CRC - Bicycles & Public Transport

Linking bicycle and public transport journeys can be an effective way to cover distances or elevations too great to be completed by bicycle alone. Combining bicycles with public transport has been popular for decades in a number of countries. For instance, in the Netherlands, some 30% of train trips start or finish with the bicycle journey. Many Australians are starting to appreciate the benefits of combining cycling with public transport and the following offers an outline of the various combinations possible:

Bicycle and train travel: Bicycles can either be parked at the station or taken on board some trains.
Bicycle racks on buses: In Canberra and Brisbane, some bus routes allow bicycles to be carried on specially fitted racks, located on the front of the bus. This particular combination is offered in over 30 cities across the United States of America.

The following resources offer a description of current Australian programs to encourage the combination of bicycles and public transport, as well as international examples of successful programs:

Australia

Bus-Bike Interaction with the Road Network
Ker, I., Yapp, S., Moore, P., 2005, Research Report, Austroads, Sydney.
This report reviews the interaction between buses and bicycles within the road network and identifies measures to reduce the potential for conflict.
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Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006
Chapter 4, Use of transport, provides an overview of bicycle ownership and usage rates in Australia.
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Travel to work in Australian capital cities, 1976-2006: an analysis of census data
Mees P., Sorupia E. & Stone J., 2007
A University of Melbourne research paper covering the various forms of transport available for accessing employment, the rapid decline of all of the most sustainable forms of transport and the 70% increase in individual private car usage.
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New South Wales

The provision and use of bicycle parking at Sydney region public transport interchanges
Parsons Brinckerhoff Australia Pty Limited (PB), August 2009, Prepared for the New South Wales Premier’s Council for Active Living from results of facilities audits and cyclist questionnaires
Promoting cycling to NSW public transport interchanges presents an opportunity to increase the catchment of public transport services. This enlarges the range of travel purposes and destinations for which the bicycle is suited.
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Queensland

Cycling and public transport
Queensland Transport, 2006, Queensland Government, Brisbane.
This Cycle Note highlights the opportunities and benefits of combining cycling with public transport. It provides information on planning considerations to maximise this multi-modal transport option.
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Victoria

Combining cycling with public transport
Bicycle Victoria
Provides Victorian based information on combining bicycles with public transport.
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Bicycles and Surfboards
Metlink Melbourne
Victorian based information on combining bicycles with public transport.
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South Australia

Railtrails Australia: bikes on trains & cycling tourism
South Australia’s urban rail system has bike carrying capacity, at least for off peak services. Railtrails Australia is keeping an eye on how other State railways are responding to the bike carrying issue.
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Australian Capital Territory

Combining cycling with public transport
ACTION Buses
Provides information on how you can now combine your bicycle and bus trips in the ACT - Each bike rack can hold two bicycles and each bicycle can be loaded or unloaded without affecting the other. And best of all … using a bike rack is free.
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International

How Cyclists and Buses Should Share the Road (Educational Video)
Michael Graham Richard, 18 March 2010, Canada: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation (bikes) Via Chicago DOT Visit Site , StreetsBlog Visit Site
Surprisingly, despite their very different sizes, bicycles and buses have many things in common. They both stick mostly to the right side of the road (in countries that drive on the right, that is) and move slower than most other vehicles. On top of that, buses are frequently making stops and moving in and out of traffic, making them particularly intimidating from the point of view of cyclists. But from the point of view of bus drivers, the relationship with cyclists can also be confusing. That's why it's important to teach both how to safely share the road, which is exactly what the video below does. It's a must see if you are a cyclist or a bus operator.
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1st/2nd Avenue Plan Offers Double Benefit: Faster Buses, Safer Cycling and Walking
Steven Higashide, 21 January 2010 ,Mobilizing the Region is published by the staff of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
MTA and NYCDOT officials released a first look at the design for the M15 “Select Bus Service” on First and Second Avenue in Manhattan, winning praise from advocates. The plan would revamp First and Second Avenues by adding a physically separated bike lane along much of the length of both avenues and on-street bus lanes. Riders would pay before boarding, and below Houston Street M15 buses would get signal priority, with traffic lights changing to keep buses on schedule. The bus improvements are expected to cut travel time by 25%, while the bike lane and traffic islands will create a safer cycling experience and reduce crossing distance for walkers. The agencies want to begin upgraded service this October.
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Integrating Bicycling and Public Transport in North America
John Pucher and Ralph Buehler, Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2009, pp. 79-104
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Sharing a Ride Before Sharing Their Bikes
Brent McDonald, 27 October 2009, The New York Times - City Room
At daybreak on Sunday, volunteer bike riders gathered outside the Worksman Cycles factory in Ozone Park, Queens, and prepared to ride heavy-duty bikes all the way to Princeton University.
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How can bicycles and bicycling infrastructure be integrated with transit?
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, USA
There are many ways that bicycles and transit (both bus and rail) facilities and services can be connected and integrated for the mutual gain of both bicyclists and transit authorities.
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What are the benefits of integrating bicycle facilities and transit?
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, USA
There are many benefits to integrating bicycles and transit for both transit agencies and travelers. Bicycling and public transit are both great transportation options that can reduce congestion, improve air quality, and reduce automobile dependency. When done in conjunction with one another, transportation options and potential destinations abound.
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What are the benefits of integrating bicycle facilities and transit?
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, USA
There are many benefits to integrating bicycles and transit for both transit agencies and travelers. Bicycling and public transit are both great transportation options that can reduce congestion, improve air quality, and reduce automobile dependency. When done in conjunction with one another, transportation options and potential destinations abound.
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Rail passengers encouraged to get on their bike
Department for Transport, 28 September 2009, News Distribution Service for the Governmnet & the Public Sector - UK
Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis today launched a major £14m package to transform facilities for cyclists at rail stations and encourage healthier, greener travel.
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Folding Electric Bike Rental at Bus Stops to Make Ultimate Commute
Brian Merchant, 17 September 2009, USA: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation
Every once in a while, you see a proposed design and think, "there's absolutely no reason this shouldn't already exist." This is one such design--folding bike rental hubs combined directly with bus stops for a comprehensive public transit system. The system would allow users to rent folding e-bikes from a modular hub attached to each bus stop. Pics and details on how the system would work after the jump.
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Veli.Info - Cycling and Transport
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This briefing provides an overview of the role of the bicycle as a mode of transport. View PDF
Development of Boulder's Multimodal System
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) (2009) Visit Site

What steps must a city take once its leaders decide to encourage more transportation options to reduce reliance on car travel?
Synthesis 4: Integration of Bicycles and Transit,
Transportation Research Board, 2005, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C.
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This report is available for sale on this website, and offers a comprehensive assessment and analysis of the US experience of combining bicycles with public transport services. A significant proportion of the document is of relevance to the Australian context, despite the fact that it is US based.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center - bicyclingifo.org
- Bikes on Buses
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  Connecting bicycle transportation with buses offers many opportunities for expanding user access to transit. Front-mounted bike racks are the most common way for transit agencies to carry bicycles on buses. It is best to equip every bus with a rack, rather than select buses based on route choices, so that any bus can be used for any route, and bicyclists are always assured there will be a bike rack.
- Bikes on Trains
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  Bicycle access on trains is rather limited in the United States. When allowed, bicycles are often restricted to a maximum number per car, limited to certain hours of operation, and prohibited on full cars. Access, however, has improved over the last 20 years with most major rail systems providing some accommodations for bicycles. Check your local transit agency for its specific policies regarding bicycles on trains.
- Intermodal Transportation Planning and Development: A closer look at linking transit to bicycling and walking
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  Can communities reduce the length or number of car trips by making better intermodal connections? An intermodal trip involves more than one type of transportation, such as walking and transit, bicycling and transit, or driving and transit. Communities interested in offering commuters more transportation choices in an age of rising gas prices and concern about climate change can learn from the plans, policies and programs implemented by the City of Tucson.
- Quantifying Countermeasure Effectiveness Orlando and Orange County, Florida
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  Pedestrian and bicycle professionals sometimes encounter resistance when proposing crash countermeasures, due either to competing interests along a corridor or the desire to cut costs. Quantifying the effectiveness of corridor-length countermeasures such as medians, lighting and bicycle lanes will help proponents make a better case for these elements.
- Creating Active Rural Communities, Haliburton County, Ontario
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  There are many challenges unique to creating active communities in rural places, and yet there is very little literature or research to guide a community that pursues this goal. Some of the obstacles a rural community faces include large distances between destinations (20 km/12 miles or more); a prevalent "car culture"; an extensive road network and a small tax base, so that the focus on transportation is to maintain existing roads for cars, rather than to create or improve walking or cycling infrastructure; and limited capacity or expertise within municipal governments (staff and elected representatives) to make planning for active communities a priority.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center - Case Studies
  - Pedestrian Bike and Travel Policy Kentucky State
    Kentucky created the Pedestrian and Bicycle Design Guidance Task Force in response to the then new USDOT publication "Design Guidance Accommodating Bicycle and Pedestrian Travel: A Recommended Approach." Visit Site The task force was headed by the Multi-modal Programs division. Its goal was to develop policies to guide the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on when, where, and how to include bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The Task Force included representatives from a variety of state departments, including the University of Kentucky Department of Civil Engineering, FHWA, the Kentucky Planning Commission, Kentucky Heritage Council, Bicycle Coalition of Kentucky, and more.
  - Bike-station Long Beach, California
    In the early 1990s a proactive citizen of Long Beach, CA researched how cities in Europe and Japan achieved high levels of bicycle and transit ridership despite these barriers. His most compelling discovery was the public cycling or bike-transit center, a model that he brought back to Long Beach and convinced the city and other agencies to embrace. The concept promoted alternative transportation choices by using bike parking and other services to help people connect to transit and downtown areas.
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Bikes Aboard MTA Buses and Trains
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A webpage from the Metropolitan Transport Authority in New York State - information for cyclists wanting to integrate cycling and public transport for their daily commute. The site also announces two "recently clarified" policies:
- Folding bikes, appropriately folded, are considered luggage and not subject to rules governing standard frame bicycles. Therefore, folding bicycles can be brought on board local buses as if they were a backpack or suitcase. They can also be brought aboard LIRR and Metro-North trains at any time without a permit and are best stored in the overhead luggage racks. Conventional bikes are not allowed on board buses operated by New York City Transit, the MTA Bus Company or Long Island Bus.
- Bicycles can be brought aboard the Staten Island Railway except on rush-hour trains traveling in the peak direction.
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- Case Study - Feeding a BRT with Bicycles: Rio de Janeiro’s T5
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  Rio de Janeiro, known as the Marvelous City, is planning the implementation of a marvelous BRT. The proposed 33-kilometer T5 BRT corridor will run from Penha in the Northern end of the city, to Barra da Tijuca, a seaside community in the South that has seen explosive growth in the last 20 years.
  In some neighborhoods along the route, bicycles account for at least 8 percent of daily trips, and this figure is likely around 10 – 15 percent in many areas, according to bicycle expert Zé Lobo of the Rio-based NGO, Transporte Ativo. In these neighborhoods, bicycle access to the BRT will be essential. That is why Rio’s urban planning institute, the Instituto Pereira Passos, planned a workshop with Transporte Ativo and the Dutch NGO Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-CE), in which ITDP also participated.