It’s been about 12 months since I purchased my Avenir folding bicycle, and while the head-turning novelty has worn off, the flexibility that a bicycle adds to my commute has not. Originally, the decision to buy a bicycle came out of a parking problem. My house is a 15 minute drive from Brampton GO station, but the parking lot tends to fill up by 7:15 am. If there were no spots remaining then the only other solution was to drive another 20 minutes across Brampton to Bramalea GO station. In order to avoid the parking lot altogether I would have to walk 20 minutes from my front door to the Orangeville GO bus stop for a 15 minute trip to Brampton GO. A bike would have cut the walk to 4 minutes, but there was no place I felt comfortable locking up the bike for the day and I had a desire to take the bike downtown to save on TTC fares. The solution was a folding bike, which are allowed on rush hour GO trains and could be folded, bagged, and placed in the luggage compartment of almost all GO buses.

During the fall of 2009, my typical commuter into the city started with a five minute bike ride to the bus stop, an hour trip into the city, followed by another five minute bike ride from Union to campus. Compared to a fifteen minute drive to the station, five minutes of hunting for a parking spot, a fifteen minute drive to the far station (if I’m unlucky) and a 30 minute train trip into the city, my commute became less stressful, less expensive and more environmentally friendly. But, it’s not only about commuting. Having a bike that can be taken onto the regional transit system puts most of the region’s trails in easy reach. While it might not be feasible to bike the entire Humber River trail as a round trip, taking the bus up to Humber College and biking back down is doable. The Don River, Taylor Creek and Waterfront Trails, to name a few, are all easily accessible by transit. Now, thanks to the installation of bike racks on buses, this enhanced mobility isn’t limited to people with folders.

GO Transit, Burlington Transit, Brampton Transit and the Hamilton Street Railway have outfitted their entire bus fleets with bumper mounted bike racks, Oakville Transit and the TTC have racks available on some routes, and Durham Region Transit and York Region Transit are expected to install bike racks within the next few years. These racks are dirt cheap – about $1000 each – so a medium-sized fleet can be outfitted for less than the cost of a new bus. Each rack can accommodate two bicycles, take less than 15 seconds to load, and only require the physical strength necessary to lift your own bicycle. In addition to people taking their bicycles out to the country-side to explore an otherwise inaccessible trail, these racks will benefit commuters who live too far from their destinations to cycle the entire way but also live just beyond walking distance of the local bus stop. On top of that, these racks could benefit anyone who has a cycling trip that crosses Davenport – a rider bomb down the hill in the morning and take the bus back up in the afternoon (even in rush hour). Hardcore riders who take pride in tackling the hill may not use them, but they can add flexibility and increased mobility to anyone who already does or has ever wanted to commute by bicycle.

In the GTHA there are two basic types of bicycle racks:

The Byk-Rak 2-position model is used by the HSR and GO Transit, while Byk-Rak branded bumper mounts have been spotted on some Mississauga Transit buses. These use a spring-loaded locking arm that has to touch the front tire to lock safely. They can accommodate bikes with 16 inch wheels, but you may have to remove the front fender on smaller-wheeled bikes to ensure the arm makes contact with the tire. Here’s a handy video from the HSR on how to use them.

The Sportworks DL-2 model is used by the TTC, Oakville, Burlington and Brampton Transit. The locking mechanism here is a hook that is lifted as high over the tire as possible (wedge it between the tire and the fender if necessary, the TTC says), just like in this video from San Francisco. But, there is an issue with these racks. The transit agencies claim that these racks can accommodate 16-inch wheels, the manufacturer says that they can accommodate 20-inch wheels, and some TTC drivers have quoted me a 22-inch wheels minimum. I’ve never had a problem with my 20-inch folder, but I am calling on officials from all transit agencies across the GTHA that use Sportworks bike racks to clarify their rules once and for all  – so that eager riders don’t get left at the curb.

Bike racks on buses should not be a substitute for an extensive network of bike routes and on-street bike lanes across the region, but they are a great helper service for people who either want to commute by bike or want to take transit but aren’t interested in a 30 minute walk to the bus stop. The region we live in may not have been designed to encourage sustainable transportation choices, but low-cost projects like this can help correct those mistakes. Being Bike Month in Toronto, it’s a great time to try cycling to work or at least exploring the many ravine trails by bike. If doing so from your home isn’t feasible then give the bike racks a try and enjoy the enhanced mobility that I’ve enjoyed for the past year.

Once you use a rack you won’t go back – until winter at least.

Credit for the first photo goes to Flickr user mr brown. Credit for the second photo goes to Flickr user jochemberends. Both photos are Creative Commons licensed.