GO bike bus

This unlikely crowd gathered here to media-launch the front mounted bicycle racks on Hamilton-Toronto and Hamilton-Aldershot GO buses shows some depth to the Hamilton Cycling and alt-trans scene.
These are indeed heady times, with lots of sustainable transportation options bearing fruit and supporting non-automotive mobility.
The GO folks did a good job inviting reps from various local groups besides politicians and city staff; on hand, reps from the city cycling committee, the ACT office at McMaster, St. Joseph's Health Care, and MaCycle, and of course TLC.
Thanks to GO and to Daryl Bender, City Cycling Coordinator for pulling the PR together!
Now, like the singer says, "Get on your bikes and RIDE!"
(By August 2nd, 2008, all GO buses on the Hamilton-Toronto/Hamilton-Aldershot corridor will have the capacity to carry two bicycles on these front mounted racks, year round)

Thanks to Robert Konjek, MTO Communications, supplying the photo.

Bike Racks on Buses GO further

Soon you can bike and GO by bus

GO Buses in the Hamilton corridor will soon be sporting bike racks, and eventually you'll be able to bring your bike on buses across the system. The user-friendly racks allow you to load and unload your bike yourself. We're introducing bus bike racks to encourage customers to combine cycling with public transit for a healthier lifestyle and community.

Download a PDF of the Spring 2008 issue of GO News: http://gotransit.com/PUBLIC/en/publications/GONews_spring_08_web.pdf

CATCH the Good News!

Citizens at City Hall (CATCH) release the good news (that Thom had previewed earlier). It certainly feels rewarding after years of TLC and the City Cycling Committee pushing council for this:

Bike racks on all buses

There are now bicycle racks on all HSR buses. Delays in receiving the racks from the manufacturer slowed down the expected installation speed, and the variety of bus models also presented difficulties, but HSR director Don Hull says all the racks are now in place.

The news generated a round of applause at yesterday’s meeting of the city’s transit steering committee. Waterloo region preceded Hamilton in installing bike racks, but Ottawa and Toronto are yet to put them on all their buses.

[The CATCH article doesn't mention our next door neighbour Burlington also installed the racks well before Hamilton did]

local transit video: using bus bike racks

Saw this on Raise the Hammer - a you tube video by Hamilton's very own Thom Oommen - good work Thom, and the great actors!

My daughter and I used the racks the other day on the King bus, simple and effective!

randy

where are the bus bike racks? a question and an answer...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: HSR Customer Service <hsrserve@hamilton.ca>
Date: May 29, 2007 10:24 AM
Subject: RE: bike racks
To: Transportation for Liveable Communities <tlchamilton@gmail.com>

Randy: We are currently waiting for a response to our tender. Could you please

check back with us in approximately one month's time. Thanks.

-----Original Message-----
From: Transportation for Liveable Communities [mailto:tlchamilton@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 10:22 PM
To: HSR Customer Service
Cc: g-tlc@mcmaster.ca; Eisenberger, Fred
Subject: bike racks

Hi - any idea of when the bike racks will be installed on city buses?

Thanks,

Randy Kay
Transportation for Liveable Communities Hamilton
tlchamilton.blogspot.com

rack one up? we'll $ee

Monday November 6, 2006

Good morning, you will be pleased to hear that Council has directed that staff submit a request for Capital funding for bike racks on the buses for their consideration during their 2007 budget deliberations, expected to begin early in the new year.

Don Hull
Director, Transit Division
Public Works Department
City of Hamilton

Rack It Up

Monday, November 6, 2006

Don Hull, Director of Transit, Hamilton Street Railway

Dear Don,

Given Burlington Transit’s adoption of bike racks on all their fleet of buses during the summer, Transportation for Liveable Communities urgently requests that the HSR come up with a definite plan for the introduction of bike racks on their buses.

These racks have been highly successful in other cities in Ontario including Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener and now Burlington and we feel strongly that Hamilton should not be left behind. For one, Hamilton’s geography makes these racks a necessity. As the majority of our membership is composed of cyclists, we know that the Mountain can be a formidable barrier to cycling in our city; in this way Hamilton is different from many other cities. Most average cyclists would rather not race down or up the Mountain in competition with motor vehicles but would prefer a safer and more convenient option. In the absence of a dedicated, quick and efficient cycling access to the Mountain this affordable option should be provided.

As Director of Transit, you understand very clearly the impact of an over emphasis on private vehicles on our roads. Each year Hamilton experiences more and more smog days, the rate of asthma and other breathing conditions amongst children is now 1 in 5 and the menace of climate change continues to grow with each passing year; not to mention the fact that more and more Hamiltonians lead sedentary and inactive lives leaving them vulnerable to obesity and other related diseases. Every effort should be made to make cycling and public transit more attractive to Hamiltonians to combat these many negative trends.

Our group exists to make Hamilton a truly liveable community. We know that private vehicles receive much too much attention to the detriment of transit, cycling and walking. Bus racks on the HSR is the next step in making Hamilton a more cycling-friendly and sustainable city, not to mention growing the ridership of the HSR.

Therefore the Transportation for Liveable Communities formally requests a firm timeline for the proposed introduction of these racks on HSR buses. According to past HSR reports to TLC bike racks have been under consideration since 2001. Despite some reasonable concerns, five years is a long time to wait. We hope to not be still waiting for bike racks five years from now. Please don’t stall this important improvement any longer. Hamilton is already too far behind its neighbours.

We are at your disposal to facilitate and advertise this improvement in Hamilton’s cycling infrastructure.


Sincerely,

Ted Mitchell, MD
for Transportation for Liveable Communities

Cc: Mayor, City Council, Scott Stewart, Dr Elizabeth Richardson Medical Officer of Health

- - - - -

About TLC:
Transportation for Liveable Communities is a volunteer working group of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group based at McMaster University. TLC works to improve conditions that support sustainable transportation, including walking, cycling, public transit and car-pooling.