Back in 1973, just after AMTRAK took over passenger rail service in the USA, I was able to wheel my bike onto the baggage car, panniers and all, and the baggage car attendant just propped it up against the wall. Within three years if you wanted to take a bike on the train it had to be boxed, and could only be carried on certain trains and loaded/unloaded at specific stops since the baggage car attendants had gone the way of the dodo bird.
Even so, I’ll still take the train whenever possible. Even with the boxing, etc., it’s still cheaper than flying and a lot less hassle to get on board. Nobody’s ever asked me to stand in front of a scanner at the railroad depot!!
Not yet, but they’ve been working on it. They’re starting in the major centers like New York. Eventually you’ll have to go through the scanners before being allowed out your yard.
I remember a time when you could just take your bike on the commuter trains and even some buses. Back before cheating became a heroic stance and caused everyone to implement and tighten yet more rules.
our city put racks on the buses and were quite proud of it. Not all the buses, of course, just those designated routes where they think we want it. I think they’re the express to suburb routes. Given that I can get across town in an hour on a good day and two on a bad, using a bike, I never quite grasped why they thought it was useful. I guess some suburbans may use it, but as I don’t ride buses I really have no idea if they’re used or by whom. I live near the center of the city and other than having to climb out the river valley there’s very little obstacle to getting around by bike if you don’t include personal health and comfort issues. (some days I’m too weak and that’s that). Oh well, there is one obstacle, there’s all these damn cars out there getting in my way.
Vancouver, BC started with bike racks only on the suburban routes, that was nice but once they put them on every single bus it changed everything. It meant that you could go on a long bike trip and know that you can get home if you get a flat or too pooped to bike back or whatever. It’s been known to increase cycling mode share because people know they won’t be stranded.
Bike racks on buses are useful when using the two to bypass areas that are bike-unfriendly and to make up for the lack of planning that would allow decent use of transit (houses that are more than a half mile from the nearest bus stop or train station). I just need to get a bike that doesn’t feel like a torture device and fits the bus rack. I think my latest 20/20 Crank Forward bike will fill that bill.
Oh. Please don’t tell me that some public transportation system is trying to do something like that here.
Forgot to say…
Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!
Surround the bus?
What could possibly go wrong? *cringes*
Bike racks on buses? Non-existent in the UK.
In the UK, even bike racks on trains are getting pretty rare…
Yeah – I remember when I had to put my bike in the baggage car. Unattended!
Theft was less of a problem in the 1960s though
Back in 1973, just after AMTRAK took over passenger rail service in the USA, I was able to wheel my bike onto the baggage car, panniers and all, and the baggage car attendant just propped it up against the wall. Within three years if you wanted to take a bike on the train it had to be boxed, and could only be carried on certain trains and loaded/unloaded at specific stops since the baggage car attendants had gone the way of the dodo bird.
Even so, I’ll still take the train whenever possible. Even with the boxing, etc., it’s still cheaper than flying and a lot less hassle to get on board. Nobody’s ever asked me to stand in front of a scanner at the railroad depot!!
Not yet, but they’ve been working on it. They’re starting in the major centers like New York. Eventually you’ll have to go through the scanners before being allowed out your yard.
I remember a time when you could just take your bike on the commuter trains and even some buses. Back before cheating became a heroic stance and caused everyone to implement and tighten yet more rules.
What’s a bus? (From Winslow, AZ)
Something that more cities should have if they are even remotely serious about trying to break the auto-centric culture that America has become.
We have them on all our buses. However, they only hold two bikes.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S.
our city put racks on the buses and were quite proud of it. Not all the buses, of course, just those designated routes where they think we want it. I think they’re the express to suburb routes. Given that I can get across town in an hour on a good day and two on a bad, using a bike, I never quite grasped why they thought it was useful. I guess some suburbans may use it, but as I don’t ride buses I really have no idea if they’re used or by whom. I live near the center of the city and other than having to climb out the river valley there’s very little obstacle to getting around by bike if you don’t include personal health and comfort issues. (some days I’m too weak and that’s that). Oh well, there is one obstacle, there’s all these damn cars out there getting in my way.
Vancouver, BC started with bike racks only on the suburban routes, that was nice but once they put them on every single bus it changed everything. It meant that you could go on a long bike trip and know that you can get home if you get a flat or too pooped to bike back or whatever. It’s been known to increase cycling mode share because people know they won’t be stranded.
Bike racks on buses are useful when using the two to bypass areas that are bike-unfriendly and to make up for the lack of planning that would allow decent use of transit (houses that are more than a half mile from the nearest bus stop or train station). I just need to get a bike that doesn’t feel like a torture device and fits the bus rack. I think my latest 20/20 Crank Forward bike will fill that bill.
This happened in a town near ware I live. http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/controversial-bike-rack-prompts-complaints