Passengers boarding buses in New Zealand will no longer be able to fix their bikes to provided bike racks, with concerns around compliance and safety raised by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).
From November 9 until further notice, buses in regions including Canterbury, Manawatu, Wanganui and Wellington will disable the use of bike racks during service.
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The issue stems from a safety notice issued by NZTA in October, which highlighted that some bus-mounted bike racks could obscure headlights, particularly during the night.
In response, NZTA alerted all public transport authorities, urging them to evaluate the compliance of their fleets and to remove racks if necessary.
“Metlink’s priority is the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and staff. While we await clarity from NZTA, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily disable all bike racks in the Metlink fleet,” Metlink group manager Samantha Gain says.
However, passengers will be able to continue their travel with bicycles on Metlink trains.
“To prevent conflict and confusion, passengers will not be able to use our bike racks during daylight hours as well as the hours of darkness. We apologise for the inconvenience, but we will not compromise on safety.”
To resolve the issue, Metlink is working with other public transport authorities, bus operators, the Bus and Coach Association, and NZTA.
“Previous testing indicated most bike racks in the Metlink fleet are compliant. Rather than removing them, bike racks on Metlink buses will be locked shut until the matter is resolved.
“We’re grateful for our passengers’ patience and consideration for our drivers while we work to resolve this issue as soon as possible.”
The Bus and Coach Association of NZ (BCA) says its members have carefully considered the implications of the Industry Alert.
“We regret the disruption caused for cyclists who use the racks. Safety for people both in and outside the bus is always front of mind for our member companies, as is legislative compliance. We respect that an Industry Alert is only issued when NZTA has very real concerns,” BCA says.
“As responsible operators, our members have carefully considered the implications of the Industry Alert and undertaken initial testing. As a result of that testing, bus operators and the Bus and Coach Association have concluded the only way to ensure compliance is to temporarily remove the racks from service while we work with NZTA to try and find a solution that will allow the racks to be used legally.”
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