Wiki Wednesday: Bike Bus

Today’s Streetswiki entry comes from Josh, a Livable Streets member based in San Francisco, who writes:

A Bike Bus is a
group of cyclists riding together to a specific destination on a
schedule with an experienced leader. Bike Buses are often formed by
commuters who ride together to work. However, a Bike Bus can be adapted
to go anywhere groups of riders want to go- church, shopping, the zoo,
parks — If a road goes there, a Bike Bus can go there. It’s called a “bus” because there is a set route and timetable so it can pick up more “passengers” along the way.

The Bike Bus rides two abreast (where legal) and will single up as needed.

The
pace of the bike bus is agreed upon by the members that day. Since the
Bike Bus serves a safety and a social function, dropping slower riders
is generally not a good idea. However, if there are enough riders,
splitting the Bike Bus into two or three groups riding different paces
can be a good idea. Smaller groups are easier for motor vehicles to
pass as well.

TA has been organizing variations on the bike bus for commuters who ride over the Queensborough and Williamsburg bridges. Their bike commuter pools meet up once a month, giving homeward-bound cyclists some safety in numbers on Queens Boulevard and Delancey Street, where physical protection is sorely lacking.

Queens committee chair Mike Heffron tells us all went smoothly on the last Queens Boulevard pool. The next one departs this Friday at 6:30 p.m. from the base of the bridge, on the Queens side.