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:

Ker, I., Yapp, S., Moore, P., 2005, Bus-Bike Interaction with the Road Network, Research Report, Austroads, Sydney.
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This report reviews the interaction between buses and bicycles within the road network and identifies measures to reduce the potential for conflict.
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006, Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices, this link will take you to the ABS site where you can obtain a free PDF download.
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Chapter 4, Use of transport, provides an overview of bicycle ownership and usage rates in Australia.
Mees P., Sorupia E. & Stone J., 2007, Travel to work in Australian capital cities, 1976-2006: an analysis of census data
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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.

Queensland:

Queensland Transport, 2006, Cycling and public transport, Queensland Government, Brisbane.
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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.

Victoria:

Bicycle Victoria, website, Combining cycling with public transport
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Provides Victorian based information on combining bicycles with public transport.
Metlink Melbourne, website, Bicycles and Surfboards.
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Website providing Victorian based information on combining bicycles with public transport.

South Australia:

Railtrails Australia: bikes on trains & cycling tourism
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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.

Australian Capital Territory:

ACTION Buses, website, combining cycling with public transport
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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.

International:

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
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) (2009) Development of Boulder's Multimodal System
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What steps must a city take once its leaders decide to encourage more transportation options to reduce reliance on car travel?
Transportation Research Board, 2005, Synthesis 4: Integration of Bicycles and Transit, 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.
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (Visit Site ), 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.

Bike Share / Hire Programs

There are various bike hire schemes being developed around the world as sustainable transport options that compliment public transport and walking throughout urban areas. Here are a series of films that show how the various schemes have been adopted by various cities.

The Bike-sharing Blog
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The Bike-sharing Blog provides information on the emerging public transportation mode of bike-sharing. The Blog is provided by MetroBike, LLC , based in Washington, D.C., USA.
World map showing all the locatiuons of bike share programs - Visit Site
Jerry James Stone, 15 June 2009, US: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation
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Cykel is a plug-in electric bike sharing system designed for a wide range of users and topographies. The concept was inspired by the popular bike share programs found throughout Europe.
New Zealand Models
- New Zealand Green Bike Trust
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  The New Zealand Green Bike Trust was formed in 2002 to trial various cycling initiatives for residents, community organisations and visitors in Porirua.
North America Models
- BikesharePhilly (21 October 2008) - "Montreal Canada's Bike Share Program Bixi" (2:44 mins video)
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  Bixi is available mid April to Mid November throughout Montreal.
- Press, E. (2008) "D.C. Launches Bike-Sharing Program" StreetFilms, (3.23 mins video)
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  Last week the first North American public bike-share program debuted in Washington D.C. With 120 bikes at 10 self-service racks, SmartBike DC officially launched. This week the Streetfilms team took it for a spin.
- Press, E. (2008) "Bike Share on Governors Island" StreetFilms (2:35 mins video)
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  Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC), Transportation Alternatives and Bike and Roll have joined forces to create what they are calling New York City's first sustained bike share program.
- Press, E. (2008) "How Bike Share Might Be?" StreetFilms, (3:35 mins video)
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  The NYC DOT says it will test the bike sharing waters. And yesterday, the New York Bike-Share Project launched a five day bike share demonstration.
- Merchant, B. (2009) US Gets Another Bike Sharing Program: Denver Launches Pilot Run, TreeHugger.com - Cars & Transportation
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- NYC Dept. City Planning (Spring 2009), “Bike-Share Opportunities in New York City”
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  The document analyzes existing bike-share models and current New York City bicyclist demographics and demand to assess the potential for a New York City Bike-Share Program. In addition, an overview of potential funding options and recommendations for program implementation, including suggested program size and phasing, bike-station siting, fees, safety and theft reduction, are also discussed.
- USA and Canadian locations for bike rentals by location
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  RentaBikeNow, a site that lets you research the rental bikes available in 157 locations across the U.S. and Canada with information on rates, routes and accessories like racks and helmets. The service enables users to reserve bikes online in advance and easily incorporate them into their travel plans, though we imagine this will be just as useful to locals eager to get a new perspective on their own cities.
United Kingdom Models
- Charlton, R. (11 February 2008) "Mayor Unveils Hire Bike Scheme for London" (4:53 mins video)
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  Rebecca Charlton speaks to Ken Livingstone about the initiative he says will "transform cycling" in London. Visit Visit Site for all the best race highlights and live action.
European Models
- Mikael (15 May 2008), Zakkamedia - "Vélo Liberté - Parisian Bike Culture" (3:04 mins video)
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  Riding through Paris utilising the new Velib Bike Hire Scheme
- Gutman, M. (7 August 2007) "Velib Cycles in Paris" (10:04 mins video)
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- (22 October 2007) "Bicycle Freedom" (2:47 mins video)
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  News story on the growth of bike hire schemes
- (17 March 2008) "Bike Ride through Seville" (2:55 mins video)
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