The Chainlink

Teach a friend - Bike on a Bus

I was walking past the CTA HQ yesterday and thought it would be a good time to remind people about the "put a bike on a bus" training demo they have.

If you are trying to encourage people to ride their bike more, take them to Lake and Jefferson and help them learn how to put their bike on the bus. It's by the Jefferson entrance of the building and is a full-sized bus bike rack where you can practice pulling it down and putting your bike on it.

I used to find it intimidating, but now love knowing how to do this and knowing that if I can't ride home, I can always get on a bus with my bike.

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Permalink Reply by Rochelle on April 13, 2012 at 4:39pm

thank you! People have asked me how to do it, but when we are not standing right in front of a bus, it's hard to explain.

Permalink Reply by Jeff K on April 13, 2012 at 5:02pm

I've never used the bus bike racks, partly because I don't want to hold up a bus full of people while I figure out how to work the thing.

Thanks for the tip!

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on April 13, 2012 at 5:05pm

Jeff,

It can be nerve wrecking, but when you take the bus there are frequent stops.  That's how I justify it.

Jeff K said:

I've never used the bus bike racks, partly because I don't want to hold up a bus full of people while I figure out how to work the thing.

Thanks for the tip!

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on April 14, 2012 at 8:07am

Something not yet mentioned about bikes on the bus rack: you're not allowed to lock to the bus, but a u-lock through your bike wheel and frame would prevent someone from grabbing the bike at a red light and quickly riding away.  They may manage to pull it off the bus rack, but they'd have to carry it while you chased them.  Always stand or sit near the front of the bus with full view of your bike...

Permalink Reply by Michael J Blane on April 14, 2012 at 12:22pm

METRA - I've stayed away from Metra because, if they need the seat(s) for a handicapped person, they (Metra) can force you off. Wherever that stop is, you get off with your bike. So, wait for the next available train, hopefully there's room, or ride the rest of the way to your destination.

Neither are prospects I want to consider.

There should be an alternative.

Permalink Reply by Michael J Blane on April 14, 2012 at 12:23pm

Just curious, does anyone know of a bike being stolen off the bus rack?

Thunder Snow said:

Something not yet mentioned about bikes on the bus rack: you're not allowed to lock to the bus, but a u-lock through your bike wheel and frame would prevent someone from grabbing the bike at a red light and quickly riding away.  They may manage to pull it off the bus rack, but they'd have to carry it while you chased them.  Always stand or sit near the front of the bus with full view of your bike...

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on April 14, 2012 at 1:52pm

I don't, but it would seem like someone could grab an unlocked bike and scoot away pretty fast if they wanted to.  If you weren't paying attention from inside the bus, you wouldn't even realize it until you got to your destination.  I'm guessing the bus driver wouldn't put up a fight over your bike.

The CTA web site mentions this as a possibility: "You may not lock your bicycle to the rack on the front of a bus. If you would like added security, simply lock your front wheel to the frame of your bike before the bus approaches."  So it may have happened before.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/05/28/bc-...

Permalink Reply by dana on April 15, 2012 at 9:09am

I remember watching this video on my iphone at the corner of ashland and chicago while waiting for the bus, just after getting a flat tire and failing to properly deploy my CO2 cartridge.  i had never put my bike on a bus and was definitely intimidated, but after a few tugs i got it, and it wasn't too bad... there was still the paranoia that my bike was going to wind up under the bus at a red light, though...



David said:



It would be very nice to have similar videos for the Metra and for the El. I had a few really nerve-wracking false starts taking my bike on the Metra. And I *still* don't really feel comfortable taking my bike on the El.

Julie Hochstadter said:

Leah, that's so true.  Are there how-to videos we can send people to?

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on April 15, 2012 at 9:51am

Good tip. Also, about 1/2 of the racks have at least one retainer that's not in good shape, so pull the arm out before putting the bike on to test whether the spring still works.

Yesterday morning I gut one of the original prototypes on the Western bus, and the springs are pretty much gone.


Thunder Snow said:

Something not yet mentioned about bikes on the bus rack: you're not allowed to lock to the bus, but a u-lock through your bike wheel and frame would prevent someone from grabbing the bike at a red light and quickly riding away.  They may manage to pull it off the bus rack, but they'd have to carry it while you chased them.  Always stand or sit near the front of the bus with full view of your bike...

Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on April 15, 2012 at 4:07pm

Just take them on a field trip to Lake and Jefferson and they will be good to go!

Rochelle said:

thank you! People have asked me how to do it, but when we are not standing right in front of a bus, it's hard to explain.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 16, 2012 at 9:07am

I take my bike on Metra often.  Sometimes there are people in wheelchairs.  At least on the Rock Island, there is usually a lot of cooperation between the conductor, cyclists and the person in the wheelchair to get everything/everyone positioned so that all can ride.  On other Metra lines, the experience may vary.  Conductors on the Rock Island do a great job at accommodating cyclists.

Michael J Blane said:

METRA - I've stayed away from Metra because, if they need the seat(s) for a handicapped person, they (Metra) can force you off. Wherever that stop is, you get off with your bike. So, wait for the next available train, hopefully there's room, or ride the rest of the way to your destination.

Neither are prospects I want to consider.

There should be an alternative.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on April 18, 2012 at 10:37pm

It's now a reality.



Thunder Snow said:

I don't, but it would seem like someone could grab an unlocked bike and scoot away pretty fast if they wanted to.  If you weren't paying attention from inside the bus, you wouldn't even realize it until you got to your destination.  I'm guessing the bus driver wouldn't put up a fight over your bike.

The CTA web site mentions this as a possibility: "You may not lock your bicycle to the rack on the front of a bus. If you would like added security, simply lock your front wheel to the frame of your bike before the bus approaches."  So it may have happened before.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/05/28/bc-...

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