Published Saturday, December 7, 2002, in the San Mateo County Times

Crackdown to begin on wheeled scofflaws

By Justin Jouvenal

Lock your bicycle to a light pole, fence or any other place not
designated as bike parking at a Caltrain station and you may find it
impounded when you get back.

Skateboard, rollerblade or ride a scooter at a Caltrain station and
you could be slapped with a fine -- possibly as much as $250.

Caltrain is set to crack down on scofflaws on wheels next month. For
the first time, transit police likely will be able to enforce nuisance
infractions that have been on the books for years.

Caltrain's board of directors is slated to vote on the measures at its
Monday meeting. Officials said the goal is to improve safety along the
rails and reduce the visual clutter of bikes chained in places where
they shouldn't be parked.

"Caltrain stations are an incredibly dangerous place to have kids
playing near the train tracks," said Jayme Maltbie, a Caltrain
spokeswoman. "Bikes chained in some places also can prevent access to
some stations."

Maltbie said the regulations probably will go into effect in
January. Initially, police will hand out warning tickets but will
actually begin ticketing rollerbladers and skateboarders and removing
bikes after 30 to 60 days.

Maltbie said riders likely would have to contact Caltrain or Amtrak,
which operates the rail line, to get their bikes back.

Currently riders are allowed to take their bikes on certain Caltrain
cars. Caltrain also has bicycle racks at every station and bike
lockers at most stations. It costs $33 every six months to rent a bike
locker.

Dani Weber, president of the Peninsula Bicycle and Pedestrian
Coalition, said the new bike rules go too far.

"If they provided enough racks for bikes, the rules would be OK,"
Weber said. "But there's just not enough space for bikes, notably at
the San Mateo station."

Weber said Caltrain riders often choose to chain their bikes in
stations because it keeps them safer. She said many riders believe
their bikes are more prone to theft if they lock them in racks at the
outer edges of stations.

Margaret Okuzumi, executive director of the rail advocacy group
BayRail Alliance -- and a bike rider who uses Caltrain -- said she's
taking a wait-and-see approach to the new regulations.

"I suspect that most people won't be aware of any changes," Okuzumi
said. "We'll just have to see how the regulations are enforced."