Advocacy & Safety - Video on using bike racks on front of transit busses

Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2rQCvoBVjk) is a video made by some people I know here in Portland, Maine, about how to use the bike racks that our busses have. I don't know if they work the same everywhere, but I'm betting at least some of them do, so feel free to distribute this link. This was made in response to comments from a lot of cyclists that they don't use the racks because they don't know how, and are too nervous about figuring it out with a busload of people watching them. In some transit systems, the drivers are not allowed to help either, or sometimes they just aren't willing to.

Enjoy! :)

This video is great! I will show it to anyone who wishes to use a bus rack. I remember how intimidated I was the first time I used a bus rack. I didnt want to hold people up, so it was a little flustering.

Some of the buses on Dallas's DART transit lines have this exact same system.

I have one question. Wouldn't they prefer you load the one closest to the bus first? Or does that not make sense for some reason?

I have one question. Wouldn't they prefer you load the one closest to the bus first? Or does that not make sense for some reason?

I don't know. That kind of surpised me, too. I've always use the one closest to the bus if given a choice, because it seems like it'd be more stable. But that's probably not really the case. It probably doesn't matter a bit, and the drivers probably couldn't care less either.

I think either position is fine when you are the first cyclist of the rack.

They just provide special instructions for side rolling into the back position
so people know what to do. Id imagine someone trying to lift their bike over
the front bike, then dropping it down into the rack slot.

That was a nice video, I've always wondered how those racks work. One question. How do you use this if your bike has fenders? I don't want to give up my sks fenders just because I may need to ride the bus every once in a bue moon.

Happy riding,
André

I've seen bikes with fenders on bus racks; I assume they just put the spring loaded bar down on the front fender.

I've seen bikes with fenders on bus racks; I assume they just put the spring loaded bar down on the front fender.Not me, I put the bar between the fender and tire on one bike. On the other bike that the bar will not fit between, I use a speedez fender that I can easily take off (if it even is on at the time).

Eugene, OR gave at least some LBS that would make room for them, a bus bike rack that cycling customers could practice on, at their leisure.

If your fender doesn't go very far forward, you can put the brace bar right before the fender. I wouldn't put the brace bar on the fender, you will just mash it down. For the most part I have never had a problem with bus racks and fenders, but I do know someone who had a bicycle come loose because they didn't check that the brace had slid down all the way (older racks have bars that don't slide as easy as new ones). You can hit the brace with the palm of your hand to make sure its tight against your wheel for extra assurance.

Our local bus transit in Ithaca uses the same rack on their buses, which I've utilized quite a bit. I think there is more of a lip on the end for the rear wheel but other than that it the rack looks exactly the same. Personally, I always load my bike closest to the bus. It's a bit more of a stretch but it makes it much easier for others to load their bike on afterwards when my bike is already there and I still have further to travel on the bus. I also always put the rack back up although it's not necessary, but just because I have OCD about such things.