By Mikayla van Loon
Taking a bike on a bus in the Upper Yarra is now going to be more accessible with the inclusion of bike racks on the 683 bus service that runs from Chirnside Park to East Warburton and vice versa.
A five-year-long project initiated by the Bus Association Victoria (BusVic) to first research the need and complexities of installing bike racks on buses has now come to fruition in the Yarra Ranges.
“We did a trial for a number of years and now we’re delighted that we’re able to bring bike racks to the buses that operate the Yarra Valley services, being the 683, 685, 686 and the 687,” BusVic executive director Chris Lowe said.
With a high number of cyclists in the area and the increasing number of bike trails in the region, Mr Lowe said it seemed like the right time to bring this initiative to the Yarra Ranges.
“It’s a very popular tourist destination. It’s also a very popular cycling destination. From Lilydale to Warburton and Healesville as well,” he said.
“So it’s a great investment to encourage this inter-modality, the active and the public transport coming together. There’s a good density of public transport users out here as well as there are active transport users.”
Supported by the Department of Transport (DoT), Mr Lowe said it would take another five years to see the bike racks installed across all services in the state.
Eildon MP Cindy McLeish said this was a great outcome from the region, to improve environmental sustainability and accessibility to the outer pockets of the district.
“This is a good initiative and it’s taken a little bit of time to get to the Yarra Valley but it was a bit of a no brainer,” she said.
“I think any tourists coming out bringing their own bike, you can get on the bus really easily and use these racks very simply actually.
“You can get off anywhere along the Warburton Highway or do the rail trail or you can go to Healesville or Yarra Glen and experience those towns. It allows you a lot of flexibility to get around easily.”
Ms McLeish said as Yarra Ranges Council expands its rail trails, the ability for people to access options like the bus bike racks will only improve the experience in the area and give people variety.
Two compact bike racks are located on the front of the bus, which can be pulled down by a lever and a support arm keeps the bike in place while travelling.
The bike racks will be operated by the user when they get on and off the bus. Safety and instruction videos can be found on the BusVic and DoT websites.
Unfortunately, the bike racks are not suitable for children’s bikes as they are usually too small for the safety arm.
