LTA announced today that from September 15 to November 24, foldable bicycles will be allow on board Buses and MRT during off-peak (9.30 am to 4.30 pm and after 7.30 pm) week days and all day on Saturday Sunday, and public holiday.
The decision is based on the feedbacks from cyclist, bus commuters and bus drivers. During the first half of a 6 month trial of allowing foldable bikes on buses during weekend there were no adverse nor injury reports, and the commuters were accommodating.
Let’s hope the remaining 3 months trial will finish as uneventfully, and the rule will become more open again.
We received a request from LTA. LTA would like to gather feedback from folding bike cyclists about the trial to allow foldable bicycles on board trains and buses, which commenced on 24 May 08. Attached is the survey form. Cyclists may return the survey form to Terence at terence_koah(at)lta.gov.sg by 12 Jun 2008.
Update <2008-12.15>
The size limited for folding bike dimensions has been enlarged to allow practical all the folding bikes listed her: at the bikes so
A six month trial to bring foldable bicycles on trains and buses
1 The Land Transport Authority (LTA), SMRT and SBST will launch a six-month trial to allow foldable bicycles on board trains and public buses during off-peak hours.
3 This trial is one of the several initiatives announced during the Land Transport Review to meet the transport needs of diverse groups of people. It recognises the increasing trend of people cycling for sports and recreation, cycling around the neighbourhood, or cycling to key transport nodes like MRT stations.
It is encouraging to read the views of the SMRT and SBS Transit:
7 Ms Kang Huey Ling, SMRT’s Director, Station Operations, said, “We are happy to work with LTA on this trial. At SMRT, we support cycling as a viable travel option by linking cycling with public transport. We encourage passengers with foldable bikes to be considerate to their fellow passengers so that everyone can enjoy a pleasant travel experience.”
8 Mr Gan Juay Kiat, Chief Operating Officer, SBS Transit Ltd, said, “In supporting this trial, we hope to help a new group of commuters to use public transport as they pursue healthy and fun living. It is a move that is in line with SBS Transit’s green charter in supporting healthy and green living. We hope that through this trial, all commuters will learn to be more accommodating and share the limited space available on board buses and trains with one another. While we support the trial, we are also mindful of potential implementation problems. For instance, onlstance, only foldable bicycles le bicycles of a certain size are allowed on board our buses and trains. Commuters with bicycles that are larger will not be allowed on board. Cycling enthusiasts may also be turned away when the bus is crowded as bringing a bicycle on board during such instances may pose a safety hazard to all passengers. In cases like these, disagreements may occur and we seek the co-operation and understanding of all passengers so as not to cause unnecessary service delays and inconvenience to others.”
GENERAL GUIDELINES
a) Cyclists are responsible for the safe carriage of their foldable bicycles and must stay in the vicinity of their foldable bicycles at all times.
b) Foldable bicycles should be folded at all times in the MRT / LRT stations, bus interchanges / terminals and on trains and buses.
c) Foldable bicycles should not exceed 114 cm by 64 cm by 36 cm when folded.
d) The wheels of the foldable bicycles should be wrapped up if they are dirty or wet.
e) Protruding parts likely to cause injury or dirty/damage property to be covered up.
f) Foldable bicycles should not block the aisles and doors or impede commuter movement at any time.
g) Foldable bicycles should be carried in an upright position.
h) Only two foldable bicycles are allowed on each bus at any one time.
i) When travelling by SMRT / SBS Transit station staff and bus drivers may disallow foldable bicycles if the actual situation within an MRT/LRT station, bus interchange/terminal or on board a train/bus does not permit foldable bicycles to be admitted safely and without inconveniencing other commuters.
Cyclists of foldable bicycles may approach SMRT / SBS Transit staff if they require any assistance.
The public can share their views on this trial by contacting LTA via 1800 2255-582 (1800 Call-LTA), feedback@lta.gov.sg or SMS 77582 “77LTA”.
Update <2008-12.15> Since May 2008, the size limited for folding bike dimensions has been enlarged to 114cm X 64cm X 36cm when folded. Practically all the folding bikes listed here can travel on trains all day on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. On weekdays, foldable bikes are allowed on board from 9.30am to 4.30pm, and then from 7.30pm to the end of service.
JZ88 can travel anytime if it is in a bag since it is smaller than the regular luggage size limit (81cm X 58cm X 30cm) when folded.
I was triggered by a recent reply from SMRT regarding the use of folding bike (attached below). It was mentioned that the SMRT luggage size limit is 81x58x30cm. I conducted a graphical study to find out how well are the popular folding bikes fitting this MRT-size-limits.
I put the dimension of the bikes on the top-left corner of each picture, the depth is in italic text. The red dotted box indicates the size limit of 81cm x 58cm. The folded bike pass the test if it fits within the red-box. As can be seen JZ88 and Brompton easily pass the test. Dahon Curve can be consider to pass marginally. Dahon MUSL seems a bit too bulky but I have not tried to bring it into MRT. Strida is clearly too tall. However, I tried once to push the Strida into MRT and nobody stopped me. I was very careful not to cause any hassles to other passengers and the small footprint of the Strida (upright position) is quite acceptable actually, and of cause the SMRT staff were being friendly too 🙂
SMRT replies on bikes and dirty buses
Straits Times Tuesday, December 25 2007, H6 “Forum” Kuek Chor Ling (Ms), Manager Corporate Marketing and Communications SMRT Corporation
Quote here the part relates to bikes on MRT-
“I REFER to the letters, ‘Allow folded bikes on buses and trains’ by Ms Ng Lai Yien (ST, Dec 17), ‘Allow bikes on trains and build more skate parks’ by Mr Freddie Wee (ST Online Forum, Dec 19) and ‘Study issue carefully before making decision’ by Mr Tan Tuan Khoon (ST Online Forum, Dec 19).
We would like to clarify that large and bulky items such as bicycles are not allowed into our MRT system, as they may cause damage or injury to passengers.
Furthermore, during an emergency where passengers need to be evacuated quickly and safely, the presence of large items could be a possible obstruction.
However, we do allow foldable bicycles without protruding parts during off-peak hours.
The foldable bicycle must be packed in a bag not larger than 81cm by 58cm by 30cm.
Similarly, folded bicycles are allowed on SMRT buses. However, our Service Leaders can use their discretion to stop any passengers carrying bulky items from boarding the bus if they cause discomfort and inconvenience to our passengers.
We thank all the writers for sharing their feedback with us.”
