Random thoughts on traveling with bikes: * I have heard of people telling airline personnel that the suitcase contains "art work" or "conference displays," both of which the traveler felt was an honest answer, depending on how you view your bike or why you are taking it with you.
* When bike touring in British Columbia before the 2004 Pro-Bike/Pro-Walk conference, I underestimated the topography, mileage and weather one day, and decided to grab a ride the rest of the way on an intercity bus that was waiting for the ferry at the same time as me. I thought they would reject me because my bike was unboxed, but the driver said, "As long as you can fit in in underneath, I don't have a problem with you bringing the bike (no charge.)" I looked in the luggage compartment under the bus, and the whole area was empty. Yeah, I can fit it in there. That space is about eight times larger than the back of my car, where my bike fits without removing the wheels. * Bike racks at highway speeds aren't a problem. California has many commuter bus lines that run between cities that have bike racks. It's pretty common in Europe as well. The Maryland Transit Authority buses in the DC area all have bike racks, and I think those run on the highway. The problem isn't using the racks on intercity buses, it's convincing the bus line that there is enough demand to warrant buying/installing racks. * Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park have a huge amount of bike traffic, since the carriage roads throughout the park allow bikes, but not motor vehicles. Bar Harbor is only 3-4 miles from the entrance to the park, so it's a very easy and pleasant bike ride. There are many buses that run from Bar Harbor to locations throughout the park, and they not only have bike racks, some of the buses have racks in the BACK as well as the front. There is one bus route that is serviced by a small bus with a bike rack trailer in back. The trailer can fit 16 bikes. It comes and goes all day from a popular pick-up/drop-off site in the park. Interestingly, I couldn't find one bike rack to park/lock my bike in all of Bar Harbor. When I asked, everyone just looked at me with a blank stare, and then shrugged and said most people rent bikes, so they just pick up the bike in the morning, and drop it off in the evening. No one rides a bike in town (really?), so there is no need for racks. (There are plenty of bike racks in the park itself.) Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
