Paul Morden From www.theobserver.ca The Observer
Combining bike and bus riders is a good way to get active, says Kelley Elliott.
The health promotion officer with Lambton County’s Community Health Services Department is urging local residents to give Sarnia Transit’s Hooked on Transit program a try.
The bike racks on the front of city buses are an easy-to-use alternative for people eager to add some physical activity to their day, she said.
June is both Bike and Active Transportation Month in Lambton County — a community where half the adults are said to be inactive and 57% are overweight or obese.
That’s why cycling activists and public health officials are urging local residents to leave their cars parked in June and try getting around under their own steam.
Sarnia Transit director Jim Stevens said the $18,000 project to add bike racks to the city’s buses began last year so users can combine bus and bike rides.
Elliott said she tried it out on her morning commute from Bright’s Grove recently, taking the bus part way to work and completing the trip on her bike.
“It was really nice,” she said. “I think I’m going to try and do it once a week.”
She said the rack on the front of city buses is easy to use. It folds down so users can lift on their bike and attach a hook that holds it in place. Sarnia transit has a brochure with instructions and a demonstration video on the city’s website — www.city.sarnia.on.ca
Pauline Anderson, Sarnia Transit’s deputy director, said, “A lot of people who use the trails in town expressed interest in being able to get one place to another, take their bike off, go for a ride, get back on, that kind of thing.”
Racks are already in use on buses in other Ontario cities, including Toronto and Ottawa, Elliott said.
Anderson said she expects the racks will be popular on routes that go to local trails and the beach.
“For people who are not able to shower at work, bike racks solve that problem,” Elliott said. “They can take transit to work, then cycle home, and get exercise for about the same cost as a monthly fitness membership.”
Anderson said Sarnia Transit will be at Artwalk downtown, June 5 and 6, demonstrating the rack and offering a draw for a free bike.
Transit will also be offering free bus rides on Clean Air Day, June 2.
“We’ll be encouraging people to ride the bus and try out the bike rack that day too,” Anderson said.
Observer Article ID# 2601660
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