Supertram Trial Carriage of bikes on trams/tram-trains

We’re delighted to share this blog in which Simon Geller, Chair of the friends of the TPT, argues his case for allowing bikes on trams/tram-trains along with a call for action.  We hope you find it an informative read.

Why do we believe that bikes should be carried on the tram?
For the short version: please fill in the survey at: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90687451/social-media

Cycle campaigning really kicked off in Sheffield with the arrival of Supertram in 1994. In 1986, cheap bus travel had ended.

When the cheap fare policy was in place, it was cheaper to get the bus than to cycle, so really only the die-hard devotees bothered to get their bikes out and they would be more likely to be going for a ride out to the Peak District than commuting to work.

Although traffic was much lower since it was obviously much cheaper to catch the bus than drive, if you did drive into the city centre you had to cope with a horrendous dual carriageway road system with bridges and subways to keep pedestrians out of the way, there were no cycle tracks whatsoever. Cycling round the ‘Hole in the Road’ was not for the faint-hearted. At this time, the Trans Pennine Trail and the City’s network of cycle routes were in their infancy.

Council officers noted that the levels of cycling increased after bus fares went up. The consequent increase in motor traffic meant that bus lanes had to be introduced to get buses past congestion and although cycles could use these as well, buses and cycles don’t really mix well.

So you had the double whammy of more traffic and dangerous rails appearing in the road, and to add injury to insult to injury, you couldn’t even take your bike on the tram to avoid the dangers.

This was when Pedal Pushers, the Sheffield Cycle Campaign (now called CycleSheffield – a somewhat snappier name!) got going. There was a great deal of anger about the dangers of the tram track and protests were mounted. This led to frosty relations between the tram company and cyclists. However, we managed to develop a relationship with people in the tramway.

We did a 1-day trial of taking bikes on the tram.  It was the most boring day of my life. Literally nothing happened. A ‘mock’ trial with cardboard and hoola-hoop bikes took place along with multiple press releases and debates in Council meetings. We even organised charter trams to Halfway with guided rides on the National Cycle Network that were very popular – I believe we hold the world record for the number of bikes on a tram, about 35, although sadly we never contacted the Guinness Book of Records.

We got to the point where we entered into discussions with Supertram technicians with a view to the trams carrying a small pack of equipment available to secure cycles to the guardrails on the tram. We thought that a Sunday trial would give us valuable evidence towards opening up the tram for more integration of bikes, but this got cancelled following a change of management at Stagecoach Supertram, which was very frustrating. Our conclusion was that we weren’t going to make any progress on this until the tram franchise was renegotiated so the news that the network was going to be brought back under public control was music to our ears.

So, what are the benefits of getting bikes on the tram? We believe that carriage of bikes on the tram/tram-train would:

• demonstrate a greater ‘Integrated Transport’ capability for South Yorkshire.
• provide a real alternative to car travel for the people of South Yorkshire.
• extend a cyclist’s range without having to resort to private transport instead.
• remove the discrimination against disabled people who use sustainable transport solutions, e.g. hand-bikes, as mobility aids.
• offer a safer option for people who might otherwise have to cycle along the routes that the tram tracks have made more dangerous.
• by providing access to Green space, exercise and fresh air to Sheffield residents, it would reduce the burden on the NHS, particularly in the areas of cardio-vascular, obesity and mental health.
• generate additional revenue for Supertram.
• provide safe access to the Trans Pennine Trail (at Middlewood, Halfway and Meadowhall).
• if Trail users didn’t want to negotiate the urban sections of the Trail they could get the tram right across the city and continue their journey on the other side.
• help cyclists transport their bike should it develop a mechanical problem.
• should tram-trains be extended and start to replace heavy rail services, it will ensure the principle that bikes should be carried is maintained.

Over the years of our campaign, some fears have been expressed by opponents to the idea.  A trial would confirm whether or not these fears were justified and if they were, we could try solutions to address them, in the real – rather than hypothetical – world.

Some other tram & light rail systems that allow carriage of cycles are Edinburgh Trams, Newcastle Metro, Docklands light Railway, Brussels Trams, German systems including Chemnitz, Most U.S. systems, Dutch tram systems (The IJ Tram in Amsterdam takes bikes outside of rush hour), Transport for Wales, Cardiff/Valleys network and All French tram networks – the list goes on. Manchester Metrolink is currently conducting a trial and it will be interesting to see the outcome of that.

I went to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Board meeting on the 12th of March and asked whether they would consider a trial of bike carriage. The response from Mayor Coppard, which you can see at https://youtu.be/32mXhi4s7GY was that there would be a consultation and that a question would be included that would ask people whether they would like to be able to take their bikes on the tram.

That consultation has now started and you can access it at: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90687451/social-media
Please do fill it in! As well as the simple question about bikes there is an opportunity to leave a longer comment at the end.

So what’s next? I think that SYMCA should conduct a trial of bike carriage and try out  a range of options. That way they can make sure that any problems and concerns can be addresses. If the trial proves successful, and based on what’s happened on other systems I feel sure it would be, they could move to make bike carriage permanent. When the trams are refurbished or replaced they could look at bespoke solutions for carrying bikes.

So here’s the summary of benefits bikes on the tram would bring:

Increased safety – avoid busy city roads
Numbers of cyclists will increase
Trams are more convenient than buses
Exhaust fumes avoided
Generate revenue
Range extender
Alternative to cars
Transport bikes with mechanical problems
Everyone is catered for regardless of ability

Simon Geller – Chair, Friends of the Trans Pennine Trail
With help from Dexter Johnstone, Secretary, CycleSheffield and John Kirkwood, Sustrans Volunteer.

If you have a TPT related subject that you would like to write about, please get in touch with the office at info@transpenninetrail.org.uk.

Date: 5th April 2024 

              
Mandy Loach                       Hannah Beaumont             Robert Drummond