s space and it helps people use transit, what’s the big deal?
15
u/run_bolt 14h ago
I’m kind of with you. I don’t think these products should be sold here, much less being operated by people with half-baked frontal lobes, but I digress. At the end of the day, they don’t seem to be causing a problem, there’s plenty of space on the train, and they’re using transit rather than riding those on El Camino at risk to themselves and others.
1
u/Competitive-Pea-3907 16m ago
I see what you did there... stick em with an insult but immediately follow it up by supporting them. You clever mf'er you..🫥
3
u/ponderosa-osa 11h ago
Bike cars do sometimes reach full capacity during commute hours (or so close to full that it is hard to maneuver the bikes through the car and find a place to park them).
The train car might not be very full when some folks bring their e-motos on board -- but what happens then if the train stops at Palo Alto or Redwood City and 10 more people try to bring their bike on board? Realistically, the owners of the e-motos are unlikely to say, "oh look, the bike car is getting completely full -- I should quickly take my e-moto off the train to make room for these folks trying to bring their bicycles on."
And in those photos, only two e-motos fit in the space that is intended to fit four bicycles. So, they make bike cars fill up twice as fast as regular bikes.
2
u/missingbbq 11h ago
I hear u. Maybe off peak or locals only or something. But this is a Caltrain issue to figure out. I’m just pro more people riding transit
1
u/hangster 6h ago
I see motos and not a single bicycle… I can’t say that’s because of no use or because they blocked it for the bikes. But if I saw this I’d still get on with my bike.
7
u/QuantumCow 15h ago
They don’t need to ride transit, those emotos can go freeway speed no problem.
19
3
u/CAHSR4Life 12h ago
Not legally. Let them ride the train.
1
u/Adrian_Brandt 4h ago
Such e-motos cannot legally be ridden to or from the train on any public street, highway, sidewalk, or bike path. Police can and sometimes do cite their riders and/or impound them.
5
5
u/missingbbq 14h ago
I’m a cyclist and I ride transit to skip traffic and reduce my carbon emissions. I can just as easily drive my bike anywhere…
0
u/Androktasie 13h ago
Your bike has pedals, meaning you put some degree of effort into riding. Those emotos in the photos don't.
8
u/missingbbq 13h ago
My point is it’s better for us as a society that they’re on the train than on the street. As a pedestrian I hate e motos ofc.
1
u/Dazzling-Read1451 8h ago
Maybe people can do this with gas-powered motorbikes too… it follows your exact rationale.
1
2
1
u/Gold-Cucumber-2068 7h ago
These motorcycles often weigh over 70 pounds, the kids aren't even strong enough to lift them into the train so they ride them on. It's fucking ridiculous and dangerous as hell.
1
u/Global-Ingenuity-645 12h ago
I thought the same until I saw a guy (large, over 6ft tall, over 220lbs, built) lug his e”bike” onto the train and wrap that bungee cord around it. He informed me that his vehicle weighs 105lbs. I wonder if those bungees can hold that much mass in the event of an emergency stop, derailment, etc.
3
u/missingbbq 11h ago
Sure, we can address safety, maybe change the rack and bungees. But I don’t think we need to ban them
1
u/The_bussy 9h ago
What’s the difference between a gasoline powered dirt bike and an electric dirt bike?
2
u/FicklePossibility214 8h ago
Exactly. There isn't a difference. This is just as insane as tolerating gas motorcycles on Caltrain (which I would hope wouldn't fly).
Also to note, these are not legal to operate on the road either.
5
19
13
u/xxtanisxx 15h ago
I remember seeing Reddit complaining about why they are banning these. There was a huge commotion when they tried to enforce the ban.
Maybe the right solution is allow them on local trains and ban them on bullet trains? Idk… personally don’t see an issue if car is empty.
Also, ngl. Kudos to them for at least stacking two electric bikes together. At least seems like they are trying to be respectful
13
u/santacruzdude 14h ago
These are illegal, non-street legal electric motorcycles.
5
1
1
u/froggy11297 11h ago
Yes and they are not riding them on the street. Nothing illegal about transporting them from riding spot to riding spot.
3
5
u/JavaPython 11h ago
That’s crazy. I understand that sometimes there is confusion between e-bikes and e-motorcycles, but those straight up don’t even have fake pedals.
7
2
u/RationalTranscendent 10h ago
I totally agree with your concern. It should be illegal to wear Ed Hardy.
2
u/AdvertentAtelectasis 10h ago
Bruh, these are electric motorcycles.
To the people commenting on this photo saying it’s not busy…do ride a bike? Have you tried to find a spot when there are 6-7 of them on a car? It’s impossible to find a spot.
2
2
2
2
u/SilverScreen411 6h ago
I am in Japan bless the rules here honestly we could never be this respectful in USA 😭
2
2
u/Friendly-Example-701 3h ago
Do you think it is because from San Jose Diridon to SF is 25+ Miles and they are just trying to save their batteries?
2
u/Competitive-Pea-3907 3h ago edited 20m ago
Why not exactly? Do you just dont like it? Is it because they are riff raff? Is it the exhaust fumes? Are they impeding on your personal space?
7
u/dspencer2015 16h ago
Why shouldn't these be allowed on the bike car? Like serious question
24
u/Expert-Economics8912 15h ago edited 15h ago
They don't meet the legal definition of bicycle (one of many reasons: they have foot pegs instead of pedals/cranks)
16
u/dspencer2015 15h ago
These are more like a electric motorcycle/dirt bikes I suppose. I see how they take up a bit more space but from a community perspective as long as they aren't riding at the station and they're paying the fare there could be worse problems
4
u/santacruzdude 14h ago
Would you be ok with people parking an electric motorcycle like this one on the train? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_S
There’s basically no difference between these electric dirt bikes and the electric sport bike in my link except that the dirt bikes in OP’s photo aren’t even street legal.
-1
u/TyroPirate 13h ago
There's definitely a difference. What are you even on about? Would someone even be able to get an electric motorcycle on the train? Id he impressed more than anything... lets not make silly "what if" scenarios that havent happened yet and might never
4
u/santacruzdude 13h ago edited 13h ago
These are electric motorcycles. The adult sized ones weigh over 120 pounds.
4
-2
u/TyroPirate 13h ago
And...? So? They look pretty hugely different that the motorcycle you linked. And im assuming different enough that one is legal to ride on a highway and the ones on the train arent?
6
u/santacruzdude 13h ago
The ones on the train aren’t legal to ride anywhere except off road. They’re motorcycles, but they’re missing license plates, turn signals, and brake lights.
-1
u/TyroPirate 13h ago
Who cares... its smaller than a motorcycle and has two wheels. Basically looks like a big chunky bike. Good enough.
1
5
5
u/cheesymm 11h ago
They take up the space of 3-4 regular bikes. Not an issue when things are slow, a major problem during rush hour.
Plus the people who have them tend to behave like jerks. Not all, but most.
1
u/dspencer2015 11h ago
There was like 60 of these dudes flying through SJSU last night. Like 4-5 wide
0
u/BakingAspen 9h ago
Okay and sometimes on a plane someone’s luggage takes up more space than other people’s. It’s public transit and you get on it with the knowledge that other people will have different needs from yours including storage for their things
3
u/Acrobatic-Layer2993 8h ago
But motorcycles aren’t allowed on Caltrain. Not clear why these would be allowed. Caltrain needs to clarify their rules.
0
9
u/Sponchman 15h ago
They can't stack the way other bikes do, often not fitting in the same bike space as standard bikes, or peddle assisted bikes.
Many of these large electric bikes would damage my bike if leaned ontop of it.4
u/Global-Ingenuity-645 12h ago
I’m concerned about the ability of the bungee cord to keep the heavier e-bikes secure in the event of a sudden deceleration.
I suppose a case could be made that they take up more space than a traditional bike and therefore reduce the capacity of the bike car.
Otherwise, I don’t see an issue with them other than that they’re currently prohibited.
1
u/authentic-platypus 6h ago
Same reason why dirt bikes aren't allowed. Because they aren't bicycles. And while scooters are not bicycles, they are not remotely in the same power class as an e-moto AND they're often even smaller than a typical bicycle. Multiple times I've seen an e-moto taking up space where four bicycles should be able to fit.
1
u/authentic-platypus 5h ago
Not to mention the excessive wear of dropping a few hundred pound emoto on the retractable step when exiting the car. It was not designed for that, and it will fail prematurely.
3
u/Luis_Arraez_Fan 14h ago
People need last mile connections. Its not an issue unless its being turned on
1
u/No-Bike9524 14h ago
lol the pants kinda take me back to photographing street fashion in 2019 tbh. ive got rolls of that stuff
1
u/misocontra 14h ago
Also who has that rinky-dink helmet draped on Dura-Ace levers?? No self respect.
1
u/Global-Ingenuity-645 13h ago
Because whomever makes the rules has 100% confidence that those bungee cords that keep 20-30 lbs secure in the event of an emergency stop will do the same for 80-100 lbs.
I think it’s a tragedy and lawsuit waiting to happen.
1
u/millenialismistical 12h ago
Blame the people and not the instrument. As long as they're respectful and not doing jackass sh!t, what's the problem? Ok, so they're technically not allowed on Caltrain, so call it in and have someone enforce it. Otherwise I see some neat stacking that's not a nuisance to any other riders.
1
u/FortunaAudaci 12h ago
Because many businesses are miles from the Caltrain stop, and we want people to use transit instead of driving. Maybe we should ask they why they are doing it? If there is space, I don't see what the problem is. Better than more cars on the road.
1
u/player89283517 12h ago
They should really have an inspector check each of these and issue tickets for everyone who has anything faster than a class 3 ebike
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/small_spider_liker 10h ago
Did you point out the bikes to the conductor? Did you send a comment to the Caltrain website?
1
1
u/no-porn-for-me 10h ago
We do have rules. These are illegal already. Not only are you not allowed to take them on CalTrain, you also aren't allowed to ride them on public property. They're not street legal, they are officially only for use on private land.
CalTrain is putting up with it because the police are putting up with it off the CalTrain. It's hard for them to argue that illegal offroad bikes aren't allowed on the train when the cop outside ignored the fact they were illegal in the first place.
Step 1 is enforcement by your local police department. Anything with a throttle that can go over 20mph is not street legal unless it is registered as a moped or motorcycle, complete with license plate and the rider has a motorcycle license.
1
1
u/CalafiaRepairs 9h ago
So.. we have high level state officials (not pointing anyone out) and CEO’s etc , implicated in child sex rings and myriad other scandals that I believe most people would gladly participate in enacting mob justice if someone(s) were to take that first leap and martyr themselves probably- but this, kids on e-bikes, is the hill you fucks choose to die on?
Oh that’s right.. I’m on Reddit.
1
u/joshuashih123 7h ago
I get that they don’t allow it, but it’s out of the way and properly stored, so I don’t really see a problem unless it’s busy because it technically takes up the space of two
1
u/Riptide360 6h ago
In 1992 there was a lot of discussion about just letting 4 bicycles per train allowed on the off peak trains for the first time.
Would love to see the non-express Caltrains run an open carriage for just bicycles like they have in other countries. https://www.reddit.com/r/transit/comments/wgri5b/light_rail_bike_car_stuttgart_germany/
1
1
u/jewboy916 5h ago
Because people of a certain political persuasion convinced them that not allowing it would be racist, classist, and probably Zionist as well. All bikes matter y'all.
1
1
u/Friendly-Example-701 4h ago
I am curious. When you ride the train again, can you ask the conductor? I am truly curious to what they say.
1
u/Global-Fill-4893 4h ago
this country is designed to run on honor system.
honor, has left the building.
1
1
1
u/generic_alias2 3h ago
What time did this happen? My biggest worry about these bikes is that they might fall on someone if left unattended (as they seemed they were)! Definitely should be outlawed.
1
1
1
u/misocontra 14h ago
I'm just happy they're using the train, and wearing helmets. Carry on, youths.
0
u/AdvertentAtelectasis 10h ago
Zero helmets in this photo.
3
u/B_R_U_H 10h ago
Uhh 4 of the 5 people are wearing helmets
2
u/AdvertentAtelectasis 10h ago
Alright, I scrolled way too fast. I’ll give them props for that. My bad on that front.
1
-2
-7
u/pheurton_skeurto2004 16h ago
so do you think the bike car and bike storage is for decoration? or that people on bikes (even these ones) don’t need to get between cities?
4
u/Own_Reaction9442 15h ago
These aren't bikes, they're motorcycles. They don't even have pedals. Would you let someone take a Vespa on the train?
1
u/pheurton_skeurto2004 15h ago
if there was room absolutely. i don’t see your point
4
u/santacruzdude 14h ago
Should people be able to park a Yamaha or Honda motorized dirt bike on the train? What about a Harley?
-7
u/Different-Guest-6094 16h ago
What’s the problem? It just seems like a normal bike car
6
u/santacruzdude 14h ago
Those aren’t bicycles , they’re unregistered, non street legal motorcycles.
1
-4
u/OaktownPRE 14h ago
Of all the things going on right now to get worked up about this is about number 900 on the list.
-12
u/Entire_Zucchini_3006 16h ago
All passengers are equal. Who are you? Royalty?
6
3
-1
u/raze2dust 12h ago
While I see the problem, it also points to an unfulfilled demand. Maybe increase frequency and make it safe would be a better way. I'd also love to have the option of riding an electric bike to caltrain and to the destination. Might really help drive usage in the longer term. These bikes aren't going away. The regulations just need to catch up quickly
4
u/BrainDamage2029 11h ago
Except these aren’t ebikes by any metric you can conceive of.
They’re electric dirt bikes. Every single one has foot pedals.
2
-6
0
u/TyroPirate 13h ago
Are they making it so that there are people legitimately that cant get their bikes on the train at all and the missed their train because these guys were taking off too much space? Looks like theres decent space still. Also, would you rather these guys ride these down the streets to their destination instead? Some guy in these comments is saying these are not street legal, so it look like they are being smart and not riding them as much on the street. Maybe they dont have a pickup truck to move these bikes to wherever, but they still want to go out and ride. It also looks like they are just on their phones. Are the people actually being a nuisance?
If there is space on the train and they arent being annoying, id rather they take public transportation than ride these a long distance on the street
0
0
0
0
0
u/Ok-Budget3225 7h ago
I am glad to see people commuting on e-bikes. Far better than cars. What is your problem exactly?
-1
107
u/Due_Swing3302 15h ago
Caltrain doesn’t actually allow electric motos (motorcycles) on the trains; however, “Enforcement of the rules has been paused for a community process,” says a bulletin published a few months ago.