TAPPING NEW TRANSIT MARKETS WITH BICYCLE ACCESS: THE INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE. SESSION 6

The shift of population and employment growth from dense urban centers to small cities and suburban areas has eroded the traditional markets for public transportation. Intracity and suburb-to-central city travel demand has remained largely static in recent years while intrasuburban travel demand has multiplied. Transportation professionals face major challenges in devising strategies to provide more effective intrasuburban public transportation services. The way people get to and from transit has major effects on transit market size and penetration, transit productivity, and transport system costs. By diversifying transit access and egress systems, new opportunities are opened up for ridership growth, productivity enhancement, and cost savings. Bicycle access to public transportation is shown to be a vital element in adapting transit to suburbia. Only a supply-push strategy of providing and marketing secure bike parking at transit stops and bike-on transit programs can release the latent demand for bicycle access to public transportation in the U.S. Research in both the US and Europe has shown that bike-and-ride service appeals strongly to people in such households but can also attract many choice travelers. Transit agencies and local governments around the U.S. are beginning to recognize the importance of providing secure bicycle parking at transit stops. However, the current modest initiatives to permit a low-level of bicycle-transit integration need to be expanded substantially and accompanied by serious planning, marketing, and evaluation. Major opportunities for transit productivity improvement, cost savings, and higher suburban transit ridership will be opened up by the development of more diversified suburban transit access systems in America.