THE ANNEX – A bus, a bike rack and my bicycle; all of the ingredients are on the platform at Bathurst station, I’m just not sure how to put them together. I’m trying out the bus-mounted bike racks that have been installed on 98 buses spread over five (soon to be six) TTC routes for a one-year pilot program. Each bus can carry two bikes at a time, and they ride for free. But as many times as I read the pamphlet on which handle to pull when, I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to get my battered CCM on transit.
I wave my intention to the driver. Then I wave again, in confusion. In an act that seems well above the call of duty, he gets off to give me a tutorial. I learn to pull a handle up slightly to unlock the rack, fold it out towards the ground, place my wheels in two grooves and pull a black foam-covered U over my front wheel.
