Bus bike rack use to resume

Cyclists will be able to use the bike racks again on daytime Queenstown Orbus services from Good Friday, and night-time services from early May.

Use of the racks was halted back in November over concerns they could obscure the headlights on certain models of buses.

But now modifications are being made to the vehicles by Ritchies, which is contracted by Otago Regional Council to operate the service.

From this Friday, 18 April, Queenstown bus patrons will be able to use the racks in the daytime, from 7am-6pm.

Night use will resume from early May, after all the Queenstown buses have been modified and are compliant with Land Transport rules.

In Dunedin, the use of bikes racks will resume day and night (24/7) from 6am, Saturday 19 April.

ORC’s Manager Transport Lorraine Cheyne thanked the public for their patience and acknowledged the frustration felt by some passengers.

"We’re very pleased to be able to resume the full bike rack service in Dunedin initially and in Queenstown from the beginning of May as all modifications to buses are completed,” she says.

“Our teams and operators have been working hard to get recent changes implemented."

The temporary night-time restriction on the use of bike racks on Dunedin and Queenstown buses started on 2 November, after NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) issued a safety notice.

 At the time, Cheyne said the safety notice had brought to ORC's attention that carrying bikes at night can potentially obscure headlamps on some bus models.

Although only some bus models were affected, Cheyne said ORC had to restrict the use of bike racks on all buses, day and night, to ensure the buses carrying bikes still complied with the Land Transport rule on vehicle lighting.

She says the NZTA directive was all about public safety.