80% of ACTION buses set to have bike racks by 30 June

Gungahlin Al said :

I use the racks once or twice most weeks. Love them – gives me the flexibility to take a chance with the weather. If it turns bad, no sweat.

Absolutely agree. It’s the wind that kills me – I’m 6’2, on an XL bike, and it seems that when the wind picks up in the afternoon, after a perfectly still winter morning, it’s a north-westerly…which means for me, it’s a head wind all the way home. I’m like a yacht heading into the wind…except without the option to tack! Being able to throw my bike on a bus home, instead of slogging it out against a head wind, before riding into work the next morning is great.

ML-585 said :

Evil_Kitten said :

Is there a thing on the Action site to explain how to use them? I mean, I’m sure it’s not rocket science but that’s what would deter me using them – looking like a tool while the whole bus is watching you (and waiting).

There’s a big sticker on the front of the bus showing you how to use it. As well as stickers on the rack itself.

And yes, there’s also a thing on the ACTION website: https://www.action.act.gov.au/doc/bikenride/Bike%20Rack_Unloading%20and%20Loading%20your%20bike.pdf

What does the “MAN” sign on the front of the bus mean? Some men may get confused and strap themselves to to rack with the bike. Some women might be offended having their bike so close to a MAN too.

bd84 said :

I still don’t understand why one would just not try sitting on the bike and pedal it to their destination rather than pedal the 100m from their home to the bus stop, put it on the bus, get to destination, take it off the bus and pedal another 100m to their place of work. It’s like me strapping the bike to the front of my car and then driving to work so I can ride it from the car park.. Defeats the point of riding a bike really.. The bike would probably be quicker than taking the scenic stop and start route on the bus too.

Well to get to the ANU from weston creek it’s much quicker for to ride my bike 12 minutes to woden chuck it on the bus and then ride to the ANU than to take the 27 which goes once an hour to woden or ride the whole way which takes 50 minutes and would require a clothing change. Plus I can leave whenever I want rather than only at 20 to the hour.

beeshive said :

People only need to use their bikes in conjunction with the bus service because the bus service is so dismal on its own. I see this as an admission that its darn near impossible to get from A to B in Canberra in a reasonable time without resorting to additional modes of transport.

This is correct, the main reason I ride is to cut out the 27 route which doesn’t run frequently (and the 26 which takes me 20 minutes walk past my house). Although it is useful having a bike at the other end if I decide to go somewhere else north-side. The main problem is the long buses which run in peak times, I had two in a row the other day and it turns a rapid route into a regular one.

I just hope that they continue putting the yellow ones one, they are much simpler and easier to use than the grey and black racks which are always a bit stuck, require you to lift the bike higher, and it is easy to get your hands pinched in them.

If we set the buses up right we’d just lug the bikes on same as a train.

I use the racks once or twice most weeks. Love them – gives me the flexibility to take a chance with the weather. If it turns bad, no sweat.

And everything Canberra85 said.

I am concerned that the new articulated buses won’t be able to have them due to overall combined length…

One of the advantages rail has over buses – easy to take a bike on a train – no rack required.

People only need to use their bikes in conjunction with the bus service because the bus service is so dismal on its own. I see this as an admission that its darn near impossible to get from A to B in Canberra in a reasonable time without resorting to additional modes of transport.

Jono said :

bd84 said :

I still don’t understand why one would just not try sitting on the bike and pedal it to their destination rather than pedal the 100m from their home to the bus stop, put it on the bus, get to destination, take it off the bus and pedal another 100m to their place of work. It’s like me strapping the bike to the front of my car and then driving to work so I can ride it from the car park.. Defeats the point of riding a bike really.. The bike would probably be quicker than taking the scenic stop and start route on the bus too.

There are lots of reasons why they’re great. When they were first introduced into Canberra, there were many critical letters in the Canberra Times about them, and then a brilliant response from an elderly gentleman. He’d been riding bikes all of his life, but many of the places that he used to ride to around town were beyond him now. However the racks on the buses meant that he could once again get on his bike knowing that if he felt strong enough he could cycle all of the way, but if he needed to he could travel part/most of the way on the bus. He described the renewed freedom that he’d experienced solely because of their introduction.

I’ve used them a few times, typically when my kids have been attending something in Civic, and I’ve ridden my bike in to collect them and then we’ve caught the bus home together.

They also make travelling to work by public transport a sensible option for almost anyone who really wants to use it. Even if you’re in a suburb where there are infrequent bus services, anyone of even the most moderate fitness level would be able to ride to the local bus interchange and put their bike on the rack of one of the intertown buses which leave every few minutes during peak times.

I use them quite frequently. In my situation, I’ll often ride to work in the morning, and then decide whether I’m also going to ride home, or if I’m going to instead put the bike on the bus and go home that way (I work in the city, and it’s a 14.5km ride each way). I could leave the bike at work – I have access to secure basement storage where I can leave my bike – but I’d rather have it back at home, so I can ride the next morning if I want to.

bd84 said :

I still don’t understand why one would just not try sitting on the bike and pedal it to their destination rather than pedal the 100m from their home to the bus stop, put it on the bus, get to destination, take it off the bus and pedal another 100m to their place of work. It’s like me strapping the bike to the front of my car and then driving to work so I can ride it from the car park.. Defeats the point of riding a bike really.. The bike would probably be quicker than taking the scenic stop and start route on the bus too.

There are lots of reasons why they’re great. When they were first introduced into Canberra, there were many critical letters in the Canberra Times about them, and then a brilliant response from an elderly gentleman. He’d been riding bikes all of his life, but many of the places that he used to ride to around town were beyond him now. However the racks on the buses meant that he could once again get on his bike knowing that if he felt strong enough he could cycle all of the way, but if he needed to he could travel part/most of the way on the bus. He described the renewed freedom that he’d experienced solely because of their introduction.

I’ve used them a few times, typically when my kids have been attending something in Civic, and I’ve ridden my bike in to collect them and then we’ve caught the bus home together.

They also make travelling to work by public transport a sensible option for almost anyone who really wants to use it. Even if you’re in a suburb where there are infrequent bus services, anyone of even the most moderate fitness level would be able to ride to the local bus interchange and put their bike on the rack of one of the intertown buses which leave every few minutes during peak times.

I still don’t understand why one would just not try sitting on the bike and pedal it to their destination rather than pedal the 100m from their home to the bus stop, put it on the bus, get to destination, take it off the bus and pedal another 100m to their place of work. It’s like me strapping the bike to the front of my car and then driving to work so I can ride it from the car park.. Defeats the point of riding a bike really.. The bike would probably be quicker than taking the scenic stop and start route on the bus too.

Evil_Kitten said :

Is there a thing on the Action site to explain how to use them? I mean, I’m sure it’s not rocket science but that’s what would deter me using them – looking like a tool while the whole bus is watching you (and waiting).

There’s a big sticker on the front of the bus showing you how to use it. As well as stickers on the rack itself.

And yes, there’s also a thing on the ACTION website: https://www.action.act.gov.au/doc/bikenride/Bike%20Rack_Unloading%20and%20Loading%20your%20bike.pdf