Monday 9 May 2016

Bikes on buses

Bikes on public transport vehicles will be essential to link healthy cycling with public transport, particularly in our hilly inner city. So, we ( those fit enough) will bike to work downhill and get taken back home up-hill. Or if it's too far to do both legs, even on the flat, just do one--either to or fro work.
This is the way we will have to go as we wean ourselves off unhealthy private car transport to mass public and active transport. This to counter the deteriorating climate, reduce our fossil fuel burning and inactivity-related diseases ( cardiac, respiratory, obesity, diabetes, some cancers etc).

Worries about taking bikes on buses in the crowded inner CBD can be solved if we rid our city of  the diesel-polluting large buses in favour of all-electric transport along the spine ( railway station to hospital and airport). Light rail will do the trick there--all cycles on-board. Easy. Done overseas ( I've taken my bike on light rail in Vancouver and seen how easy). Smaller buses and all-electric trolleys serving the suburbs-to-spine won't be crammed up along Lambton Quay in their long lines at peak hours. They can be fitted with external bike racks which overseas don't seem to  pose danger to pedestrians ( see photo below of bike rack on Vancouver which I've used. Worries about delays in getting bikes on didn't seem to be a problem there--passengers were more the cause of any delay.

We need to put light rail back on the agenda for Wellington City to benefit all in our whole region--not only the cyclists. High-capacity, quick, frequent, reliable and clean; taking private cars, necessary for some, off our crowded roads. Good for people and the economy.

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