From an opinion article in The Olympian, advocating allowing bikes on buses if the racks are full:
[Intercity Transit] general manager Mike Harbour, himself a regular bicycle commuter, said he’s heard that an increasing number of prospective bus riders with bicycles are being turned away because racks are full. Each rack holds two bicycles.
Harbour said full racks are prevalent on routes with long, steep hills, including Fourth and Harrison avenues.
He said options being explored are allowing bikes inside, installing three-bike racks on buses and enabling some bus stops to temporarily secure bikes so they don’t have to be brought inside the bus.
The article suggests a test run of allowing people to bring their bikes on the bus. It cites Santa Clara, CA as an example, where the bus drivers have discretion to allow up to two bikes on the bus if there’s room and the racks are full.
Purely based on anecdotal evidence, it seems to me that when the racks are full, the bus is likely to be pretty full as well, so I’m not sure if this is the solution to our problems. I think more sheltered bike racks would help, though.
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