Biking to Ride: Investigating the Challenges and Barriers of Integrating Cycling with Regional Rail Transit

Abstract

Integrating bicycling with public transport can potentially benefit cyclists and transit operators. Successfully coordinating these transport modes, however, can be a difficult task when so little is known about the social and environmental barriers to this type of multimodal travel in the North American context. Using data derived from a survey of regional train service patrons in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton regions of Ontario, Canada, this study examines the challenges faced by those who cycle to/from the train, the barriers that keep passengers from commuting to/from the train by bicycle, and the sociodemographic characteristics of those cycling-and not cycling-to/from the train. Safety concerns, worries about bicycle security, and rules restricting when bicycles are permitted on trains were among the top challenges identified by individuals currently cycling to and/or from train stations. Among those who do not cycle to or from the train, appearance and comfort were the two primary concerns. Results also indicate that certain groups were more likely to cycle to/from the train than others. Notably, a large gender gap exists, approximately two-thirds (67%) of those cycling to their local train station were male. Results from this study may inform policy makers on how to successfully, and equitably, integrate cycling with regional rail transit.

Examining travel patterns and characteristics in a bikesharing network and implications for data-driven decision supports: Case study in the Washington DC area

“…By applying a few simple rules, we have found that most of the top O-D pairs in BSS provide first-and last-mile connections between transportation hubs and residence neighborhoods in DC. Such multimodal connections indicate a complementary relationship (Barber and Starrett, 2018) between bikeshare and transit that is potentially beneficial to cyclists and operators (Ravensbergen, 2018). The results in Fig.10 indicate that bike trip time has low variations between O-D pairs, and the parametric models of O-D trip time between BSS stations could be adopted and used for real-time intermodal planning (Griffin and Sener, 2016) by road users.…”

Biking the First Mile: Exploring a Cyclist Typology and Potential for Cycling to Transit Stations by Suburban Commuters

“…Across North American regions, an emphasis on cycling to solve this first/last mile challenge is a much discussed yet under-researched topic ( 3 , 7 , 8 ). Prior research shows that in the GTHA, 22% of all trips to a GO Train station are between 1 and 5 Km in length and could potentially be cycled ( 9 ).…”

Typology of Bikeshare Users Combining Bikeshare and Transit

“…Getting sweaty and the lack of showers at destination have often been identified as major barriers for utilitarian cycling (26)(27)(28). This hypothesis is further supported by a survey conducted in the Greater Toronto Area showing that 38% of rail riders do not want to combine rail and bike because they do not want to be sweaty during their train ride (29). Since the majority of BMB users only make one BMB trip by day when this trip chain is used, their return trip in the evening is either made only by Bixi or with a combination of public transport and a single Bixi trip.…”