Trip chaining is a bike-commuter term for combining different modes of transportation. Students can use combinations of Transit and Cycling to make their commutes work for them.
Take Sienna, a Grade 10 student at Dr. EP Scarlett. She’s the perfect candidate to trip chain. She will ride her bike to the bus stop in Parkland, and then jump on the direct bus to school from there.
She leaves her bike locked in the racks at the adjacent elementary school. Why not take her bike to school? Well, there hasn’t been a good bike rack at school. (That’s why we’ve installed temporary racks while we work to find funds to pay for permanent ones. )
Sienna should put her bike on the bus bike racks, hop on, and get to school. She can lock her bike at school, where she can check on it, and then enjoy a leisurely ride home – getting some fresh-air and exercise. It’s about 5 k.m from school to her home, and she can ride along residential streets in Canyon Meadow, cross Macleod Trail using Canyon Meadows Drive overpass, and then get on the pathway on the ridge to get to Parkland.
It’s easy to put a bike on the bus
We’ve created a video to show students how to do it. You can also take your bike on the C-Train during NON-PEAK hours. (Not between 6-9 a.m. or 3-6 p.m.) This might help your commute if you have a spare first period. Learn more from Calgary Transit here.
You lower the rack, put your bike on, and hop on the bus. We are working to ensure that all of the express buses to EP Scarlett have bike racks. The more students wanting to use these, the better argument we have to make sure they are available.
What if bus doesn’t have a rack?
Calgary Transit is working to get all buses outfitted with bike racks. If your bus doesn’t have one, but you’d like to take your bike to school, tell the driver. And then send us an email so we can lobby for change.
