As an avid advocate of public transportation, I have been commuting to RTP from Chapel Hill. TTA buses run every 15 minutes and, given that my stop is 10 minutes from my house by bike, the time of this convenient commute is increased only two-fold compared with by car. Plus, I save gas money and arrive at work rested.

Last week my scheduled bus broke down, and the next bus already had a full rack with two bikes. The driver said TTA policy does not allow bikes on the bus, although I have seen that pragmatic approach used in the past when racks were full. Subsequently, TTA representatives told me their insurance policy does not allow bikes inside the bus for "safety reasons."

To me, two simple solutions are available: 1) change the insurance policy to one used by subways across America that allow bikes; or 2) install racks similar to the hitch-mounted ones on gas-guzzling SUVs that can hold up to five bikes.

TTA should show leadership and take steps to increase the user-friendliness of its services. It will lose the most avid customer if the commute ends up taking more than four times as long as by car.

Markus Steiner

Chapel Hill