Snapshot: bikes on public transport

America is perhaps one of worst examples of a developed nation when it comes to public transportation. Intercity trains are slow and offer limited service, and few cities offer anything approaching a reliable and intergated system of buses, trams and trains in line with most major European centres.

However, when summer comes to Chicago (and many many other North American cities) public buses such as this one are fitted with front mounted bicycle racks. These racks fold up against the front of the bus when not in use. When the rack is lowered, two bikes can easily and quickly be loaded and locked into position by passengers. So although the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is painfully underfunded and under constant threat of service cutbacks, Chicagoans can combine bicycle and bus to get around their vast metropolis.

Britain can’t even manage to have a consistent approach to letting passengers carry bicycles on trains – how is it we’ve been outsmarted by America with such a simple addition to public transport? British readers – please feel free to forward this post to your local bus company and let me know their response.

Addendum: in case the picture confuses you, it looks like I pressed the shutter just as the destination board was scrolling. I believe that it reads alternately “56 MILWAUKEE” (the route) and “to Jefferson Blue Line” (the destination).