Buses here have the front racks too. I had a somewhat difficult time getting my bike on and off the trolley in san diego (granted, I had a heavy rear bad on it) - but there were stairs and they weren't wide enough for me and my bike. I'd think the bus (with no rack) would be worse.

Is there an alternate route to the busy road? The bad section - it depends on how bad it is. Many aren't *that* bad, and varying your route/time will keep you from being an obvious easy target.

Good luck to you!

CA