Bikes allowed on BART on Fridays as part of New Pilot Program

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San Francisco Bicycle Injury Attorneys

Bart Train

According to a recent announcement posted on it’s website, BART has instituted a pilot program to explore how allowing bicycles on trains will affect other commuters and train conductors. Starting in August, bicycles will be allowed on trains all day long on Fridays. The pilot program will not change existing rules governing bicycles on BART trains during the rest of the week. Consequently, current rules and prohibitions governing bicycles remain in effect.

According to BART’s website, the East Bay and San Francisco Bicycle Coalitions have played a key role in the design and implementation of the program. In particular, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (a 12,000 member organization) has long called on BART to make it easier for bike riders to use BART. Given the proximity of BART lines to Bay Area cities, combining bicycles and BART only makes sense, reducing traffic and emissions in the process.

Evaluating the Pilot Program

According to BART, the pilot program will be evaluated every Friday. In general, BART will consider feedback from riders – cyclists and non-cyclists – and the amount of time a train needs at each station to allow cyclists to board. After evaluating these and other issues, proposed changes will be submitted to the BART Board for consideration. BART’s Bicycle Advisory Task Force is also working with BART’s Disability Task Force to ensure access issues are addressed in conjunction with pilot program.

San Francisco Bike Accident Attorneys at Weber & Nierenberg

Given the cost of gas and distribution of population throughout the Bay Area, we can only expect more bicycles on the road. Unfortunately, this also means more bicycle accidents. If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident, it’s important to involve an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible since insurance companies often employ a number of tactics to reduce or avoid paying claims to injured cyclists. To learn how we can help you, contact Bay Area bicycle accident lawyers at Weber & Nierenberg today.

MUNI, BART, AC Transit, SamTrans, Marin Transit, Golden Gate Transit, VTA Injury Accidents

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What happens after a Public Transportation Accident

Public transportation entities like BART, MUNI, and Caltrans have internal teams of investigators that are used to investigate accidents involving buses, trains, and cable cars. These multi-million dollar government entities have extensive resources at their disposal. Consequently, their investigative teams are capable of employing complex, sophisticated forensic and scientific investigative techniques when determining the cause of a public transportation accident. However, they also have a vested interest in absolving MUNI, BART, or Caltrans workers and engineers from any responsibility for an accident. For these reasons, it’s important to retain an attorney who can monitor the developments and process of a public transportation accident to ensure it isn’t conducted in a way that is prejudiced in favor of BART, MUNI, or Caltrans.

Filing a Claim in Public Transportation Accidents

Unlike motor vehicle accidents or other personal injury cases, in public transportation lawsuits you have to file an injury claim and have it rejected before you can bring a lawsuit against BART, MUNI, or Caltrans. Once you receive notification that your injury claim has been rejected, you have only 180 days to file a lawsuit. When preparing legal action against a public transportation entity, it’s important to consider whether any of the following factors were involved in you injury accident:

  • Was the train operator or bus driver properly trained
  • Was alcohol, drugs, or texting a factor
  • Were there enough seats available
  • Did the bus or train start or stop suddenly
  • Did the train stop at a point where you could disembark safely
  • Did the bus driver speed or drive in a way that was unsafe
  • Did the bus or train start while you were trying to board
  • Was there debris or trash on a bus or train that caused you to fall
  • Were you assaulted by the bus driver or train engineer

Transparency and Scrutiny in Public Transportation Accidents

Since BART, MUNI, and Caltrans investigate themselves, it’s essential that your attorney closely follow the investigation in your case. It’s also important for your lawyer to consult independent, private investigators and interview eyewitnesses in order to gather information and evidence in support of your case. While ostensibly committed to determining what happened, investigators for public transportation entities may give more weight to the testimony of an experienced Caltrans, MUNI, or BART employee than a passenger witness. Additionally, when general negligence is involved, investigators may conclude the actions of BART, MUNI, or Caltrans workers were not directly involved. As such, it’s important to work with an attorney who can serve as your advocate during the investigative process.

Contact San Francisco Public Transportation Accident Attorneys

Whether you’re filing an injury claim or interested in suing a Bay Area public transportation entity, our personal injury attorneys can help. To protect your rights and review your options, contact San Francisco public transportation accident attorneys at Weber & Nierenberg today.

We understand the tactics of insurance companies and how to investigate MUNI, BART, AC Transit, SamTrans, Marin Transit, Golden Gate Transit or VTA accidents – let one of our attorneys help you – call 415-788-3900.

 
 
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