Many cities in the U.S have benefited by strengthening the connection between bicycles and public transportation. To read about a few of the success stories, check out this pdf document from the Federal Transit Administration titled Bicycles & Transit: A Partnership that Works.Personally, I would like to see bike racks, such as the one pictured here, on all buses in Greenville County. Bike racks on buses are economical to install and have been shown to increase ridership in other metro areas. As a long time bike commuter, I have used public transit as a backup for bike commuting in other cities. As much as I love riding to work, there are times when it is more convenient to use public transit for part of the trip. If an unexpected afternoon thunderstorm pops up or you end up working late, it is nice to be able to get home safely, with your bike, on a bus or train.
If you agree that bicycle friendly public transit is right for Greenville, please take a few minutes to let the County know. They are currently conducting an online survey to find out what residents want from the transit system. With a large and growing population of cyclists, bikes on buses make perfect sense for the Greenville metro area.
Photo from Bicycling 511
Update: According to the recently released 2007 Public Tranportation Fact Book, 62.7 percent of the buses in the U.S. now have bike racks. That is over 51, 000 buses total with racks! Thanks to the LAB website for that info. Now lets add to that number with racks on our buses here in Greenville.
3 comments:
As crazy as this may sound, I absolutely believe this is one of the greatest issues for cycling advocacy in Greenville. I love traveling in other cities, particularly Europe, with good public transit that is easily combined with cycling. Although I own a car, I commute by bicycle about three times per week, and occassionally use GTA service (I rode GTA to work twice last week). The buses are clean and comfortable, and I like having someone else do the driving. I think additional routes and schedules, in addition to bus racks, would attract additional types of riders, and I would absolutely use public transportation much more frequently. I also work with several other part-time bicycle commuters whom I have talked with several times about the prospects of being able to combine public transportaion and cycling for transportation needs.
I perceive limited hourly schedules as a limiting factor for widespread adoption. For example, I frequently have an appointment 45 minutes after the bus passes a location, or I'm concerned that if I run 10 minutes late leaving work or an appointment, I'll be stuck for almost another hour. Even a frequency of every 30 to 40 minutes would make a significant difference.
I believe some basic adjustments and new ideas for the transit system would benefit the community and make Greenville much more attractive. I would really like to see the Greenville system take off. Give me good bus service with bike racks, and I can do with one less car in the garage!
Thanks for the great comment Christopher. I would also like to sell my car and just have one for the family. Good point that a transit system with provisions for bikes could make that a reality.
Wow, if Greenville got bus bike racks, I might consider moving back to South Carolina! Okay, maybe not really, but I grew up not far from G'ville and still love biking in the foothills when I visit my folks.
Most all the buses in Triangle NC have bike racks on the front, and they're often full. But one thing SC has over NC--a really nice cycling license plate. NC's is just lame.
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