Your city buses with bike racks?

[NbyNW]

Seattle's system had peak hour restrictions for a while, I think it was something like no bike loading/unloading in a specific section of the downtown corridor. I always guessed that they didn't want to slow down boarding times, but I think it takes longer for people to board the bus during a busy period than to put a couple bikes on the rack. Could also have been that the buses only had so much space to stack at curbside stops.

I'm a bit fuzzy on the details since it didn't impact my commute (I never worked downtown), but I think after the bus tunnel re-opened (sometime in the last 2 years) they began to permit people to use the bike racks downtown at any time.

[Deborajen]

Wichita just got racks installed within the past year. Our mayor is making fitness and recreation a priority since we've been one of the top 25 fattest cities in the country several times. We've gotten the new bike racks, the city has updated some of its bicycling laws, and they've even resurfaced a really bad portion of the river path. We're going to have a bicycle-friendly city yet! (OK - One can hope!)

An interesting thing about the racks - I went to a public meeting prior to the bicycling laws update and the racks were mentioned. One of the council members at the meeting said that a lot of people are getting off of the bus and forgetting to get their bikes. I guess if you get on at the front and get off at the back, and the rack is on the front of the bus - it's easy to see it happening. That's got to be a helpless feeling, though - seeing the bus drive away and then remembering the bike --

[Groundhog]

An interesting thing about the racks - I went to a public meeting prior to the bicycling laws update and the racks were mentioned. One of the council members at the meeting said that a lot of people are getting off of the bus and forgetting to get their bikes. I guess if you get on at the front and get off at the back, and the rack is on the front of the bus - it's easy to see it happening. That's got to be a helpless feeling, though - seeing the bus drive away and then remembering the bike --

Yeah, I'm wondering when I'll forget and have that happen to me!

[crazycanuck]

Shootingstar, thanks the type of link i've been searching for.

I might suggest to http://www.patrec.org/ a possible study?

[Eden]

An interesting thing about the racks - I went to a public meeting prior to the bicycling laws update and the racks were mentioned. One of the council members at the meeting said that a lot of people are getting off of the bus and forgetting to get their bikes. I guess if you get on at the front and get off at the back, and the rack is on the front of the bus - it's easy to see it happening. That's got to be a helpless feeling, though - seeing the bus drive away and then remembering the bike --

ummm sad fact is that there are some folks who steal bikes and then "dump" them by leaving them on city bus racks. Most people who are riding don't forget to get their bikes when they get off....

[Melalvai]

Wichita just got racks installed within the past year. Our mayor is making fitness and recreation a priority since we've been one of the top 25 fattest cities in the country several times. We've gotten the new bike racks, the city has updated some of its bicycling laws, and they've even resurfaced a really bad portion of the river path. We're going to have a bicycle-friendly city yet! (OK - One can hope!)

Oh, I really hope so. Kansas needs so much in the way of bicycle-friendliness. It's a great state for biking but it's very uncoordinated about it. Lawrence is a bronze level BFC, and I think one of the KC burbs, Olathe or Overland Park maybe, might be too. I'd love to see Wichita the first silver or better BFC. I was surprised that Lawrence is bronze, because it doesn't have all that much. I guess they painted a couple bike lanes to get it.

Sorry, slight thread hijack there. Columbia, MO buses have bike racks. Kirksville, MO doesn't have buses. The public transit is a van.

[Eden]

Seattle's system had peak hour restrictions for a while, I think it was something like no bike loading/unloading in a specific section of the downtown corridor. I always guessed that they didn't want to slow down boarding times, but I think it takes longer for people to board the bus during a busy period than to put a couple bikes on the rack. Could also have been that the buses only had so much space to stack at curbside stops.

I'm a bit fuzzy on the details since it didn't impact my commute (I never worked downtown), but I think after the bus tunnel re-opened (sometime in the last 2 years) they began to permit people to use the bike racks downtown at any time.

Indeed - I think there was some fear that there would be a slow down in boarding during peak hours downtown, but about a year or so ago they decided to pilot allowing cyclists to allow loading downtown and apparently it was not a problem at all as its still allowed and doing fine - really it doesn't take long at all to load a bike. If there are even a few people waiting to board you can load your bike up before they even all get on (well... as long as the rack doesn't jam...)

[shootingstar]

Not aware of any bike loading restrictions for bus bike racks, at any hr. any place in Metro Vancouver.

Think how dumb that type of policy would be: How about the frail elderly/disabled who are slow in boarding /disembarking a bus? Or a parent getting a child's stroller on board a bus (which is allowed on all our buses at any time if there is rm.).

I use bus bike racks about 2-4 times annually.
Hope I don't need it today. I plan to go cycling even with a pulled side hip muscle...it's abit painful just to sit and bend over abit..

[badgercat]

Since no one else has chimed in on these cities, I'll go ahead and add in the other places I've lived.

In Madison, WI: racks on every city bus

In Chicago: The Chicago Transit Authority has racks on buses, and also welcomes bicycles on the rapid transit train lines (except during weekday morning and evening rush periods). I believe the same thing goes for the regional trains (Metra) that go out to the suburbs--bikes are allowed on most trains except those during rush periods. There's a separate bus company (Pace) that covers the suburbs, and I don't recall if they had racks.

ETA: Suburban Chicago Pace Buses have all had bicycle racks since 2002, apparently.

ETA2: Wow, I never even thought to mention the city I live in RIGHT NOW. Probably because it was short-term by design and I never really felt at "home" here. But Omaha, NE does have a rack on every city bus.

[sjane]

We have them in Green Bay. I'm pretty sure they're on every bus.

[shootingstar]

As for a forgotten bike on bus rack: indeed, I know someone who did forget his bike. He did report his bike to the transit authority lost and found. But it was never recovered.

Best to plant oneself inside near the front of the bus as a passenger.