Public transit official urges riders to bring along their bikes

Roy Gomez, a transportation operations assistant for Northeast Oregon Public Transit, demonstrates how to load a bike on the rack of this trolley bus. DICK MASON / The Observer

It may happen more often than many people realize.

A bicyclist in La Grande pedals down to a store on a nice day intending to do some light shopping. Instead, the individual ends up purchasing more than they anticipated. They then have to make a difficult ride home because they are weighed down with so many items.  

But such challenging rides do not have to be made, according to Roy Gomez, a transportation operations assistant for Northeast Oregon Public Transit.

Gomez is encouraging bicyclists who need a lift to take advantage of a service offered by Northeast Oregon Public Transit. Its trolly bus carries a bike rack that anyone can place their bicycles in. 

Putting bikes in the rack and removing them is so easy that a novice can do it in less than a minute, staff said.

“I wish that people knew how easy it is,” said Gomez during a recent pubic presentation on how to use the bike racks.

Loading bikes on the trolley bus is much easier than it was several years ago before it had a rack, Gomez said. Previously cyclists had to carry their bikes on to the trolley bus, which was an awkward task.

The most critical thing to remember when using the bike rack, which is on the front of the vehicle, is to make sure the driver knows you are there.

“When you approach the trolley, make sure you are in view of the driver,” Gomez said.

Gomez is not sure how many riders use the bike rack but hopes that more cyclists give themselves a break and begin using it this spring and summer. The rack can hold two bikes.

“I would love to see usage go way up.”