Racks are back on Hawke’s Bay public buses

Bike racks are returning to the fronts of public buses in Hawke’s Bay following five months in exile since the sudden removal last November.

Getting the country back on rack - front-loading bike racks are back on Hawke's Bay buses from Monday. Photo / HBRC.

The racks, enabling cyclists to hook-up their bikes while they take the more comfortable and leisurely way, will be reinstated today, said Hawke’s Bay Regional Transport Committee chair Martin Williams.

They were removed on November 9 last year after operators throughout the country received a technical notice from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, prompting a review of the use of the front-loaded bike racks because of possible obstruction with headlights threatening compliance.

As a precaution, bus operators implemented a complete ban on the use of bike racks across all bus types while potential safety concerns were investigated.

“Following a thorough assessment, and with the appropriate technical resolution now in place, the decision has been made to reinstate bike racks on buses,” the council said.

“This means passengers will once again be able to bring their bikes on board, helping support active transport and multi-modal travel options.”

Williams said: “It’s great to see that bike racks will be back on our buses soon, so we can keep supporting sustainable and low emissions journeys for everyone. Integration of bus services with walking and cycling is a key policy of our Regional Public Transport Plan.”

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.