LTA: Foldable bike trial aboard buses extended to 24 Nov 2008; now includes weekday off-peak hours

LT released a press release today that announced the extension of the foldable bike trial aboard buses to 24 Nov 2008.

On 24 May 2008, the foldable bike trial aboard buses and MRT/LRT was launched to assess whether foldable bicycles could be brought onto buses and trains without affecting normal operations or inconveniencing other commuters. In this announcement, the trial aboard buses was restricted to all day on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays only and promised a review after three months.

Three months later now and LTA says feedback of cyclists, bus commuters, bus drivers and bus operators was not adverse nor were injuries reported. In fact most commuters were accommodative.

The trial on buses is now extended until 24 November 2008 and this time includes weekday off-peak hours, i. e. the timings for bus access is the same as MRT / LRT, with effect from 15 September 2008.

Summary: foldable bicycles are allowed on buses as well as MRT / LRT at these times:

• Mon – Fri: 9.30am – 4.30pm, 7.30 pm to end of revenue service
• All day on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.

The trial on both buses and trains will end on the 24 November 2008. LTA will continue to take in feedback from both cyclists and commuters by contacting LTA via 1800 2255-582 (1800 Call-LTA), feedback@lta.gov.sg or SMS 77582 "77LTA".

Source: Fold It And Ride It. LTA press release, 08 Sep 2008Extension of Foldable Bicycles Trial for Buses, includes Annex A.

6 month foldable bicycle trail on buses and trains

The Land Transport Authority's media release in full.

LTA Press release, 21 May 2008: Fold It And Ride It - A Six Month Trial To Bring Foldable Bicycles On Trains And Buses

1 The Land Transport Authority (LTA), SMRT and SBST will launch a six-month trial to allow foldable bicycles on board trains and public buses during off-peak hours.

2 During the trial period from 24 May to 24 November 2008, foldable bicycles will be permitted on MRT / LRT trains every weekday during off-peak hours, and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. From 24 May to 24 August 2008, foldable bicycles will also be permitted on SBST and SMRT buses all day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The trial on buses will be reviewed after the first three months. (Please refer to the Annex for the list of guidelines and timing.) [inserted below]

3 This trial is one of the several initiatives announced during the Land Transport Review to meet the transport needs of diverse groups of people. It recognises the increasing trend of people cycling for sports and recreation, cycling around the neighbourhood, or cycling to key transport nodes like MRT stations.

4 Mr Jeremy Yap, LTA's Group Director for Vehicle and Transit Licensing said, "While catering to the needs of cyclists, we also want to ensure the safety and comfort of other commuters. Social graciousness and mutual accommodation play an important part. Cyclists and other commuters are encouraged to be considerate and make way for one another so that more people can use our public transport system to meet their diverse travel needs."

5 "Commuters are already able to take foldable prams on board buses and carry luggage on board trains, such as when travelling to and from Changi Airport. We are trying to see if the same can be done for foldable bicycles. This trial will be able to help us seek the views from all stakeholders - cyclists, commuters, and operators. Due to the space constraints on buses as compared to the train, foldable bicycles will only be allowed on buses over the weekends and public holidays during the first three months. The feasibility to allow foldable bicycles on buses will be reviewed after three months."

6 During the trial, SBST / SMRT station staff and bus drivers can disallow a cyclist to board a bus or enter the RTS system if the cyclist is unable to comply with the guidelines or if the actual situation within an MRT/LRT station, bus interchange/terminal or on board a train/bus does not permit foldable bicycles to be admitted safely and without inconveniencing other commuters.

7 Ms Kang Huey Ling, SMRT's Director, Station Operations, said, "We are happy to work with LTA on this trial. At SMRT, we support cycling as a viable travel option by linking cycling with public transport. We encourage passengers with foldable bikes to be considerate to their fellow passengers so that everyone can enjoy a pleasant travel experience."

8 Mr Gan Juay Kiat, Chief Operating Officer, SBS Transit Ltd, said, "In supporting this trial, we hope to help a new group of commuters to use public transport as they pursue healthy and fun living. It is a move that is in line with SBS Transit's green charter in supporting healthy and green living. We hope that through this trial, all commuters will learn to be more accommodating and share the limited space available on board buses and trains with one another. While we support the trial, we are also mindful of potential implementation problems. For instance, onlstance, only foldable bicycles le bicycles of a certain size are allowed on board our buses and trains. Commuters with bicycles that are larger will not be allowed on board. Cycling enthusiasts may also be turned away when the bus is crowded as bringing a bicycle on board during such instances may pose a safety hazard to all passengers. In cases like these, disagreements may occur and we seek the co-operation and understanding of all passengers so as not to cause unnecessary service delays and inconvenience to others."

9 Ms Lim Kim Kee, an Accounts Assistant, said, "I am happy and welcome the trial with open arms. I use the foldable bicycle to exercise and get to different places of interest. I enjoy going to the East Coast Park during the weekends. As I live in Telok Blangah, I will cycle to the nearest MRT station (Redhill), hop onto a train to Kembangan MRT station and cycle there via the park connector.

10 "I hope to see more commuters welcoming us onto the trains and buses. We will also practise extra care and consideration to other commuters. At the end of the day, we are all happy commuters using the public transport system."

11 The LTA and operators will monitor the trial closely and take in feedback from commuters during the course of the trial. The trial will help in assessing whether foldable bicycles can be brought onto buses and trains without affecting normal operations or inconveniencing other commuters.

Annex: GENERAL GUIDELINES

a) Cyclists are responsible for the safe carriage of their foldable bicycles and must stay in the vicinity of their foldable bicycles at all times.

b) Foldable bicycles should be folded at all times in the MRT / LRT stations, bus interchanges / terminals and on trains and buses.

c) Foldable bicycles should not exceed 114 cm by 64 cm by 36 cm when folded.

d) The wheels of the foldable bicycles should be wrapped up if they are dirty or wet.

e) Protruding parts likely to cause injury or dirty/damage property to be covered up.

f) Foldable bicycles should not block the aisles and doors or impede commuter movement at any time.

g) Foldable bicycles should be carried in an upright position.

h) Only two foldable bicycles are allowed on each bus at any one time.

i) When travelling by train, cyclist should use the first or last car, which is less crowded.

j) Cyclists should use the lifts and wide fare gates at MRT / LRT stations where these are available.

k) Foldable bicycles are not allowed on the upper deck of a bus or placed on the staircase leading to the upper deck.

l) From 24 May to 24 August 2008, foldable bicycles are allowed on buses all day on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. They are not allowed on Mondays to Fridays. This will be reviewed after three months.

m) For the trial on trains, off-peak hours during the six month trial period, 24 May to 24 November, are defined as:

• Mon – Fri: 9.30am – 4.30pm, 7.30 pm to end of revenue service
• All day on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays

SMRT / SBS Transit station staff and bus drivers may disallow foldable bicycles if the actual situation within an MRT/LRT station, bus interchange/terminal or on board a train/bus does not permit foldable bicycles to be admitted safely and without inconveniencing other commuters.

Cyclists of foldable bicycles may approach SMRT / SBS Transit staff if they require any assistance.

The public can share their views on this trial by contacting LTA via 1800 2255- 582 (1800 Call-LTA), feedback@lta.gov.sg or SMS 77582 "77LTA".

Six month trial: foldable bicycles on BUSES and the MRT

Bicycles on the MRT (Today, 26 Jan 2008

In March, foldable bicycles will be allowed on board trains and buses during off-peak periods under a six-month trial. There will also be more and better bike parking, and cyclists will be able to access public transport via park connectors.

Chu Wa has been cycling to work for ages (read his well commented blog post here) and has always brought his foldable bike up the MRT as suggested by their CEO years ago. The bus bit though, is entirely new and pleasant news.

Let's hope it will be a positive six months.

Excerpt from the "Speech by Mr Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport, at the visit to Kim Chuan Depot, 25 January 2008, 9.00am." Singapore Government Media Release.

Facilitating Cyclists

44 Cyclists are another group that we will facilitate. There is a growing interest in cycling, with more people cycling for recreation, or to get around the neighbourhood.

45 We invited some of them to our land transport review focus group discussions to see how we could better cater to their needs. Some cyclists asked for more bicycle stands around our bus and MRT stations. Others made the point that some foldable bicycles were not much bigger than prams, so why not allow them onboard our trains and buses?

46 Responding to this, LTA together with the public transport operators will launch a six-month trial from March 2008 to allow cyclists to carry their foldable bicycles on board trains and buses. LTA will also work with NParks and other agencies to leverage on the park connectors to enable cyclists to get to public transport interchanges more easily. Bicycle parking facilities at the MRT stations and bus interchanges in housing estates will be improved.

47 The cyclists also shared their ‘war stories’ and asked us to help improve safety on our roads. Following a pilot in Changi, LTA will put up signs to alert motorists to the presence of cyclists along frequently used cycling routes such as those in West Coast and Thomson from March 08. LTA and the Traffic Police have also started a trial to allow cycling on pedestrian footways in Tampines.

48 But at the end of the day, it is also an issue of mutual accommodation – for the motorists to look out for cyclists on the road; and for cyclists to have a care for pedestrians.

Leeway for cyclists

On my road rides, I have noticed that many bus drivers give cyclists considerable leeway.

I first began noticing this behaviour in 1997 when friends of mine and I used to ride from Serangoon Gardens to Changi. Along certain stretches of road like Hougang Ave 3, buses would leap-frog us as they overtook us but later had to pull in at bus stops and eventually overtake us again. In a highly populated area, the bus-stops occur in higher frequency and the amount of leap-frogging increases.

Yet, every time, bus drivers would pull out to the second lane when overtaking us - a safe and considerate gesture that we often acknowledged with cheery waves.

This was made possible by the fact that the three-lane roads were relatively empty on Sunday mornings. Bus drivers (or bus captains as they are called now, as they operate alone) are unable to be as generous on congested roads on weekdays.


I took this photo at a narrow juncture of Lim Chu Kang Road last Saturday morning (16th April 2005). The road here is a single lane (just before Lim Chu Kang Lane 3) and on seeing the bunch of cyclists toiling up the slope, the bus captain pulled out to the opposite side of the road, in the absence of oncoming traffic, giving them considerable leeway.

That Saturday and the last, we rode more than 200km from town to the east and west of Singapore, spending several hours on the road. In relation to our cycling group, I observed more than 30 other acts of caution or consideration at give way signs, before and after bus bays, at traffic junctions and between lanes. With a rear-view mirror, I observed drivers slowing down behind us to a crawling speed when approaching us a bus-stop we were cycling past, while others maintained a distance in busy roads or switched lanes to overtake.

I gave up counting he number of favourable acts; and there were commendable driving practises demonstrated by other road users in relation to cyclists as well.

Cyclists tend to remember only the offensive (and I suspect, rare) incidents, when a rogue driver (they do exist) tries or manages to squeeze us off the road. And we amplify accounts told to us by friends.

My experience from the past years suggest that rogue bus drivers are a siginificant minority. Sure, we need to keep a lookout for these and ensure they are rehabilitated. But we have to attempt to acknowledge good driving practises just as enthusiastically.

And cyclists will have to scrutinise their cycling methods on the roads just as closely. Are we innocent of all guilt?