WSPTU: March 2014

Hugh Worrall thought he wouldn't be posting stories of public transport (now he is not with WSCF) - but when he picks a story it is so great that I had to publish it on his behalf on the WSPTU blogspot.

This is from our Face Book Group:

Click Here for Prospect Commuters Request

And comments:

Glenster Busways Stephen Blewitt There roads are not as busy as ours so its an oh@s issue

Yesterday at 10:37am · Like
Simon Alexander where is the link to the petition - is gladys correct to say nsw buses cannot be made longer to hold a rack?

Yesterday at 11:22am · Like
John Darcy Yes, ACTION Buses (most of them) have bicycle racks on the front. But the number and frequency of buses, and the volume of traffic on the roads, is such that commuters can safely put their bikes on and take their bikes off, and manipulate the bike rack. I invite anyone to observe the interplay of buses and traffic in the densely populated areas of Sydney and say, with a straight face, that it would be safe or practical here. Out in the wide open spaces of Blacktown, Liverpool, etc there might be scope for it. But not where the streets are narrow and the cars are parked right up to the edges of the bus zones.

Yesterday at 11:55am · Like · 1
SirPaully G Falzon Not convinced. There are many international cities that have done this as well. With a few modifications it could be done. We can bore holes through mountains so we should be able to do this in Sydney.

Yesterday at 2:15pm · Like
Craig Simpson It's hard enough to get a bus driver to get up and pull the ramp out for a wheelchair in Sydney. What chance of getting them to get out to put a bike on a rack. Why do you need to use a bus if you have a bike anyway. If you are going to ride then ride the whole way to where you going or the train station. Those Canberra buses may have bike racks but I have yet to see one with a bike on the rack.

Yesterday at 3:43pm · Like
Hugh Worrall This could be a nice issue for WSPTU to investigate and promote. Could it be that for some routes and places bike racks and parking facilities are helpful but not in others? What happens in other big cities? Does it work? Is there an interest in bikes on buses, or would this grow if it was possible? It could be a nice piece of work if people were interested. We've got some nice bike routes on the central coast and high bike useage especially in woy woy - but not bikes on buses. I enjoy the WSPTU discussions. Good luck. H

Yesterday at 4:21pm · Like
Craig Simpson It is such a niche thing that it really isn't worth it. If you have a bike and want to ride it then ride your bike. One thing that I noticed in geelong was that they have massive bike lockers at train stations. Maybe bike lockers would be of more use then the silly bike racks. Bike racks on cars are messy so I can only imagine how messy it is on a bus.

Yesterday at 7:10pm · Like
Hugh Worrall The bloke in the photo seems to be riding a folding bike. An easy thing to investigate would be how practical it would be to get some regulations around taking a folding bike on the bus (eg bike must be folded into a certain size, must fit in the luggage rack, can only be on certain routes etc). All the other issues around the demand for the service and the effectiveness and practicality of racks or other options etc would be a bigger project. Bike enthusiasts are a pretty resourceful mob and would probably be able to develop this idea if they are keen and think it would help.

Yesterday at 9:21pm · Unlike · 1
Craig Simpson One would have to ask why are they riding a bike if they intend to use a bus. If your a bike enthusiast then you would most likely ride the whole way to your destination. If you get a puncture you push it or if you carry a puncture kit like I did. Fix the puncture and then get going again.

15 hours ago · Like
SirPaully G Falzon Craig Simpson the main reason people ride bikes - is because its too far to walk. Biking is 4 times more efficient than walking. Ask any factory worker who has a bike on a train - they use it to get between the train and their place of work. Robert Iacopetta a friend of mine lived at Fairfield and would catch the bus to Parramatta and then bike to work at IBM in the Hills. So people do use bikes and buses. Its also useful having a backup plan if you have some mechanical problems. When I ride over 30kms to work every now and again, I ride near the rail lines so that if something goes wrong, I can get myself and the bike home.

9 hrs · Like
Craig Simpson I know because I do ride a bike. I used to ride my bike to the train station, purchase 2 tickets for myself and my bike, take the train to the station nearest my place of work and then ride to work. I would never trust having my bike on the front of a bus because in Sydney it would most likely get nicked at a set of lights. What then happens if a bus hit a pedestrian with my bike on the front and kills them. Am I then liable because my bike caused said pedestrians death.

9 hrs · Like
John Darcy Craig you haven't been in Canberra much if you haven't seen any bikes on the racks - quite often during morning and evening peak time, riders will be forced to wait with their bikes as buses come and go with the rack already full. It is also the responsibility of the commuter to operate the rack, so your point about the drivers not getting out is moot. Finally, the combination of rising and bussing is a factor in outer suburban areas where the bus stop is sometimes a half-hour walk away - I agree with you that riders in the inner suburbs have no business carrying their bike on a bus. The required solution for them is to have secure bike lockups at strategic bus interchanges such as Eastgardens, Randwick Junction, Bondi Junction, etc, because for 96% of them they don't actually need the bike at the other end of their bus journey.

8 hrs · Like
Craig Simpson I'm in Canberra quite often. I have seen the buses with the racks on them. I used to work on Canberra's speed camera's as well. I was in Canberra last Sunday for the Shield final and a bit of gunzeling. I saw a lot of people on bikes. I did not see bikes on the bus bike racks. I believe the better option is to have bike lockers at major bus interchanges and especially along the tways.

8 hrs · Like
John Darcy Get down to the bus stop on Commonwealth Avenue at Albert Hall 17:00-18:00. Weekends are not a representative sample. But kudos to you if you managed to spot a bus on a weekend! I've lost weight during the time it takes for a bus to come in the suburbs on a weekend in Canberra ...

8 hrs · Like
SirPaully G Falzon It depends on the facts of the case. My original point is that buses in Canberra and other parts of the world can and do carry bikes quite safely.

8 hrs · Like
Jean-Francois Svoboda John Harrington Needs to contract the Traffic Officers from Blacktown City Council notify them and add it the Blacktown Transport Plan!

5 mins · Like