Houston Bike Racks on Buses -- now available!

[Bob]

Please join us for Bike Racks on Buses Day 2006!

Volunteers from Bike Houston and CTC will ask local elected leaders to support bike racks on all Metro buses. Austin can do it, Dallas can do it, and so can Houston. The federal money has already been appropriated; all we need now is the political will to follow through. Your presence will help: we are inviting interested people from across the Houston Metro service area to stand with us!

Why should we support bike racks on buses? Let's see...

• Do you take your bike on the train and wish you could take it on buses?
• Does your closest bus route leave you a long walk away from home or work or errands?
• Do you like riding your bike to work in the morning when it's cool but not home in the afternoon when it's hot?
• Would you like to have buses as a back-up travel option if your bike gets a flat or it starts to rain?
• Would the combination of bike and buses take you to more destinations than either one alone?
• Do you believe Houstonians both need and deserve more travel options?

If you answer yes to any of these, then you should support bike racks on buses. You can help in two ways:

1) Come to a public meeting. If you can get free during the day on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 then please join us downtown for one or both of these public meetings:

• 10:00 am - Harris County Commissioners' Court - 1001 Preston, 9th floor chamber, Houston, TX 77002
  If you wish to sign up to speak, complete the online form here
• 2:00 pm - Houston City Council - 901 Bagby, Houston, 77002
  If you wish to sign up to speak, call (713) 247-1840 and ask for 2 minutes on "bike racks on buses"

2) Contact your elected officials. If you have other commitments on Tuesday, you can still help make bike racks on our Houston buses a reality! Please contact your city and county elected leaders and ask them to support bike racks on buses:

Harris County

• Judge Robert Eckels - (713) 755-4000 or judge_eckels@co.harris.tx.us
• Cmr. Pct 1 El Franco Lee - (713) 755-6111 or janet_duran@cp1.hctx.net
• Cmr. Pct 2 Sylvia Garcia - (713) 755-6220 or sylvia_garcia@pct2.co.harris.tx.us
• Cmr. Pct 3 Steve Radack - (713) 755-6306 or pct3@hctx.net
• Cmr. Pct 4 Jerry Eversole - (713) 755-6444 or jerryeversole@hcp4.net
  City of Houston
• Mayor Bill White - (713) 247-2200 or mayor@cityofhouston.net
• CM Michael Berry (Transportation Cmte. Chair) - (713) 247-2006 or atlarge5@cityofhouston.net
• CM Pam Holm (Quality of Life Cmte. Chair) - (713) 247-2007 or districtg@cityofhouston.net
• CM Carol Alvarado (Environmental & Public Health Cmte. Chair) (713) 247-2011 or districti@cityofhouston.net
• Find your district Council Member and his/her contact info here: http://www.houstontx.gov/council/index.html

If you have any questions, post them below or contact:
Woody Speer (BikeHouston chair): woody_speer@eogresources.com -or- Robin Holzer: rholzer@ctchouston.org

[Bob]

See the related forum post about Dallas Area Rapit Transit (DART) becoming more bike-friendly here

[Bob]

To help everyone visualize what we're talking about, here are some photos I snapped in Los Angeles last summer (June 2005) of bike racks on local buses . The first one was on Wilshire Blvd:

Here's a closeup of the rack, folded up in the not-in-use position:

And here's one from Sepulveda Blvd that shows the rack folded down in use carrying a bike:


It was amazing how quickly people whipped their bikes into and out of these racks. As we rode the Rapid down Wilshire we watched several people load on, ride a couple of stops further and unload. It took maybe 5-10 seconds each time, tops, and they often accomplished it while other people were boarding.

Also, please note that I'm showing older model racks since LA has had them in service for years. SportWorks and other vendors have new quick-release rack models available that are even easier for transit agencies to use.

[Bob]

You can download CTC's 4-page packet (366 kb PDF) that we're presenting to city and county elected leaders. It's packed with info and some great photos. Some highlights:

Why does Houston need bike racks on buses?
The combination of bikes and buses will take Houstonians to more destinations than either one can alone. Bike racks on buses encourage genuinely multi-modal trips and will help reduce automobile dependence in Harris County. Bike racks:

• Connect existing bus routes to more destinations by making long walks easy
• Allow METRO to serve transit users at the edge of the service area and beyond
• Support cyclists caught by inclement weather or mechanical problems
• Improve safety by allowing cyclists to travel by bus through hazardous traffic areas
• Help Houston meet air quality goals by increasing use of both transit and cycling

Houston’s peer cities have already implemented bike racks on buses
Of the 15 largest cities in terms of population, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, Phoenix, Seattle have already implemented bike racks on more than 90% of their buses.

Adding bike rack service is consistent with METRO’s mission
METRO’s current top priority is increasing ridership. Bike racks will increase ridership because they effectively:

• Expand the transit service area,
• Attract new riders to transit, and
• Increase use of transit by existing customers

In addition, bike racks will improve METRO’s image as an all-around “mobility” agency and promote healthy lifestyle options.

Download the whole file for more details. And if our rationale makes, sense, write your elected leaders and tell them so!

[Bob]

Please join us for Bike Racks on Buses Day 2006!

Volunteers from Bike Houston and CTC will ask local elected leaders to support bike racks on all Metro buses. Austin can do it, Dallas can do it, and so can Houston.

First, a big "Thank you!" to the many folks who took time off from work today to physically come to Commissioners' Court and City Council. Your presence was helpful and the stories you shared were informative! Many thanks to everyone who has called or emailed so far. Thanks also to all of the organizations that have voiced their support for bike racks on buses: BikeHouston, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Quality of Life Coalition, the Texas Bicycle Coalition, and REI. Working together is key!

We've made big progress and we're getting closer to winning this issue:

At Harris County Commissioners' Court this morning, Judge Eckels, Commissioner Radack, Commissioner Garcia, and Commissioner Lee all expressed their strong support for the bike rack on buses program. Before we finished our presentations, Cmr. Radack turned to Jackie Freeman, a METRO board member present and said, "Jackie, we need to do this." Cmr. Lee said "this is a simple, easy-to-do matter." Judge Eckels said he supports the program and Cmr. Garcia said we should expect a letter of support from her office by the end of the day. This is all great news!

At Houston City Council this afternoon, many members of Council agreed that METRO's bike rack program is years overdue. Council Members Anne Clutterbuck, Ada Edwards, Adrian Garcia, Pam Holm, Toni Lawrence, Carol Alvarado, Peter Brown, and Sue Lovell all offered to write letters and/or phone METRO board members directly. Council Member Anne Clutterbuck went even further -- she had already worked with staff at Capital Metro, Austin's transit agency, to hear how successful Austin's bike rack program has been and learn how Austin has resolved many of the same issues Houston METRO is concerned over. Mayor White told us, "I'll work with y'all on this." He said he wants to make sure the CMAQ grant dollars get spent, and he's very interested in the cost-benefit analysis for the bike rack program.

==> If you have cable, you can watch the rebroadcast of the Council session on The Municipal Channel (TWC-16) on Thu May 4 around 9:00 pm and again Sat May 6 around 8:00 am and 2:00 pm. (Coverage starts earlier but our presentations are about 2 hours in.)

So what's next? More advocacy and problem solving.
Mayor White asked CM Clutterbuck to act as the point person and liaison with the community to work the bike rack issue. We will definitely keep in touch! He also asked for solid information on ridership and cost impacts. I know BikeHouston has some of this info and I bet our allies can help us get more. CTC and BikeHouston are commited to partnering with the City, County, and METRO to ensure the successful implementation of this program.

If you haven't already done so, please write your Mayor and Council Members (see previous post for details). And remember: METRO has terrific new leadership in the last two years which makes LOTS of new things possible.

[Ed Browne]

We've made big progress and we're getting closer to winning this issue:

Great work, Robin! Soon a lot more of us will feel more comfortable riding bikes again.

[wakester]

With May gone and Aug getting closer, has Metro actually did anything about this yet?

[Woody]

As a result of everyone's input at various public meetings, METRO has revisited the issue of bike racks on buses (BOB). By METRO's analysis, done back in September 2005, it was not the initial cost of installing the bike racks but rather their internal cost estimation of high annual operating costs on an ongoing basis for buses equipped with bike racks. METRO identified an additional $160M per year of added bus washing costs and $360M per year in additional costs related to accessing the front of the buses. The $360M cost was largely due to the inability to tow the buses from the front without first unbolting the bike rack which was a time consuming task with the old hardware mountings. METRO's internal cost estimate worked out to be an additional $430 per bus per year based on a 1,200 bus fleet. Surveys of other comparable transit agencies indicated their annual operating costs due to BOB was from negligible upwards to $120 per bus per year. METRO's internal estimate from 9/05 was 3.5X higher than any other transit agency in the nation.

In November 2005, a bike rack manufacturer, Sportworks, invented a new mounting brack, called the Ten Second Bracket, that could be removed in a matter of seconds that would allow for a quick removal of the mounting bracket and bike rack from the bus bumper. This would allow for a swift removal of the rack for service issues as well as for towing using their conventional means. (Evidently, METRO does a lot of towing.) In addition, in January 2006, Sportworks invented a new rack called the Velo Porter that offered less maintenace as well as ease in going through the automated bus washers.

As of last check, June 29, METRO operations was refining their annual operating cost estimates in regards to what savings the new racks and new mounting hardware would have.
METRO hopes to have new cost estimates out in about one week so that everyone can re-evaluate. METRO does have a handful of buses that this new quick release mounting bracket may not work on but I'm sure that something could be fabricated if needed.

Never the less, METRO is still saying Bike Racks on Buses in 2008. However I was there at the August 2004 METRO board meeting when they promised Bike Racks on Buses in 2006. If they delay until 2008, they will have to reapply for the federal funding that they loose in August 2006.
Seems like a hassle when they could place two phone calls and get this done. One call to Sportworks to order the racks and one call to a contract installer that would drop in with a crew of 10 professionals and have the entire fleet outfitted in 5 weeks. Installation of course is coverd by the 80% federal grant under the CMAQ.

Stay tuned.

[Howard Bingham]

It is already the second week of August..!

NO bike racks visible on buses..!

WHEN will Houston get wise..?

One member of "HoustonPeakOil" list has taken a foldup bike on a Metro bus recently in off peak hours & did not encounter any opposition by the driver. Fold up bikes have been around for many years, owners of private aircraft often carry them on small planes in order to have ground transportation at small airports. Some specialty bike stores in Houston carry them (I don't know brand names, but have seen one at a bike store in the West U. Village stopping center not too long ago. A former co-worker in the medical center used to ride one from his condo off S. Braeswood to work frequently & stashed it in his office after arriving at work.

Howard Bingham, on #2 Bellaire bus route in Southside Place

[wakester]

I wish they would at least use the money to put bike lockers.

[Woody]

Spoke with METRO today and as far as my contact knew, METRO intends to do nothing by the deadline of August 31, 2006. This means that Houston looses $960,000 of federal money available through the CMAQ for bike racks on buses (BOB) which is 80% of the cost. Even if METRO got in gear next week, I’m not sure of the logistics of them getting BOB done in time to qualify for the funding. METRO can of course reapply for the funding (CMAQ) but there is no guarantee that the feds will be so accommodating. No idea what we can do. Maybe letters or emails to Representative Culberson would help with a cc to Wolff and Wilson. METRO at least seems to have taken his views into consideration regarding rail on Richmond.

[Howard Bingham]

[quote="Woody"]Spoke with METRO today and as far as my contact knew, METRO intends to do nothing by the deadline of August 31, 2006. This means that Houston looses $960,000 of federal money available through the CMAQ for bike racks on buses (BOB) which is 80% of the cost. Even if METRO got in gear next week, I’m not sure of the logistics of them getting BOB done in time to qualify for the funding. METRO can of course reapply for the funding (CMAQ) but there is no guarantee that the feds will be so accommodating. No idea what we can do. Maybe letters or emails to Representative Culberson would help with a cc to Wolff and Wilson. METRO at least seems to have taken his views into consideration regarding rail on Richmond.[/quote]
<br>
This is so typical of Houston governmental entities that typically go into hysteria when federal agencies reject funding requests.

After spending 37 years working in the Texas Medical Center, I learned that in order to get further federal funding for any given project, that you first had to prove how efectively you spent the last grant, typically grants that were spent to the limits (And in some cases went over budget), were those which stood a better chance in being renewed after it was proven how effective the agency spent the prior grant.

The City of Houston "Housing Dept." though has a record similar to that of Metro, they DON'T spend all of the grants the do get, so successive grants are often for lesser amounts to reflect habits of the past.

Sure seems the current Metro board has a lot of lessons to learn about federal grants & given Rep. Culberson's track record, Metro will get little sympathy from him.

Yielding the soap box,

Howard Bingham

[Bob]

BikeHouston Chair Woody Speer took this issue back to the METRO board on Wed Aug 23. While he didn't win any concessions from METRO, he did garner good coverage from Rad Sallee in the Chronicle's "This Week: Heights/Neartown" section:

Aug. 28, 2006, 10:38PM
Metro rides the brakes on bus bike racks
Years into the debate, the agency is willing to discuss a phase-in, not full deployment
By RAD SALLEE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Bikes and transit would seem the perfect marriage. Both take cars off the street, both promote cleaner air when used for commuting, and both fit into an urban lifestyle.

But in Houston, where the city and county are expanding a network of bikeways and the Metropolitan Transit Authority is planning five high-volume transit lines, you still can't take your bike on the bus.

And you probably won't for a while. Last week, Metro officials told biking advocates that the agency has no immediate plans to put bike racks on all its buses — as called for in the 2003 transit referendum — but will consider phasing them in through 2008.

A perennially hopeful suitor, the city's biking community is accustomed to disappointment from Metro. There are far more bus riders than bikers, and when money is tight, guess who loses out?

Both sides were all smiles in 2000, when the agency said it would have all its buses equipped with racks the following year. The money went to Park & Ride expansion instead.

Hopes flourished again in 2004, when a $1.5 million to purchase and install racks was expected to be in the agency's 2005 budget. But a slumping economy and falling sales tax revenue hit Metro with its first annual shortfall, and the item disappeared.

As recently as May, a Metro spokeswoman said "we're reconsidering our timeline" based on cycling advocates' request that racks appear sooner than the 2008 time frame envisioned now.

Perennial plea

At Wednesday's Metro board meeting, BikeHouston chairman Woody Speer made the perennial plea. He added that the newest bumper-mounted racks can be locked and unlocked quickly, minimizing bus delays, and do not interfere with automated bus-washing equipment.

Speer said the Houston-Galveston Area Council has $1.2 million in federal air quality funds that Metro could use for the program, but the money runs out this month.

Now is the time, he said, for Metro "to make good on its commitment" to voters in the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum, which — in addition to more buses — called for "accommodation for bicycles such as bike racks on all buses."

"Bicycling Magazine dubbed us one of the most bike-unfriendly towns in the nation," Speer noted after the meeting, although he added that "bike-friendly depends on the part of Houston that you are in.

"If you look at where we were five years ago, then you have to give the city a 'C' for progress," he said. The grade might be higher except that in much of the city, bike lanes overall are "not for the faint of heart" and are often "narrow, full of debris, glass, potholes, uneven surfaces and drainage inlets."

It's frustrating, Speer said. "Years of planning on bike accommodations seems to be replaced by more years of planning on the same accommodations. It's easier to run a toll road through Houston than it is to get a bike path completed."

After Speer's remarks to the board, Metro President and CEO Frank Wilson responded that the agency would consider phasing in bike racks through 2008. But he said bike fans have taken an "all or nothing" approach.

"We look at this like we look at any other expenditure of funds, an investment in service," Wilson said. "We've heard all the arguments, we've done all the research, and to summarize as best I can, we're going to spend a significant amount of money to carry very little ridership in our estimation."

Operating costs

The Citizens' Transportation Coalition says that of the 15 largest cities in the country, only Houston, New York and Detroit do not have racks on buses. Wilson said that when Metro asks other transit agencies about that, most say they do not keep ridership numbers for bike passengers.

Nine out of 10 will tell us, 'Oh, it works, but we were made to do it,' " he added.

Although bikers note that the federal funding covers 80 percent of the rack purchases, Wilson said 100 percent of the ongoing operating costs would be borne by Metro.

Wilson told Speer he is willing to work with bikers on a phased installation that will give Metro time to "gauge our ridership and do it in a practical way."

"I just have never had a willing negotiator from the other side to talk about anything else but a full-out deployment overnight," he said at the board meeting.

"I think the full-out deployment was part of Metro Solutions," Speer replied.

Board Chairman David Wolff told Speer that Metro is willing to talk about "ways to maybe put our toe in the water on this, regardless of what may have been specified in the past."
Source: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/heights/news/4145075.html

The advantages of rolling out racks on every bus simultaneously are obvious. However, METRO continues to be reluctant to do it. I'm willing to assume that Wilson and Wolff are genuinely willing to advance a partial implementation if it makes sense. So I am wondering-- how could a partial rollout potentially work?

From the perspective of any given individual cycling bus rider, you would need reliable access to a rack on any given bus you needed to ride. (On a route with buses 30+ minutes apart, you would only need to get burned once by a bus with no rack before you abandoned the bike or the bus.) But as a practical matter, no individual cyclist encounters every single bus in the fleet.

How are buses allocated to routes? I realize that over the course of a week, one bus might service several different routes, but are there any obvious logical groupings? Is a park-and-ride bus always on park-and-ride routes? Are all the buses for particular routes run out of a particular bus barn? Does anyone have any ideas for how this could work?

[Woody]

I too have been wondering the same things. My concern is that documented research has shown that partial deployments do not work. You only need to burn a rider once and the word spreads about unreliability. Research has shown that it takes the public almost three years before they realize what a bike rack is and what it can do for them. It takes time to educate the public. We’ve been trying to educate METRO for six years but hopefully the public is a little brighter. A bike rack here and a bike rack there does not make for a reliable system and what better way for METRO to gauge this level of activity for two years and then kill the whole concept again in 2008.

When I gave my presentation to METRO, I felt as though Frank Wilson already had a pre-rehearsed response to what he perceived I was going to address. My entire presentation was devoted to offering solutions to METRO’s concerns over installation issues as well as annual operating costs. If I really believed METRO’s $500M per year number in operating costs, then I would be the first to say that BOB are uneconomical. All of my research has shown that the real number is only about 15% of $500M.

METRO has no reason to wait until 2008 other than the fact that they think that this current call for action will run its course and that they can again stall past 2008. A contract installer with a crew of 10 is capable of installing 200 racks per week and could do the entire METRO fleet of 1,200 buses in 6 weeks. The CMAQ money can be used to cover their labor installation costs so why would METRO even think about tying up local labor on a piecemeal installation? Use the 80% federal money to do the installation and not my 100% local tax dollars which is how local labor is funded. After all, the feds have plenty of yours and mine tax dollars that they continue to give to other progressive transit agencies. After the meeting, I suggested that if all buses traveling to the Medical Center could be outfitted with a rack, that it might work. METRO operations killed that idea on the spot as they told me that 90% of their bus traffic passes through the Medical Center.

Ideas?

[Bob]

After the meeting, I suggested that if all buses traveling to the Medical Center could be outfitted with a rack, that it might work. METRO operations killed that idea on the spot as they told me that 90% of their bus traffic passes through the Medical Center.

Actually, it sounds more like METRO just made the case for installing racks on every bus! The Texas Medical Center boasts the largest employee base of bike riders in the city, with more than 1,000 people a day on bikes. It also has an ever-more-pressing demand for car-alternatives. Can you say "target market"? I agree with you that the TMC is an obvious place to start.

Supporting the Med Center with rack-enabled-buses has several benefits: 1) racks would attract new riders that neither transit nor bikes alone work for, and 2) people surrounded by bike and transit users will clue in to the idea a whole lot faster. But for the idea to work, people must be able to count on a rack on every single bus that serves the Med Center. If that's 90% of the fleet, then maybe that's what it takes.

[Howard Bingham]

Perhaps the easiest way to get bike racks on all transit buses (Exempting some commute runs, as the larger commute buses have underside bin's that "could" be used to accommodate some biles.), wouldn't be easier to "require" METRO to include bus racks as "factory installed" options (Supposedly being the factory installed racks would be included in the warranty of the bus manufacturer.).

Most bus manufacturers have recently added factory installed bike racks on most transit buses..

Being that METRO will be replacing most of it's bus fleet within the next 5 years (The Neoplan articulated buses are likely among those that should be nearing retirement & replacement age.), it would make economic sense to order NEW buses with factory installed bike racks, as this way Metro would get out of the cost of retrofitting existing buses that may be nearing normal replacement age.

Howard Bingham

[passonby]

Hello!!

I was sorely disappointed today when I boarded the Metro bus only to be given a few brief words that my folding bike could not be brought inside the bus. I faced no other alternative but to look at the bus driver and plea my case that this is my mode of transportation. To which she replied, "Sorry".

So I wrote an email to Metro to implement bike racks on the bus.

I did a google search on bike racks for our Houston buses and that is how I found this forum. It brings me great happiness to know that other Houstonians want bike racks as much as I do!!

What is the status with METRO and their implementation of this issue?

I would like to help in anyway I can to promote this topic!

[Woody]

Thank you for your interest in bike racks on buses (BOB). Getting METRO to install BOB has been an ongoing initiative for BikeHouston since 2000. For more history on the subject please, see their website at http://www.bikehouston.org/content/view/268/42/

METRO claims they will implement BOB in 2008. However, METRO’s past actions on this initiative clearly demonstrates a clear lack of credibility so we have no reason to believe them. The 2003 METRO Solutions referendum called for bike racks on all buses so it defies reasoning as to why they would ignore their own referendum.

METRO’s new blog promises to cover this topic at some point in time so that would be an excellent area to post your comments. If you are really serious about this initiative the most effective way would be to make a presentation before the METRO board. Please send me a private message if you are interested in doing this as I have reams of information that I can share with you.

[Bob]

What is the status with METRO and their implementation of this issue?
I would like to help in anyway I can to promote this topic!

Thanks for your inquiry! I'm glad you're interested and we welcome the help!

I have a meeting coming up soon with some METRO folks and I'll try to find out the current status of the project. Since METRO's fiscal year 2008 starts this summer, it may not be as far off as we fear. I'd like to hope there will be a new opportunity to make progress on this. And certainly, we'll get further with an organized, concerted effort!

[passonby]

Awesome, this sounds good!! I will spread the word to my friends.

Please keep all of us posted=)

[Howard Bingham]

Hello!!

I was sorely disappointed today when I boarded the Metro bus only to be given a few brief words that my folding bike could not be brought inside the bus. I faced no other alternative but to look at the bus driver and plea my case that this is my mode of transportation. To which she replied, "Sorry".

So I wrote an email to Metro to implement bike racks on the bus.

I did a google search on bike racks for our Houston buses and that is how I found this forum. It brings me great happiness to know that other Houstonians want bike racks as much as I do!!

What is the status with METRO and their implementation of this issue?

I would like to help in anyway I can to promote this topic!

Actually IF Metro were to start by installation of bike racks on circulator buses in the Texas Medical Center & other similar districts, it would go a long way in proving bike racks attract NEW riders & with the coming fare changes, they will need all the new riders they get to offset the fact they are doing away with transfers & every bus or light rail change that you make will require a NEW fare be paid..

I don't know how the new "Smart Cards" will work, for casual riders ike myself who do not patronize stores that currently sell Metro fare products, I will be at a disadvantage (Other than by the discount I get with my "Sr. Citizen ID card.).

Howard Bingham

[Bob]

METRO claims they will implement BOB in 2008.

Last week, I heard from two sources inside METRO that bike racks for all the buses are finally coming soon! If anyone has more details, please share them here...

[Woody]

The Thursday, April 05, 2007 METRO blog carried some comments about the bike racks on buses. The new hybrid buses that METRO has on order are coming equipped with the Romeo-Rim bumper that accepts the ten-second bracket (TSB) made by Sportworks. (Check out the June 29, 2006 post on this thread for more info). With this type of bumper and bracket, the racks can be installed on a bus within a few minutes. I’ve heard that METRO wants to make an official announcement by April 20th or the Friday before the MS 150.

Given the false starts by METRO in the past, I’m still very cautious at this point. Consistent availability of racks, on all buses within a service area is critical to usage which will define the success of the program. Scattered availability is a waste of resources.

Here's a link that shows the new style racks in action:
http://www.swnw.com/busrack_video.asp[/url]

[wakester]

Here is a picture of the Hybrid bus and notice what is on the front bumper.

http://www.ridemetro.org/News/METROConnections/apr07/040701.asp

[kf5nd]

METRO Goes Green with Bikes on Buses

I would like to invite you to a press conference on this Friday, April 20th at Noon at 1900 Main Street with METRO President and CEO and Senator Rodney Ellis and other bicycle advocates as we announce the implementation of bike racks on the METRO bus fleet. We are developing a flier, but in the mean time, please pass the word around. We would love to have as many cyclists as possible actually ride their bikes to the building on that day. We will also have refreshments from Whole Food Market along with demos from various bike shops in our lobby.

Please call me and let me know if you will be able to make it. My number is 713-739-4980 work.


Thanks,
Karen Marshall
Director, Community Outreach
Metropolitan Transit Authority
713-739-4980 work


METRO is about to embark on an exciting new program, and we're inviting all bicycle riders to kick it into the "big" gear.

On April 20, 2007, METRO will be hosting a bike festival to mark the start of its new bike-racks-on-buses campaign. The festival will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at our downtown headquarters, 1900 Main.

Bike shops, clubs and a variety of vendors will be joining us for this event. At noon, METRO will host a news conference with METRO's President & CEO Frank Wilson, State Rep. Rodney Ellis and other local dignitaries.

Come check out the happenings, and check out METRO's new bike racks - attached to METRO's new, futuristic hybrid bus. It's one smooth ride.

You can download the invite here http://ctchouston.org/library/metro/metro_launch_bikes_on_buses_invite_07apr20.pdf (1 mb PDF)

[Bob]

METRO's bike rack launch event is a big deal! CTC has only worked on this for a year, but the folks at BikeHouston have been working on it since 2000! I am planning to attend the launch event Friday at 11:30 am. Would anyone else like to go?

[Woody]

I'll see you there.

[Bob]

I posted photos and brief comments from today's event in my "Whatnot" blog:
http://www.ctchouston.org/blogs/robin/2007/04/20/metro-bike-racks/
Yay!

[wakester]

Did they mention anything about bike lockers?

[m1ek]

Congratulations on this long overdue feat. I was filmed putting my bike on/off a Capital Metro bus in approximately 2002. Hope they quickly fill the rest of the fleet (CM went from a pilot to nearly full coverage so quickly that it can't be a major expense).

[Bob]

All of the TV coverage of Friday's event got bumped by the tragic shooting at Johnson Space Center. However, KPRC-2 did a live video feature this morning about the new METRO bike racks : http://www.click2houston.com/video/12891634/index.html?taf=hou.

[Bob]

METRO has posted the schedule for bike rack installation that shows which bus routes will have racks by which launch date:
http://www.ridemetro.org/TransportationServices/Metro_Bus/bikes/bobsched.asp

They are bringing racks on line in six chunks, starting with buses that run out of the Polk facility. I am pleased that the #35 which runs past my house is in the first group, which means I can start taking my bike with me in July! They also say that all local routes which have weekend service will have racks by Aug 21, 2007:
http://www.ridemetro.org/TransportationServices/Metro_Bus/bikes/rackuse.asp

Did they mention anything about bike lockers?

I haven't heard anything official about them, but I'm certainly mentioning bike lockers every time I talk about desired amenities for transit stops.

[wakester]

They mentioned that you can place your bike on the Park n Ride buses, does that mean that they are available now? I know that the double buses are not suppose to get them. I heard that they are getting phased out.

[wakester]

OK, to answer my own question, Yes. Today I saw a Bike sticker on the Luggage compartment on the 286 and 217 Commuter buses.

[kf5nd]

Really? The 217 goes to Cypress, correct? Do you know anything about the 216 to West Little York?

OK, to answer my own question, Yes. Today I saw a Bike sticker on the Luggage compartment on the 286 and 217 Commuter buses.

[wakester]

Really? The 217 goes to Cypress, correct? Do you know anything about the 216 to West Little York?

I think all the "tall" commuter buses have them but the "long" ones don't. I believe that the 216 route uses both types of buses. So that would be a little tricky. Also, during the day and at night the route becomes 219 which always seems to use the long buses.

[Woody]

Today was Bike to Work Day. A group of @45 riders including Mayor White rode in from Memorial Park and arrived at the park in front of City Hall around 8:20 am for a press conference. Three cheers for METRO for being on hand with their hybrid bus complete with a bike rack. In addition, METRO had a display and they passed out literature on the new upcoming BOB. Still can't believe it. What a far cry from where we were this time last year.

I spoke with METRO ops about bikes on the P&R buses. Per METRO, the luggage bins with the blue bike labels can now be opened and a bike can be pitched in the compartment for transportation. (This may not be common knowledge to all the bus drivers). This is how we used to carry bikes on the P&R buses prior to May 2003. I don't know if they intend to install those factory sliders or not. The old way worked well as long as the bus driver didn't stop in front of a pole or newspaper rack that kept you from getting access to the compartment on unloading. Unloading was quick. Less than 10 seconds. Some of the cargo doors have not been opened in years and they may be a little stiff, so it may take a mighty yank to get the door open.

Rode into downtown for the event but had to get back to work before the other riders arrived from Memorial park so I didn't hear what the Mayor had to say. I know they rolled out the white bike program to the city employees. The Blue Cross Blue Shield rep provided snacks and a light breakfast for the cyclists. What a great idea. Get the employees healthier through bike riding and lower your insurance cash claim outflow. In addition, I saw a fair number of cyclists riding in from the SW that probably didn't participate in the downtown ceremony. The Chamber of Commerce weather this am certainly helped.

[wakester]

I posted this on the Metro blog :

One thing that I have found is that bike use on a P&R bus is different than bike use on a local bus.

On a local bus, you would use the bike to get to the bus stop, and then use it to get to the final destination. Then on the way back you would use the bike to get home.

On a P&R commuter bus, you would drive a car to the P&R and the bike is really only useful once you get to your last bus stop to your final destination and back.

For example, I live 5 miles from the Cypress P&R. I ride the 217 to the NWTC and then switch to the 286 or 33 bus to Post Oak. My office is still about a mile from Post Oak so I either catch another local bus or walk. It usually takes less than 45 minutes to get from Cypress to Post Oak in Uptown. But it takes 20-40 minutes to get from Post Oak to my office. Now if I could ride a bike from Post Oak it would take less than 5 minutes to go that last mile. Also, on the way back I would be able to time my departure so that I arrived at Post Oak as the bus was coming. Right now I am dependent on when the local bus gets there so I usually have to wait.

Now to use a bike right now, I would have to haul the bike in my car, load it on the 217 bus. At the NWTC unload the bike and then load onto the 286 or 33 (when it gets bike racks). Then unload on Post Oak so that I can finally use it.

Now imagine that Metro, City of Houston, or the Uptown area placed bike lockers or even bike racks on Post Oak by the bus stop. I could leave my bike there and then access it only when I needed it. Not having to drag it back and forth on the commute.

[kf5nd]

no fear of thieves? they'll get into anything!

I posted this on the Metro blog :
Now imagine that Metro, City of Houston, or the Uptown area placed bike lockers or even bike racks on Post Oak by the bus stop. I could leave my bike there and then access it only when I needed it. Not having to drag it back and forth on the commute.

[Woody]

Finally got to use the BOB this AM and saved about 1.75 gallon's of gas. It was either drive in for the day, since I was working late or take METRO in the AM with my bike and cycle home late this evening from downtown. So I tossed my bike in the cargo bin of the 261 P&R, traveled into downtown and retrieved it from the cargo bin in a matter of seconds. I've been waiting four years to do this.

Word of caution. The cargo bins are filthy as METRO has not cleaned these areas in years. Next time I'm removing my back pack from the carrier as the pack touched the cargo bin floor and got filthy. Had to grab the cargo door handle as well as place my hand under the bottom left corner of the cargo to get it open. These doors should work easier as more people start using them.

[Ed Browne]

Finally got to use the BOB this AM and saved about 1.75 gallon's of gas.

I saw gas records for a good number of Metro's diesel buses and they average 1-5mpg with most around 2-3. In order to substantially save fuel, buses need to carry more people. Attracting the bike commuter is a great way to improve mpg/person.

Does anyone know the mileage of the new hybrid buses?

[kf5nd]

Ah, so four people carpooling in a Prius get 160 - 180 MPG per passenger. To equal that, a bus would have to be... just about fully loaded!

Finally got to use the BOB this AM and saved about 1.75 gallon's of gas.

I saw gas records for a good number of Metro's diesel buses and they average 1-5mpg with most around 2-3. In order to substantially save fuel, buses need to carry more people. Attracting the bike commuter is a great way to improve mpg/person.

Does anyone know the mileage of the new hybrid buses?

[Ed Browne]

Ah, so four people carpooling in a Prius get 160 - 180 MPG per passenger. To equal that, a bus would have to be... just about fully loaded!

I very nearly wrote that exact thing when I made the post, but thought that road warriors would use it to show the benefits of individual cars over mass transit; hence the question about hybrid bus mileage. Of course substantial savings could be had with car pools and careful trip planning and even more when combined with telecommuting and staggered schedules, but we have yet to see a massive effort in this direction.

Oddly enough, I know several van commuters working for large oil services companies. I always find it interesting that in some ways, the engineers and scientists working for the oil industry are leaders in conservation and environmentalism. That is, the image of a swaggering oil tycoon Texan who doesn't give a damn about the environment doesn't extend into the minions working in the industry. In fact, people like Dick Chenney and George Bush may be the exception rather than the rule.

[Woody]

METRO is holding to their promise of getting the BOB installed. For those of you who have used the Park and Ride bus cargo bins, METRO should be redoing the door handle to a style that allows greater leverage to open the door. Here is a recent update on the program from METRO:

BIKE RACKS NOW ON ALL BUSES RUNNING WEEKEND ROUTES

With the weekend just around the corner, METRO is announcing that all buses serving weekend routes now have bike racks.

Since April 2007, METRO has been installing racks on its local buses. By the end of December, about 800 local buses will have bike racks.

Bike riders can also store their bikes in the designated luggage bays of METRO’s Park & Ride buses, and bikes are allowed on METRORail during nonpeak hours.

The bike rack program is just one of many ways METRO is making Houston greener. This spring, METRO added 30 hybrid buses to its fleet and it has placed an order for 100 more. These buses are expected to post a fuel savings of 30 percent or more. The hybrid technology reduces nitrogen oxide
(NOx) emissions by more than 50 percent and greatly reduces particulate, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions.

With the weekend just around the corner, METRO is announcing that all buses serving weekend routes now have bike racks.

Since April 2007, METRO has been installing racks on its local buses. By the end of December, about 800 local buses will have bike racks.

Bike riders can also store their bikes in the designated luggage bays of METRO’s Park & Ride buses, and bikes are allowed on METRORail during nonpeak hours.

The bike rack program is just one of many ways METRO is making Houston greener. This spring, METRO added 30 hybrid buses to its fleet and it has placed an order for 100 more. These buses are expected to post a fuel savings of 30 percent or more. The hybrid technology reduces nitrogen oxide
(NOx) emissions by more than 50 percent and greatly reduces particulate, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions.

[kf5nd]

I was riding the #82 bus today, westbound at Westheimer and Beltway 8 around 5:00 pm, and the bike rack was full, carrying two bikes.

People are definitely using the racks.

[kf5nd]

http://blogs.ridemetro.org/blogs/write_ ... rcise.aspx

[Bob]

Friday, September 07, 2007 3:57 PM
Tri-modal Commuter Bikes to Work for Exercise
Peter Wang, a geophysicist who lives in Copperfield, drives seven miles to a constable station, then takes his bike from his car and pedals the remaining 13 miles to his office.

Enroute home, he often uses three modes of transportation: He takes the 82 Westheimer bus going west, mounting his bike on a METRO bus rack. Eight miles later, he disembarks with his bike - and pedals five miles to his parked car. Then he drives home...

Source: http://blogs.ridemetro.org/blogs/write_on/archive/2007/09/07/-Tri_2D00_modal-Commuter-Bikes-to-Work-for-Exercise.aspx

This is a great feature, Peter! Great job leading the way!
And thanks to Mary for telling Peter's story!

[Bob]

It's official! METRO now has bike racks on ALL local buses, and they got the job done three months early:

Today's date: October 3, 2007
Contact: Raequel Roberts, Sr. Director/ Media Relations

METRO FINISHES BIKE RACK INSTALLATION EARLY

METRO is pleased to announce that it has beaten its December goal of installing bike racks on all its local routes. As of September 27, a total of 762 buses now have bike racks.

So far, 223 passengers have loaded their bikes on a bus.

In April, METRO installed 21 bike racks on its new hybrid, diesel-electric buses, promising to install bike racks on all local routes by December 31.

By August, all weekend routes had bike racks, giving bike riders a commuting option for their leisure activities.

“Our Operations Maintenance department did an excellent job installing the bike racks on the buses, and they did it three months ahead of schedule,” said David Feeley, Senior Vice President of Operations. “We hope more people become aware that they can now ride their bike and take the bus to work, or elsewhere.”

METRO Park & Ride commuters can store their bikes in the designated luggage bays of the buses, and bikes are allowed on METRORail during non-peak hours.

METRO has spent about $1.3 million on the program, with $1.2 million coming from Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding, and $142,000 from local funds.

The Bikes on Buses program is an extension of METRO’s green drive, which includes hybrid buses and recycling initiatives.

Thank you, METRO! Now we can ride with confidence, knowing when we get to the bus stop that the next bus WILL have a bike rack on it. And October is a great time of year to be out in Houston on bike or foot.

Further, new riders are using the racks. Just yesterday, an executive who lives in Afton Oaks told me about buying his son a new bike last weekend. Dad put his existing bike on the rack on the #82 and they bused together over to Houston Bicycle Co. on Taft at Westheimer. They picked up Son's new bike and then biked home together. What could have been a 9-mile round trip in a car with a bike on the back, became a 4.5 mile shared ride on the bus and a pleasant bike ride home. That's a great use of this new service!

[Bob]

At the Oct 18, 2007 METRO board meeting, CEO Frank Wilson presented some utilization data for the new bike racks:

• Between Apr and Nov, 2007 (8 months) they counted 876 riders using the on-bus bike racks
• 674 of those uses occurred in October and November (last 6 weeks), after racks were available on all of the local buses

Wilson said, "We're happy with that response, and we expect to see it grow." He asked the bike advocate community to help get the word out and ensure that utilization continues to grow. Wilson observed that October has brought great weather for biking, but acknowledged that these numbers may also reflect just what bike advocates said from the outset: that racks would be used most after they were reliably available on every bus.

[kf5nd]

Bike access on trains needed in exactly the same passenger-to-bike ratio as the buses... no more, no less.