BIKE & RIDE BROCHURE ================================= Bike & Ride Guide to Chicago 2006 ================================= Your Bicycle Rides Free on the Train and Bus! Like to Bike? To make cycling even more convenient, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) welcomes bicycles on trains and buses throughout the year. Our network of buses and trains offers many travel possibilities that let you use your bicycle for commuting and running errands, as well as visiting the city’s many attractions, including parks, museums, the lakefront, and bike paths. Getting around is easy! Simply follow the steps in this brochure and you’ll be on your way tocycling fun and great exercise. In addition, you’ll help reduce air pollution by not driving. --- Boarding Trains Bicycles are permitted on trains every weekday except from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, bicycles are allowed on trains all day. If you board the train with your bicycle before the hours listed above and your trip extends into those hours, the CTA allows you to finish your trip. If trains are crowded, the use of trains by cyclists may be restricted by the rail operator as appropriate. Bicycles are not permitted on trains July 3. 1. When entering a rail station, notify the Customer Assistant or security guard that you are there with your bicycle. When available, use the accessible turnstile with the swing gate to pay your fare and enter with your bicycle. If a swing gate is not available, CTA staff will open an access gate to allow you to enter. 2. Do not attempt to carry your bicycle through the tall steel barrier gates. It will get caught! Note: For this reason, customers with bicycles may not exit at the King Drive X (Green Line) station; please ride to the East 63rd-Cottage Grove X (Green Line) station. 3. To reach the platform level, use elevators whenever they are available. Otherwise, carry your bicycle on ramps and stairways, allowing other customers to clear before you go up or down the stairs. Bicycles are not permitted on escalators. 4. When a train is approaching or leaving, stand clear of the platform edge. If the train is too crowded, please wait for the next one. 5. Before boarding, check to see if other cyclists are present on the rail car. Only two (2) bicycles are allowed per car.Note: On the Blue Line, do not board cars with folding doors. Each Blue Line train has at least two cars with sliding doors. 6. Once on board, stand near either end of the rail car. Stand by your bicycle and hold on to it at all times. Never block the aisle or doors. Do not use your bicycle kickstand inside stations or rail cars. --- Boarding Buses Bicycles are permitted on buses equipped with attached front exterior bicycle racks. Bicycles can be placed on the racks during normal hours of operation for each route. Racks accommodate two (2) bicycles at a time. 1. Remove large baggage, such as panniers, from your bike before loading your bicycle on the rack. All baggage must accompany you on the bus. If you are concerned about the safety of your bicycle, lock your bicycle’s front wheel to the bicycle frame before the bus arrives. 2. Alert the bus operator that you need to lower the rack. Lower the rack by squeezing the handle (See photo A). If another bicycle is in position, the rack will already be lowered. If the bicycle rack is full, please wait for the next bus. 3. Lift your bicycle so it sits in the empty wheel well. If yours is the first bicycle to be loaded, place it in the position nearest the bus, with the front wheel facing the curb (See photo B). If yours is the second bicycle to be loaded, place it with the rear wheel facing the curb. 4. Swing the bicycle support arm over the front tire to hold the bicycle in place (See photo C). Locks may not be used to secure bicycles to racks. For added security, you may lock your wheel to the frame of your bicycle before loading your bicycle on the rack. 5. Board the bus and pay your fare. Your bicycle rides free! For added security, it is recommended that you sit or stand near the front of the bus and watch your bicycle while you ride the bus. 6. When you come to your stop, exit the bus at the front and inform the operator that you’ll be removing your bicycle. The operator will make sure you’re clear of the bus before leaving the stop. Never step into traffic. ============================================ Things You Should Know • Anyone 14 years or older may bring a bicycle on a CTA train (rail cars with sliding doors only) or rack-equipped bus. (CTA reduced the age limit for the Bike & Ride Program to 14 years old as a one-year experiment concluding at the end of 2006). Customers 12 and 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 12 are not permitted to bring bicycles on CTA trains or buses. • Let other customers board the train first. This reduces the chance of someone tripping over your bicycle. Priority seating is intended for seniors and customers with disabilities. • If a rail station or a train is evacuated, leave your bicycle behind to ensure a swift and safe exit for you and all other customers. Store your bicycle on top of or in between seats and out of the aisles. • To ensure proper safety of all customers, Chicago Police and CTA personnel may restrict bicycles from being brought on trains. This may happen if your bicycle is obstructing customer movement or there are already two bicycles in one car. Please follow their instructions. • There is bicycle parking at many CTA rail stations.If trains are crowded or you don’t want to bring your bicycle on the system, then park yourbicycle in the approved parking area and ride the train. • Cyclists assume all responsibility for any damage and/or injury that occurs as a result of their bicycle being on CTA property. This includes injury to the cyclist or other customers. A sudden stop by the transit vehicle does not remove responsibility from the bicycle owner for damages or injuries to other customers or themselves. • Folding bicycles are allowed on CTA vehicles at all times. • Motor-powered bicycles of any kind are not permitted on the CTA. =============================================== Bicycle Racks at CTA Rail Stations Bicycle parking racks are installed outside most CTA rail stations to encourage “bike & ride” trips. For improved security and weather protection, racks have been installed indoors or in sheltered locations at the following 68 stations: • Brown Line Kimball X Western X Belmont* Wellington* Fullerton (wall-mounted racks) Library X • Blue Line O’Hare X Rosemont X Cumberland X Harlem X (O’Hare branch) Jefferson Park X* Montrose Irving Park Addison (O’Hare branch) Belmont Logan Square X California* (O’Hare branch) Division Chicago Grand UIC-Halsted X (Halsted and Peoria entrances) Western* (Forest Park branch) Polk X 18th Street X Damen X (54th/Cermak branch) California X (54th/Cermak branch) Kedzie X (54th/Cermak branch) Central Park X Pulaski X (54th/Cermak branch) 54th/Cermak X • Purple Line Davis X (wall-mounted racks) • Yellow Skokie X (wall-mounted racks) • Red Line Jarvis* Morse Loyola X Granville X Bryn Mawr Lawrence Wilson Addison X Clark/Division Monroe Harrison Roosevelt X Sox-35th X 95th/Dan Ryan X* • Green Line Central X Laramie X Cicero X Pulaski X Kedzie X California X Clinton X Indiana X 47th St. X 51st St. X Garfield X King Dr. X Halsted X Ashland/63rd X • Orange Line Midway X Pulaski X Kedzie X Western X 35th/Archer X Ashland X Halsted X Roosevelt X * Denotes sheltered parking For a list of bike parking areas located at CTA stations or to report abandoned bicycles, call the City of Chicago Bicycle Rack Program at 312-744-4600 or visit www.chicagobikes.org.For future consideration of indoor bicycle parking at your station, please contact Amy Malick at amalick@transitchicago.com. ========================================== Fare Information FULL On Rail On Bus Transfers • Chicago Card (1) $1.75 $1.75 25¢ Chicago Card PLUS • Chicago Card (2) $2.00 $1.75 25¢ • Cash $2.00 (3) $2.00 None issued REDUCED • Reduced-Fare 85¢ 85¢ 15¢ Transit Card • Cash 85¢ (4) $1.00 None issued (1) - $5 purchase fee for Chicago Cards. Buy Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus online at www.chicago-card.com. For a complete list of locations where value can be added, visit www.transitchicago.com or call 1-888-YOUR-CTA. A $2 bonus is applied to Chicago Cards for every $20 purchase or added value. (2) - Buy full-fare Transit Cards or add value to cards at CTA rail stations. Buy pre-valued, full-fare Transit Cards ($10 or $20) at Currency Exchanges, select Jewel, Dominick’s, and Cub Food stores, or at www.transitchicago.com. (3) - Turnstiles do not accept cash. Purchase Transit Cards from the fare vending machine at the rail station. (4) - Turnstiles do not accept cash. Qualified Reduced-Fare customers should obtain a Reduced-Fare Transit Card from the Customer Assistant and add 85¢ value at the fare vending machine. Reduced fares are for children ages 7-11, seniors 65 and older, and customers with disabilities with RTA Reduced-Fare Permit. --- CTA Passes Passes are good for consecutive days from time of first use. Buy at Currency Exchanges, select Jewel, Dominick’s, and Cub Food stores or at www.transitchicago.com. ====================================================== Lost and Found Note: The CTA is not responsible for bicycles lost, stolen, or damaged on CTA buses, trains, or property. If you forget your bicycle and leave it on the bus or train: • Call the CTA at 1-888-YOUR-CTA. • Tell the agent the bus or train route on which you left the bicycle. • Ask for the lost-and-found phone number and address of the bus garage or terminal for that route. • Call the garage or terminal and confirm that the CTA has your bicycle. • Go to the garage or terminal and pick up your bicycle. Bicycles left for more than two weeks on indoor bicycle racks will be removed by the CTA. If you have lost your bicycle on CTA property, call 1-888-YOUR-CTA. --- Helpful Phone Numbers For bus and rail line schedule information, call 836-7000 from any local area code or visit www.transitchicago.com. For maps and other CTA information, call CTA Customer Service: 1-888-YOUR-CTA (1-888-968-7282) TTY: 1-888-CTA-TTY1(1-888-282-8891) City of Chicago Bike Information Hotline: 312-742-BIKE (2453) Free publications are available, including a map showing the best streets for cycling in Chicago. www.chicagobikes.org Chicagoland Bicycle Federation: 312-42-PEDAL (73325) www.biketraffic.org Chicago Department of Transportation: 312-744-4600 TTY: 312-744-7215 Information about bike racks, abandoned bikes, and bike lanes and trails. www.chicagobikes.org