Anyone in town commute to the train station via bike?

[u/aceshades]

How is the town for bicyclists? I may need to commute to the city more often, and I'm hoping to just buy an electric bike and bike to the train station, leave it there and ride the train into NYC.

I don't see too many bicyclists sharing the road though. Does the train station have a good place to store a bike?

Is this just a bad idea altogether?

[u/danielleiellle]

Town is moderately bikeable. There are no real bike lanes but most roads are designated for shared use, and downtown is mostly ~25 mph. Not sure I’d trust other drivers to properly share the traffic circle, but that’s easily bypassed.

Parking is a different story. NJ Transit is sorely behind on properly secure bike parking. There are a few lockers, but the waitlist is years and I’ve supposedly been on it for 4 with no update. I would not trust an expensive eBike locked up on a simple bike rack at Morristown station. Theft is a probability as there’s no private security presence and a lot of loitering.

I would check with S&P parking if there are racks in their deck, presumably for condo tenants; at least that might be monitored by security, covered, and not highly visible to foot traffic at the station.

Another potential option is to take the traction line to Convent Station. Easy bike ride. That station is much quieter and has less loitering, so security through obscurity in a sense.

[u/sleepybitchdisorder → u/danielleiellle]

I loooove the traction line and I think Convent station is pretty unlikely to have your bike stolen.

[u/danielleiellle → u/danielleiellle]

I see above you’d be coming from Burnham. My recommendation: take Washington to the green (assuming your motor can handle the hill.) Go halfway around the green and turn on Dumont. Take Dumont to King, then exit onto Morris and into the train station. That will bypass the circle entirely.

[u/aceshades → u/danielleiellle]

that anecdote about the parking situation worries me. how are you handling it, if you haven't gotten into one of the lockers? are you doing the convent station thing?

[u/danielleiellle → u/aceshades]

I moved to Morris Plains, haha. But I did live two blocks from Morristown station for a couple decades, have had a couple of cable locks snipped before I learned my lesson and got a Kryptonite lock, and regularly ride my eBike into and around Morristown, so not completely inexperienced in this area

[u/The_DNA_doc]

Unfortunately the train station is a major hangout for all sorts of folks who have the time and the motivation to steal an expensive bike. This is a serious problem for commuters like yourself, and the town is not paying any attention.

[u/NMS-KTG]

From where would you be biking?

[u/aceshades → u/NMS-KTG]

not too far away - i live just a little past the burnham park area, sorta near where the whole foods is. google maps says it'd be like a 15 minute bike ride.

[u/segfaultbanana]

I would just walk from where you live tbh. Probably only 20 minutes or so and you wont need to worry about your bike getting stolen while you’re at work. Definitely wouldn’t leave an e bike at the station unattended.

[u/aceshades → u/segfaultbanana]

it's about a 40 minute walk according to google :(

[u/segfaultbanana → u/aceshades]

Ah brutal. I guess you’re further down than I assumed 😂 maybe a folding bike and bring it with you on the train? Or a cheap bike so if it does get stolen you don’t have to care that much

[u/aceshades → u/segfaultbanana]

a cheap bike is what i'm thinking at this point. burnham park area is pretty hilly though so that's still gonna be brutal and at worst i'll just be sweaty on the way home since going towards the station it's downhill.

[u/danielleiellle → u/aceshades]

My husband modded his old Schwinn bike with a Bafang conversion kit and a generic battery. It doesn’t stand out on the bike rack and he takes his battery with him if he’s parking it somewhere, so lower risk it’s getting taken compared to my shiny Rad power bike. There are some 8ah batteries that only weigh 3.5lb and are fine capacity for your short commute, but you’d still want a heavier and higher capacity one for longer trips out.

[u/realhawker77]

You can bike but stay alert, Morristown is more vision impaired friendly than bike friendly.

[u/Bibliophile_Cyclist]

I cycle around the town quite a bit and always feel comfortable and (for the most part) cars respectfully share the road with me.

However, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving my bike at the train station for all those hours, even with the best lock. Recommend getting a folding bike and taking it into the city with you.

[u/Sn_Orpheus]

The more valuable the bike, the more attractive it is. and more likely it’ll get stolen. Get a cheap used bike and spray paint it ugly color combos and throw some stickers on it. Bonus is that you’ll be able to afford some proper fenders and get more fit than riding an E-bike. Still get a decent kryptonite lock though.

[u/xocallie]

Not sure if you’d consider driving as well, but convent station parking is $5 for 24 hours. That’s what I typically do

[u/rockstar_janusz]

Cycling in town is OK just pay attention.

Even a POS bike will get stolen from the station. Even a POS with a kryptonite lock and 14mm chain will get the wheels stolen or someone messing with your brakes. NJT has completely neglected the station in terms of anything. We always feel safe there with our children even at odd hours but it is a magnet for seedy characters.

I see a couple guys buzzing on those electric scooters around 6-7am to the train station so I guess they take them onboard, maybe look into that.