BART introduces strapping idea for bicyclists

Straps are used to hold a bike upright in a new BART test program. Straps are used to hold a bike upright in a new BART test program. Photo: BART / BART Photo: BART / BART Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close BART introduces strapping idea for bicyclists 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

In an effort to sidestep the balancing act of riding a BART train while lugging a bicycle, the transit agency is rolling out a test program on cars that uses a new strap to hold bikes upright.

Sixty of BART’s 700 cars throughout the Bay Area will be initially outfitted with the Bike Space Straps, said Steve Beroldo, bike program manager for BART. Beroldo said the agency is trying out two different prototypes, both made of a black, seat-belt-like material looped around the existing metal horizontal bars meant to hold bikes up.

“It’ll be a nice, secure means of fastening a bike, so in that sense, we’ll be a lot less concerned about a bike rolling away when the train starts, or something,” Beroldo said.

One uses a Velcro strap to wrap around the frame of the bike, and the other favors a buckle to keep cycles standing upright.

The way things are now, the 4 percent of BART passengers who lug their bikes onto trains have to figure out how to balance their bike along the metal bar — which isn’t easy. People wind up standing clutching their bikes, wrapping bungee cords around the bar, or even rigging up makeshift straps using their helmets.

Making the process “a little more comfortable, a little easier” could encourage more riders to commute on BART with their bikes, Beroldo said.

BART is also rolling out a renewed theft prevention outreach program with Bike East Bay, a cycling advocacy group. Under the program, representatives from Bike East Bay have set up information tables at BART stations, where they offer tips on bike security, as well as discounts on U-locks.

There were 638 bikes stolen at BART stations last year, according to Beroldo, down 18 percent from 880 in 2014.

Bikers are better off using a U-lock — and two, if they can — than the cable locks that can be easily snipped with wire cutters, Beroldo said.

The bike program manager also emphasized that riders can avoid theft by using one of BART’s hundreds of individual electronic bike lockers, activated by a BikeLink card that can be purchased online, over-the-phone or at some local vendors.

BART also now operates several bicycle stations — including at Civic Center and downtown Berkeley —some self-serve, some staffed by attendants, where bikes can be locked inside with a BikeLink card.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michael_bodley