Rack Space
With overcrowding on trains and buses a common sight these days, the idea of more and larger capacity bike racks on buses is a good one. According to a report compiled by the Alliance for Biking and Walking, bus bike rack maintenance costs can be as little as 0.25% of agency budgets, yet buses in some major cities have few, if any, bike racks (New York being one example). This is a shame.
In California, a bill introduced in February would enable transit agencies to use larger racks that hold three bikes. AB-652 was referred to the Committee on Transportation in late March. This bill is a step in the right direction — let’s hope it passes.
8 Responses to “Rack Space”
Apparently the City of Montreal experimented with bike racks on buses recently and decided to discontinue it because the bus drivers said the bikes interfered with their ability to see pedestrians (esp. small children) directly in front of them. I wonder if that’s been an issue anywhere else?
All over BC most or all buses have bike racks which is great though a problem I’ve run into so far is when both my wife and I tour the buses have only two bike spots and we’ve had to wait until a bus comes along with no other bikes. This can mean waiting for an hour or two (or more). Though once, a driver allowed us to tie a bike in between two bikes (a rare and considerate bus driver). I’ve heard no complaints from drivers (other than waiting for bike tourers to figure out how to load their bikes and then board the bus loaded with panniers ;-)
All buses in Washington DC and in Baltimore MD have racks that hold 2 bikes. Last year, the Mass Transit Authority (MTA) brought a bus to a large bicycle event in Baltimore and invited bikers to test it. Upright bikers were happy, but it was impossible to fit a long-wheelbase recumbent. I don’t know about short-wheelbase recumbents, and I suspect tandems won’t work.
In 2001, I went to grad school in Philadelphia. At the time, SEPTA busses did not have bike racks. When I asked why, I was told there was a Pennsylvania State Law that prohibited long attachments on the fronts of vehicles. Attaching racks to the rear of the bus was tried briefly in Trenton, NJ; but apparently theft at stoplights was such a problem that the program was discontinued after only six weeks.
(I have to say that while living in Philly, I found SEPTA to be one of the most bike-UNfriendly transit companies ever; not only were there no bike racks on busses, but bicyclists wanting to bring bikes on board the commuter trains could only do so at off-peak hours and in off-peak directions. Ridiculous.)
In the Phoenix metro area, every Valley Metro bus has a front rack for two, and sometimes three, bikes. Even with that capacity, during peak travel times, there are bicyclists/transit users that have to wait for a later bus because the racks are often full. In the past I have had bus drivers refuse to let me bring a folding bike onto the bus, but after contacting Valley Metro about this situation, I was able to obtain written clearance that I have shown to drivers that are doubtful. Earlier this year Valley Metro began a 20-mile light rail service with bike racks in each train car. It is great to have the multi-modal support within the public transit system.
Oh to ONLY DREAM of the problems you all are encountering — here in Bufflao, N.Y.
Here in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, all the buses have 2-bike racks. They were installed during a transit strike a few years ago. They are handy but remain one of those things that works best when nobody else uses them. Nowadays they are widely used and you can’t count on an open spot on many buses. I personally think folding bikes will become more popular for commuting due to their ease of multi-modal transport. I haven’t bought one myself (I don’t use the bus in my usual commute) but have given it some thought.
I used to ride the Trimet buses and light-rail trains here in Portland to get to work. Then I started riding every day. The thought of even using transit with or without my bike is not appealing in the slightest now. I’ve never wanted to use the bike racks on the buses since our city is so bike-able. I did use the hooks on the light rail to carry my bike once out to the suburbs. And I used the same once to get home during a snow storm when I still had my slicks on.
In both the light-rail and buses here, they are not be able to handle:
- long-tails
- recumbants
- tandems
- bakfeits/cargobikes
- trikes
- tag-alongs or trailers
- anything that is not a two-wheeled, “normal” bike.