May is National Bike Month. National Bike Month was established in 1956 and is celebrated in communities from coast to coast. In honor of National Bike Month, we at SEPTA wanted to remind cyclists how to easily utilize the system to get to their favorite trails!
Even if you prefer to travel on just two wheels, you may need assistance getting to your desired destination and SEPTA is here to help! SEPTA lets you bring your bike along on Regional Rail lines, the Norristown High-Speed Line, Market-Frankford Line, and Broad Street Line on weekdays except for during peak commute times and all day on Saturday, Sunday, and major holidays. Bikes are welcome on buses anytime.
According to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, there are 112,096 bicyclists in Philly. In the United States, 40% of all trips made are less than two miles, making bicycling a feasible, fun, healthy, and emission-free way to get to and from work. Commuters can travel even farther by combining cycling with public transit. Biking to or from a transit stop can also shorten the last mile to your home or office.
If you’re planning to bring your bike on a SEPTA vehicle, it is important you follow Bike & Ride General Guidelines:
Avoid blocking doorways. This could interfere with the free movement of passengers, the operation of the vehicle, and the safety of the operation.
Do not place your bicycle on a seat or in a space needed for passenger seating.
Persons with bicycles on trains must use the same space provided to accommodate persons who use wheelchairs or have other mobility limitations. Be prepared to yield the space to a person with mobility limitations, even if that means leaving the train.
Make sure you are able to physically lift, properly store, and unload your own equipment.
Walk alongside your bicycle in SEPTA facilities, and only use stairways and elevators to enter or exit. Please do not use escalators.
If you have a folding bicycle, make sure it is fully collapsed before bringing it onto a vehicle as luggage. Otherwise, guidelines for non-folding bicycles will apply.
So gear up, grab your helmets, and your two-wheeled vehicles, and let SEPTA help commemorate all your cycling activities throughout the region all month long!