The RapidRide G started service this past week, promising six-minute headways between downtown and Madison Valley via Madison Street. But you go to other sites to learn about the implications for transit service. I’m here to talk about the bike racks inside the buses.
That’s right, inside. The new RapidRide G buses have a couple tricks that no other bus in Seattle has. First, it has doors on both sides, which are needed to serve the center platforms on Madison Street the way the First Hill Streetcar does on Jackson Street. Second, it has bike racks inside the coach rather than on the front. So I of course had to try it out.
OK OK, Snohomish County transit riders, I hear you yelling, “Swift has had those racks for years!” It’s true. Community Transit’s Swift bus rapid transit coaches have very similar bike racks inside. But this is the first time such a bike rack has been used by King County Metro. These “SpinLock” racks are made by the Woodinville-based company Sportworks, which also makes the racks for the front of buses. In fact, Sportworks pioneered the whole bike racks on buses idea, and King County Metro was among the first to roll them out fleet-wide.
Anyway, back to RapidRide G. People with bikes should enter through the back door, which is clearly marked on the side of the bus. All riders can tap readers on the platform or inside the bus to pay, so there is no need to go up front by the driver at all. Once inside, lift the front wheel up enough to roll it into the bike rack. An arm on top with a wheel on it will automatically hold the wheel in place, so once the wheel settles into the groove of the rack, you’re done. It is significantly easier to use than the racks on the front of the bus because you only need to lift the front wheel and do not need to operate the arm to hold it in place.
To exit, I just pulled back on the handlebars and it came out. However, my bike has a front rack that prevented the arm from going all the way forward (though it still held it in place just fine). Illustrated instructions say you may need to push the arm away from your bike in order to get it out.
There is one catch, though. Two of the racks are taller and one is shorter. The taller rack squished my front fender. It still worked, and my fender was not damaged, but it’s not ideal. When I moved to the shorter rack, there was plenty of clearance for the fender. Since it just barely squished my fender, other fenders may not have this issue.
Neither King County Metro nor SDOT have a published set of bike restrictions specific to the new RapidRide G coaches, so presumably the same rules for both bike rack styles. The standard rules for bikes on Metro buses say they must be conventional single-seat bikes with two wheels weighing 55 lbs or less with wheel sizes between 16″ and 29″ in diameter, tires 3″ or less in width, and wheel base of 46″ or less. Many electric bikes will exceed the weight limit, though you are allowed to remove the battery and carry it with you if that brings the weight under the limit. Ask your local bike shop if they have a scale if you want to test it.
Perhaps more than any other bus in the city, the RapidRide G is one hell of a bike elevator. From downtown to the top of the hill at 17th and Madison, the bus climbs 370 feet in just a mile and a half and takes about 16 minutes to do it. To put this climb in context, the highest point of elevation in the entire state of Florida is 345 feet. For just $2.75, you can use the RapidRide G as a bicycle chair lift for two hours. Wheee!
Comments
10 responses to “Testing the in-bus bike racks on the new RapidRide G”
This will make it much easier for heavier e-bikes, IMO. I never take the bus if I have my bike because it’s too heavy to lift up onto a rack on the front of the bus (especially if I have panniers on it). It also looks better than the current Light Rail bike racks, which are impossible for heavier ebikes to use (we have to stand, hold our bike, and hold on, hoping we don’t fall).
There is a downside, though….you can tell at a glance if the bike rack is full on the front of a bus, but being inside, you might get on and find both spots already in use.
Normally, the whole point of an e-bike is to use the motor to go up hill, so you don’t need to use the bus as a lift. However, just like any other bike, e-bikes do break down from time to time and need to be transported to a repair shop, and that’s where this bus will really come in handy.
Are you shaming people for bringing ebikes onto buses? There is no single “whole point of using an e-bike” just as there is no whole point to using a bike. Not trying to scold, just want to stomp out critiques of ebike users who should be commended rather than scolded
Some people who enjoy the trill of hypervigilance will miss watching their bike from the back of the bus at each stop. I’d be happy to try them if I still lived in Seattle.
These racks are also a decent reason to keep riding if the rack is filled when you board since you’re already on the bus. I only missed rides due to full racks on long ST bus routes to Pierce Co. a couple of times over a decade but waiting 30-90 minutes for the next bus really sucks.
Will the RR G buses also have bike racks in the front of the coach as well ?
I imagine that when the buses are crowded then it will be very difficult to maneuver the bicycle to the interior racks, that is, if there aren’t people already standing in that space.
No, the RR G Station Platforms are 10″ above the street level to make boarding while on the platform level with the bus entrances. The 10″ step would make it difficult to step up to enter the bus after loading a bike if there where exterior racks. Also, since this route is as close to a true BRT that Seattle has done so far, they are trying to make boarding and alighting (unboarding) as fast as possible, and the interior racks help with that.
I did this several years ago on the 99 route and it worked really well. I would ride to stop then stop to work. Sometimes it was ride back from work 10 miles.
If the bike rack is full, or your bike is too heavy to lift into the rack, can you stand with your bike in the bike area? Like you do on the Link trains.
The Rapid G bike rack system does cause issues when two bikes are placed in the left and right racks, essentially blocking passengers from passing through. Seems almost unsafe to allow this to be the case. The racks should be just to one side for this reason, similar to how it is done in Link Light rail.