Bikes are great. Trains are great. Put them together, and you get something extraordinary!
Imagine seamless crosstown and intercity trips which are not only enjoyable but are also safe, healthy, and sustainable, without the need for us all to become super cycling commuters.
What if bikes and trains could come together, and through their powers combined, offer better mobility than your car?
The combination of 'bike+train' (or cycling-transit integration to acknowledge other rapid transit modes) offers an attractive alternative that competes with cars in many ways and delivers synergistic benefits to cycling, public transport, and our cities.
In this blog, Lukas Adam explores the origin of the bike+train concept and its potential application across Aotearoa.
Extensive public transport and cycling networks in The Netherlands make bike+train journeys a natural choice for longer distances (image source: Lukas Adam).
Why does this make sense?
Combining bike access with rapid transit can deliver a host of benefits by making use of the best qualities of each. Notably, combined, they can compete with car-based mobility by offering the speed of rapid transit in combination with the door-to-door accessibility of a bike.
Unlike the car-based transport system that has become the norm in Aotearoa over the last 70 years, the bike+train system is scalable to the urban intensities we are working toward.
Together they are safe, healthy, and efficient in terms of space, cost, emissions, and energy.?
The model also fits within a modern urban mobility system by complementing other sustainable modes, such as walking, feeder public transport services, car-sharing, and ride-hailing when riding a bike isn't an option.
Does this exist anywhere in the world?
You probably guessed the answer to this question. Yes, in The Netherlands!
Bike parking en masse can be found at Dutch rail stations, an important linking part of the bike+train system, like here at Amsterdam Centraal (image source: Lukas Adam).
The bike+train system operates to some degree in many European and Asian cities. However, the best examples are in The Netherlands, where many of its proponents are based, including Roland Kager and Lucas Harms , who co-authored the report, Synergies from Improved Cycling-Transit Integration: Towards an integrated urban mobility system.
Dutch cities have for decades invested in their national rail and bike networks that run within and between cities.
Alongside innovative land-use policies, this has delivered unparalleled mobility, utilising sustainable transport's most significant benefits.
How do you build a bike+train network?
The short answer is to build joined-up bike and transit infrastructure and develop a culture that encourages the public to use them.
Bike and rail infrastructure is being developed in main centres throughout Aotearoa. Auckland is building rapid transit networks, including the City Rail Link, Eastern Busway, and Northern Busway extension. Auckland Light Rail has been proposed. Significant investment is underway on transport infrastructure, including plans for mass transit in Wellington, including a mass rapid transit link from the city centre to the airport. Fledgling cycle networks are expanding, most notably in Christchurch.
Amsterdam's cycle network takes you right up to the door of the Centraal Station (image source: Lukas Adam).
Accessible, secure and convenient bicycle parking at rapid transit stations is also a critical part of the system, particularly at stations that mainly serve as origin stations, like suburban rail and busway stations. Parking at stations is improving, for example, double-tier racks right next to Paraparaumu Station's platforms added in 2019 on Wellington's commuter rail network.
Pieces being put into place: Paraparaumu's 'Bike & Ride' offers bike parking on the station platform (image source: James Wratt via Waka Kotahi).
Next-generation: Many Dutch rail stations have free bike parking inside the station complex with direct connection to platforms and complete with guards to watch over your bike, like here at Amsterdam Zuid (image source: Lukas Adam).
Other innovations that contribute to the viability of a bike+train system include:
1.??????Bike rental schemes – Bikes must be readily available, especially when trips don't start or end at home. This can avoid the need for people to take bikes on public transport or park a second bike at the destination station, which is not efficient, flexible, or scalable.
2.??????Integrated planning and operation – Cycling around the city should become the responsibility of one organisation (e.g., Auckland Transport), or common approaches need to be developed across different organisations (e.g., Wellington City Council and Wellington Regional Council).
3.??????Integrated information – This includes the development of unified signage, maps, travel information, payment, ticketing, and marketing options for biking and transit. Bikeway signs should be erected showing directions to transit stops, while transit maps should be made available to display the main bike routes, and there should be bike rental availability at stations. Bike rental could also become part of a transit subscription. For example, you could pay with an AT Hop card.
4.??????Bike-on-board facilities and regulation – Taking their own bikes is a user preference, but this may be limited due to the parking space available around stations. However, the carriage of bikes on public transport can function to:
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Making a bike+train system work for everyone
The urban form of cities in Aotearoa is typically monocentric (with expanding secondary centres in some places), while rapid transit is radial. More complete rapid transit networks introduce more overlapping station catchment areas, meaning people can quickly cycle or walk to several stations, which helps address the first mile and last mile issues.
There is also an opportunity for commuters to customise their transit journeys by choosing which station to depart from, which services suit them best, how much transfer time they need to allow, and the best response to disruptions.
An efficient bike+train network will increase the market base for rapid transit systems, and people may cycle further to gain access to better services. Spending more time on a bike will afford the opportunity of saving on train fares, lessen travel time and avoid the need to transfer from one service to another. These advantages will improve the business case for rapid transit, so travellers can be offered a higher frequency service that benefits everyone, not just those accessing the station by bike.
As transit becomes more attractive, the liveliness of public space improves as more people are on the streets as they make their way to and from public transport stations.
Enhancing the perception of our urban space as a safe and more attractive area has social, economic and cultural benefits.
Biking and transit accessibility is primarily influenced by urbanisation at the trip's origins and destinations rather than distance. The bike+train network benefits from and reinforces population densities in the vicinity of stations rather than dispersed concentrations.
This applies to Auckland and Wellington, where poly-centric urban areas are the strongest. In the Auckland region, many satellite towns are increasing in population density, including Warkworth, Drury, Papakura and Pokeno, while in Wellington, the same could be said for Porirua, Johnsonville, and Kāpiti.
The benefits of a bike+train system
For the traveller
A well-developed bike+train system will allow travellers the opportunity to access a higher number of public transport services, particularly rapid transit, and a larger number of stations.
Faster and more customised transit journeys avoid transfers, have a lower fare structure, and reduce the complexity of trips.
For the transit operator
A successful bike+train network will help concentrate demand for public transport services by gathering people from a wider catchment at transit stations. At the same time, demand for services with fewer stops could result. This will help develop a more profitable rapid transit service with reduced vehicle, personnel, and infrastructure costs due to increased service reliability, ridership and willingness to pay.
Therefore, the operator will have a better product to promote, while increased passenger numbers will improve the land value of stations for some operators.
Making rental bikes available at stations will improve the effective capacity of trains by eliminating the need to carry bikes onboard.
The collective benefits of a bike+train network for the city are:
How will a bike+train network be developed in main centres in Aotearoa?
An attractive and efficient bike+train system must be aligned with public transport and urban planning agendas. Investment in public transport should be directed to where bike networks and land use planning is well developed, or biking, accessibility to public transport and the public realm should be critical factors in planning for increased housing density.
Planners should initially focus on two or three facilities rather than distributing their efforts across the whole network. ?Cycling will enable the development of large catchment areas for each station, so informed choices must be made when considering the project's complexity and cost.
Aotearoa currently has a limited number of rapid transit options, so any bike+train development should focus on selected main hubs that merit investment. For example, Auckland's Britomart and Aotea stations and Wellington Station.
Next steps
Crucially, the next steps start with further developing the cycling and public transport networks in a joined-up way.
Business cases need to be developed that incorporate the existing and potential bike network and investigate the biking-public transport integration synergies.
The focus should be on public transport nodes with the highest level of service and the greatest network function, with a secondary emphasis on satellite towns serviced by public transport, for example, Drury, Kāpiti, and Porirua.
New bike network development should simplify access to existing and proposed stations while overcoming the greater distances created by dispersed cities. The bike+train concept should be integrated into sustainable intercity travel plans, e.g., the Auckland to Hamilton rail improvements.
Sources:
Senior Associate at Beca | Urban Mobility
2 年Nice write up Lukas. Love the permeability and simple design across the train corridor and the street edge still seems to be activated!
Associate Public Transport Planner at MRCagney New Zealand
2 年"Unlike the car-based transport system that has become the norm in Aotearoa over the last 70 years, the bike+train system is scalable to the urban intensities we are working toward." I'd argue that cars' ability to scale to intensities in Auckland was probably exceeded 20 years ago.
Associate Engineer - Transportation (Civil)
2 年Exactly, if the trains allowed more bikes onboard, I'd ride my bike to work pretty much everyday. I live 50km away from where I work, so riding in all the way is not really an option. But if I could take my bike on the train, I could save the drive to my local station (less car parking space required, less pollution, less costs, etc.) and then there would be no need to walk 15mins to my office at the other end.
Senior Public Transport Planner - Greater Wellington Regional Council
2 年This is great Lukas - in our house we call it the "Bike-train combo" and feel pretty confident that we can comfortably get most places we want (at least south of the Bridge). I find it interesting to note the spots where switching to a bike speeds up the total journey also (e.g. getting off the Western Line at Kingsland and biking into the city saves time by avoiding the Newmarket turnaround).
Intermediate Planner
2 年Super interesting read, thanks Lukas!