Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced the launch of a supervised trial to allow bikes on trams. Metrolink allows folded bikes in bags on trams but under current rules, standard bikes are not permitted.
Proposals to undertake a guided pilot to test the safe carriage of bikes and non-standard cycles on off-peak tram services were approved by the Bee Network Committee in January. During the guided pilot, there will be no change to the conditions of carriage for customers – only invited participants will be able to take their bikes on Metrolink under test conditions during the pilot.
The trial will take place under the supervision of TfGM and the tram operator, Keolis Amey Metrolink (KAM) to minimise the impact on passengers and maintain public safety. Volunteer cyclists will take their bikes on board, sampling different routes and stops at different times of the day and days of the week. Feedback will be sought from other passengers and the cyclists themselves.
The pilot, which launched on Thursday 29 February, will run for a period of four-to-six weeks, with results presented back to the Bee Network Committee in the summer. TfGM is recruiting volunteers from cycle groups in Greater Manchester, including those who have both standard and adapted bikes to travel across different routes.
Researchers will then interview volunteers, customers and staff to inform a follow-up report to the Bee Network Committee with recommendations regarding the carriage of bikes on Metrolink. A full risk assessment will inform the pilot and the supervised nature of the study will ensure that any impact on passengers is kept to a minimum.
The next step is to study the impact of bikes on trams in practice on various routes and scenarios across the network. The pilot study will also look at the carriage of adapted bikes used as mobility aids, scooters and a broader range of mobility scooters than are not currently permitted.
Consideration will be given to the space required to transport bikes alongside passengers, taking account of the existing challenges of accommodating bikes both on trams and on the wider Metrolink network, including stops and transport interchanges.
At the same time as bike users, people who have a range of lived experiences will be involved too, including those with disabilities and those travelling with pushchairs. Their participation will enable researchers to create different scenarios that would exist if bikes were allowed on trams, in a controlled way, and with experiences of all participants taken on board.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham committed to carrying out the pilot study as part of his mayoral manifesto, which was also recommended by Active Travel Commissioner Dame Sarah Storey as part of her Refreshed Active Travel Mission.
During the bikes on trams guided pilot there will be no change to Metrolink’s Conditions of Carriage and bikes and non-standard cycles will not be allowed to be taken onto Greater Manchester trams by members of the public. Only invited participants under supervision by KAM staff will be able to take their bikes on Metrolink trams.