Assessment of Bicycle Service Areas around Transit Stations

Abstract

Mobility hubs are major transit access points and an integrated part of multi-modal transportation planning efforts. For the implementation of bicycle infrastructure improvements around mobility hubs a better understanding of bicycle access distances is needed. Using responses from on-board travel surveys in three U.S. metropolitan areas, this study found that median bicycle access distances to transit stations are within the buffer radii suggested for community hubs (1 mile) and gateway hubs (2 miles) in long-range transportation plans. Multiple regression analysis identified several street and transit network characteristics affecting bicycle access distance, which should be considered when planning infrastructure improvements.

Keywords:

• built environment
• cycling
• Public transportation
• service area

Acknowledgments

I want to thank Mr. Henning Eichler from Metrolink, Mrs. Claudette Dillard from the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), and Mr. Jonathan Ehrlich from MetroTransit for providing me with the detailed data sets of the on-board surveys which made this analysis possible.

Notes

*Income brackets used from Twin Cities questionnaire: <15 K, 15–35 K, 35–60 K, 60–100 K, >100 K.

*For Twin Cities: <15 K.

⁺ p < .10, *p < .05, **p < .01.

†Twin Cities train is reference location–mode category.

*p < .10, **p < .05, ***p < .01 (Sidak).

⁺ p < .10, *p < .05, **p < .01.

†Twin Cities station with train service is reference location-service category.

⁺ p < .10, **p < .05, ***p < .01 (Sidak).

Source: U.S. National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/usa/wusaclim.htm.

†…Average high temperatures in degree Celsius/Fahrenheit.

†…Average precipitation in millimeter/inch.

Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/ujst.