Caltrain's bike car is crowded during peak commute hours. It's a real problem that needs solutions.

In response the agency has proposed banning all bikes with attachments on all trains, including bikes with baskets, pannier, and child seats. That means parents who drop a child off at school before biking to work would be out of luck. So would anyone who carries tools, groceries, or equipment by bike.

These aren't edge cases. They're exactly the people who depend on combining transit and biking to get through their day. We shouldn't be driving them away and into cars with an overly restrictive bike policy.

We believe Caltrain can manage bike car capacity with more targeted solutions that allow for more flexibility on less crowded trains, while reserving the strictest rules for the most impacted trains. We're asking the agency to consider smarter solutions:

• Apply the strictest rules only to peak hour, high-demand express trains, while allowing family bikes and bikes with attachments on local trains and off-peak trains.

• Track bike bumps and bike capacity over a 6 month evaluation period, then report back on whether further adjustments are needed.

• Publish real-time data on bike car capacity so riders can plan ahead

• Actively promote BikeLink lockers at origin stations and Caltrain Bike Share for riders who can use them — freeing up space for those who can't

These solutions can help address the crowding problem. A blanket ban is the wrong approach.

Send a message to Caltrain's board of directors and Bicycle and Active Transportation Advisory Committee today. Tell them to fix the crowding problem with smarter solutions, not by banning bikes.