CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
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THE campaign to get bus companies to carry bikes on their vehicles has won high-profile backing from MSPs.
Cyclists have long called on bus firms to carry bikes on board, either inside or strapped to the outside.
Now Green Lothians MSP Alison Johnstone has taken up the cause after hearing about the difficulties of reaching the Glentress mountain bike centre near Peebles using public transport from Edinburgh.
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http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/MSPs-saddle-up-to-support.6788672.jp
If they can do this in Detroit, then we can surely do it in Edinburgh.
Was googling 'detroit bus bike' for a picture, and found the following website - does brewery tours of Detroit by bike. Civilized. Although the best in Michigan is out in Kalamzoo: http://www.bellsbeer.com/
Ah, the lovely comments...
I would prefer if MSP's were backing a bid to get Cyclists to obey the law of the road. I must admit that while I would not welcome it, it appears to be time for Bikes to have an identifiable registration mark so that offenders can be apprehended.
Is it not time that Cyclists had to pass a driving test, pay for their vehicle to be registered and pay a vehicle tax? Oh, and obey the LAW!
Or is the problem those evil bike to work schemes?
All that would be required would be for... well... the law to be enforced.
Hows about getting the police to begin looking out for cyclists who ignore the rules of the road and then actually attempting to stop them? OK, some are bound to peg it and a few will likely get away but most will not and the message will soon get round once the fixed penalty notices and written warnings start to be issued.
The problem these days is not with an otherwise criminally inclined element, it is with the massive numbers of otherwise law abiding citizens who have been recently encouraged onto the roads on bicycles by the various cycle to work schemes and greenist propaganda.
The SMT Conditions of Carriage (ie prior to selling off the National bus company for Scotland included Clause 7(d) On rural services operated by appropriate vehicles, bikes may be carried at the driver's discretion. Scottish Citylink (then operated as part of SMT) had Clause 10(d) Cycles are not carried but this was later modified with Clause 10(e) which permitted the carriage of folding bikes. I'll review the current position as I understand it after the brief history.
Of course the first advertised bike carrying bus service actually ran in Scotland in 1963, using an Alexander-bodied Leyland converted to carry cyclists and pedestrians across the Forth Road Bridge. I have found some pictures of the bus but not any really good ones of loading bikes
After the sell off, most new operators continued to use the Alexander Y-Type with a variety of chassis as the Scottish 'Routemaster' on most rural routes - with careful packing you can get 4 bikes in the rear locker on most of these buses, and I regularly used the 59 (Midland) to Callander and the 62 (Peebles/Glentress/Innerleithen) or the 95 (Edinburgh-Carlisle)
The Bikes on Buses Cycle Challenge 1996(DETR) and 1998(Sc)
In 1996 the project to test applications for external racks included a report by TRL on the practical and legal issues, and tested buses and coaches to ENCAP impact standards with pedestrian dummies (TRL 592). They rightly pointed out that with buses having the highest rate of pedestrian impacts of any class of vehicle on the UK and European road network, the stringent detail on having hard and sharp edges facing forwards made the use of US-style systems unacceptable, and the cost and complexity of delivering a front mounted unit the eliminated the problems and complied with the legislation would be a costly exercise, hardly likely to attract interest if no obvious gain in passenger numbers was delivered. For this reason, and the fact that since 1999 all new buses have had to be low floor, roll-on access, we have the potential for most operators to try-out cycle carriage on lightly used rural services (and possibly late night town routes for those who are not happy riding on routes they would use during the day), all for a minimal cost of some securing straps and protection against pedals etc bashing against a decorative panel surface.
Edinburgh-Glentress
The 62 presents a supreme irony as when Arthur Phillips was pioneering the use of Glentress for MTB activities and less than 5000 people per year went cycling there, you could pile up to 4 bikes on to the hourly 62 service and head own for the day. With the introduction of the 'accessible' (sic) buses and a 30 minute frequency at some times of day bikes are officially refused - and now nearly 100 times more people are going to Glentress*, but I did a family visit with 2 folding bikes and 2 kids bikes - cycling to 'bag' the Traquair House maze without any problems using a 'decker going out and a low floor bus coming back. A number of individuals also report a pragmatic approach by most drivers, after all, it works, and sells a few extra tickets, and the main office of First Lothian & Borders is a long way away in Camelon! One option is to operate some of the weekend services with coaches or consider a shopper/cyclist service using coaches to take shoppers to South Gyle/Edinburgh Princes Street from the Borders, and Cyclists to Glentress. Operators tak tent and consider registering such a route?
Bikes CAN go on coaches - especially Stagecoach Express
In 1998 I did a Bikes with coaches project and Stagecoach, and we made sure that their conditions of carriage were brought up to date (at the time it theoretically banned the carriage of wheelchair users in their wheelchairs despite the company having a substantial fleet of low floor buses by then). As a result you can get bikes on to most of the Stagecoach Express services, where coaches are used - that's how I got back on Sunday from St Andrews to Glasgow, how the kids from Banchory get in to Aberdeen to use the BMX track, and those in Elgin get out to Fochabers to use the Ben Aigen trails. You can avoid the hazards of the A75 by using the 500 or X75 between Dumfries and Stranraer, and the X74 stops at Parkgate, just a short ride from the Ae Forest. Hitrans does have large polythene sacks (also sold through CTC shop) that can be used to bag up a bike and meet the requirement that no damage or soiling of the coach hold or other items in it comes from a wet or dirty bike. I also hear of pensioners, in Moray especially using their bus passes to go upwind/uphill and ride back. During the summer you can also enjoy the 501/502 services which start from Aberdeen (as the Ballater service-201) and travel on alternate days to Perth, via Blairgowrie or Aberfeldy via Pitlochry, and return. First also operate with coaches on some Central Scotland routes - mainly to Livingston/N Lanarks from Glasgow. One of the very popular route South of the border is the Oxford Tube with 3-5% of passngers on the peak commuter journeys taking a bike on the coach with them.
Long Distance trips - Including Galashiels.
For long distance travel the wording the we settled on with National Express now seems to be generally accepted, that bikes which are dismantled or folded down to pack flat as luggage and covered or wrapped in a bag or case are normally accepted within your luggage allowance, on National Express, Scottish Citylink, First Greyhound, and Megabus (the last having a rather useful late night departure from Edinburgh on Saturday nights, and with National Express (383 Edinburgh-Wrexham) Megabus also runs a service via Galashiels (biggest annoyance is tha none of these operators provide an overview of the timetables to help intending passengers make an informed choice
One caveat when using coaches and underfloor holds, is that you should join and leave the service at a min stopping point, the driver may refuse to let you on or off at the roadside on safety grounds.
Bus services also carry bikes and here is where a Scotland-wide lobby would really be useful. Western isles Council has, as the default condition on all of their subsidised bus service contracts, a requirement that cycles are carried (obviously this would exclude times when every seat is needed for the school or commuter service) Hitrans has made this a condition for some supported services elsewhere, notably (since 2007) the service that connects 3 ferry piers in Argyll with Lochgilphead (and saves a stiff climb from Cloanaig)
Hendersons have generally been OK and the bus from Hamilton to Strathaven can be a great way to get home when the night is foul, windy and wet, but obviously you won't be popular when its filled with commuters. I've also noted the Stagecoach services coming back in from Pitlochry and Aberfeldy at night - often empty but still in service to get them back to the depot in Perth - potential here to have a full day out -taking 2-4 bikes inside on the empty bus going to collect the local folk for work, school or shopping, and coming back on the late one.
I've got pictures, data etc going right back to 1986 when I was using the 59 almost weekly to get to Sustrans sites around Callander, and the carriage counts for US systems that used to be collated (when only a few bus operators did this) typically a 2-4% boost in patronage but often a substantially greater boost to the off-peak services the bikes tend to use.
Some key routes?
Girvan to Newton Stewart (Glentrool/Kirroughtree) a contracted service (include bike carriage in contract)
Tay/Tummel Valley-Perth noted previously
Carlisle-Newcastleton local operated - Telfords in some contracted with Cumbria CC leading authority
Loch Lomond National Park - several
Spey Valley - link with Spey Valley Way
I'm going to flag this with those who might be able to deliver so if you have suggestions to refine that last list .....
East Neuk - general on all local routes at weekends?
Tulyar - comprehensive!
I think we can write off the idea of externally mounted bike carriers (which I have seen in Chicago and Miami) on pedestrian/cyclist safety grounds. However, there is nothing to stop bus operators carrying bikes inside a bus (or in a special bike trailer - but lets not get carried away here).
Bike carriage would realistically only be commercially attractive on longer distance and lightly used routes where significant use was likely, e.g. Edinburgh-Glentress at weekends, and where delays caused by loading/unloading would be at an acceptable level.
However, providing a space for bikes (which may be lightly used for most of the time) would require the removal of 3 or 4 rows of seats - a commercial no-no on long distance bus routes.
I'm not really sure why you would need to carry a bike on an urban bus (punctures excepted!) - after all, you have a bike with you
I think we can write off the idea of externally mounted bike carriers (which I have seen in Chicago and Miami) on pedestrian/cyclist safety grounds.
why?
@Tulyar - Thank you for a detailed and inspiring post. I am now considering hauling my wee folder onto buses to explore those regions of Scotland that trains do not reach.
SRD 1) most US operators don't carry bikes downtown, as for every 4 buses fitted with racks at the bus stances and in traffic you can fit in 5 without racks.
2) there is a very different operating regime outside the town centres - no footways on many streets street spacing 3 to 4 times that you see in Europe, and a near absence of pedestrians.
Download TRL 592 and read it thoroughly and you'll see why front mounted bike racks won't appear very soon in Europe.
Peter Huntley - who was a founder of TAS took on running a bus company in part because he wanted to see the ideas he had been trying to get the established operators to accept, put into practice. Go Ahead has been offing bike carriage officially (again a service I have used unofficially already in 1990)between Chester le Street and Consett and charging a bike fare. Bikes use the existing tip up seat space, and the fare charged can in theory go to cover the cost of any additional transport required for the occasions when there is too much demand for the space available.
The proof is in the doing as has been happening on the AD211 - 61-65(SYPTE) 448(WCM) S2(Snowdon) and others, with news today of the Cycle & Surf bus at Ilfracombe open top upper deck bikes & boards downstairs
there is a very different operating regime outside the town centres - no footways on many streets street spacing 3 to 4 times that you see in Europe, and a near absence of pedestrians.
all true enough!
A previous Scottish experiment - Inside not outside.
Morningsider - Trailers cost money to provide, you also need to fit the buses with towing hitches (how many?) unless the trailers are small and light (under 750Kg) the drivers need a class E licence (most get a Class E and go off to drive trucks as the money is better and the 'passengers' give no trouble) Rear racks and trailers add 40-60 seconds dwell time at a stop to load the bikes (front racks =<10 sec inside = 0 sec), bikes require securing systems to stop random theft from a bus queuing in traffic, and may be limited by the limiting envelope for vehicle length and swept area on turns.
I do believe there is a viable model for weekends in Glentress from the South which can also deliver day trips from Edinburgh/Glasgow, and would like to work with a backer on this. From the South you'd be looking at a travel only deal or a travel, meals and overnight accommodation deal which would need to fill 30-40 spaces, and likewise for day trips, but possibly with some issues to sort out on the timing of the return journey probably linking the bus fare with a light meal/drinks to get everyone back and ready to board at the same time.
SRD - I think Tulyar has probably answered your query. The gist of the research he quotes (and my reasoning for thinking that bus bike carriers will not be seen here) is that being hit by a bus is never good, but fitting these carriers is likely to make a very bad situation even worse.
Morningsider/SRD - There is a further major hurdle here EU legislation is very clear about the shape of forward facing edges on motor vehicles being no sharper than 2.5mm radius. It would be impossible to deliver this if randomly shaped bicycles are stuck on the front of a bus, with apple corer shaped straight handlebars at head height, and a bulky beam just below knee height of an average adult (an impact below the CoG will cause the pedestrian to rotate and hit the vehicle at a speed higher than the actual linear speed of the vehicle)
Add to this some traffic stats - more pedestrians on European roads than US roads, plus buses in UK having highest 'hit rate' of peds when measured on a per vehicle per year basis than any other class of road traffic. Reason being that buses are on road for 10 times as many hours per day than averaged by a typical car and they operate largely in areas with a lot of pedestrian traffic , with the even higher hazard of actually inviting pedestrians to walk up to the bus - to get on board.
Fortunately most modern buses have deep and flat front and side panels and thus an impact with a bus side is like hitting a rather stiff trampoline, rather than the gaping void of a construction site HGV with no side guards (a mincing machine). The TRL testing (the only time that ENCAP has been applied to a vehicle other than a car!) actually delivered some interesting results for the bus and coach without a bike rack fitted. Amazing really that we have impact tests for vulnerable road users and cars but don't apply this to HGV's and buses which pro rata have higher 'hit rates' but lower gross figures, due to their smaller portion of the traffic count.
Just an ironic post thought. When working on bike & bus projects I needed to visit Loanhead regularly. I would get off the train at Haymarket, and cycle to Newington Road (avoiding the bump). On Newington Road I would keep an eye open for a Penicuik/Captains Road Lothian Bus or an SMT going further out, and race it to the next bus stop. Otherwise I would ride all the way as it only took slightly longer but involved the slog up Liberton Brae.
Company policy - only ride the bike if you actually gain a benefit in time, effort or pleasure.
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