S. Florida Sun-Sentinel: More people are bringing bicycles along on their mass transit commutes

[marmar]

More people are bringing bicycles along on their mass transit commutes
More commuters bring bikes on mass transit
By Alexia Campbell | South Florida Sun-Sentinel



Brad Whidden figures he saves $65 a month on gas by riding his bike and taking the train to work in Fort Lauderdale.

The 44-year-old emergency medical technician from Deerfield Beach says the exercise and environmental benefits also are good, even if leaving his car at home adds an hour and a half to his commute.

"I don't have to sit in traffic; my car doesn't have to sit in the sun," said Whidden, who started riding his bike about 30 miles a week to work a few months ago.

Whidden is part of a growing number of cyclists that Tri-Rail and bus officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties have noticed coming aboard recently. Fuel costs are a big reason, Tri-Rail spokeswoman Bonnie Arnold said.

"Where you used to see two to three bikes in a (rail) car, now you see six to seven," Arnold said.

In May, more than 68,000 bikes were loaded onto Broward buses, an increase of nearly 6,000 since March, according to Broward County Transit. The agency did not have comparable numbers on bike ridership for 2007.

Palm Beach County buses also are packed with bike riders, although the numbers aren't tracked, Palm Tran spokeswoman Liliane Agee said.

Ralph Cunningham, 55, started riding his bike to work in Boca Raton years ago to stay healthy. Now, the high gas prices are what motivate him to leave his Chevy Blazer behind at his Oakland Park home.

On weekdays, Cunningham bikes eight miles and rides Tri-Rail to the church where he works in maintenance and food service.

Cunningham said the number of bike commuters on Tri-Rail jumped around the time gas prices hit $3 a gallon. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbbicycles0624sbjun24,0,2258494.story

[KamaAina]

1. Bikes slow buses down

trains, not so much. But on buses, the bike rider has to pull the rack down (if it isn't already), then load and secure the bike. By this time, the light directly in front of the stop has most likely changed to red. :grr:

It particularly irks me when this happens on routes that run entirely within the city. I could see someone on, say, the North Shore of O'ahu riding a bike down to the bus stop, which may be a mile or more away. But in town? All they're doing is saving a few blocks, and maybe having to change buses.