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.

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:

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 - 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.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center - 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.
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.