Exploring Synergy in Bicycle and Transit Use

Abstract

With cycling on the rise in many U.S. cities, it is important to consider how other travel modes—especially transit—interact with bicycling. Some transportation experts worry that new bicycle trips substitute more for travel by transit than for travel by automobile; however, bicycling and transit may be more complementary than supplementary. Most research on these connections focuses on multimodal integration: cycling to, on, or from transit. This body of knowledge misses another key component of bicycle—transit synergy: potential long-term complementarity made possible by short-term substitution. A solid transit system provides options and security for bicycle riders to optimize daily mode choices; shifting some peak passenger loads to cycling may make transit service more reliable and entice new users. This study investigated those unexplored synergistic relationships between bicycling and transit use. Exploratory analyses were performed at two scales. First, changes in bicycle commuting in large U.S. urbanized areas between 2000 and 2010 were related to transit levels. Second, logistic regression models used data from a household travel survey in Portland, Oregon, to estimate how transit use affected the odds of cycling by households and individuals and on trips. Results generally supported the research hypotheses: transit and cycling were short-term mode substitutes, but might be long-term complements. Increases in urban area bicycle commuting were positively associated with transit ridership. Although cycling individuals were more likely to live in transit-using households, residing in such a household decreased one's odds of cycling. More research is needed to examine causality and the policy implications of bicycle-transit synergy.

Exploring the positive utility of travel and mode choice

“…Perhaps this relates to an unobserved nonmotorized or active travel mode preference among people who own bicycles. The positive association between owning bicycles and transit commuting is consistent with other research looking at synergies between bicycle and transit use; similar explanations have been posited (Singleton & Clifton, 2014).…”

Traffic Safety Perception, Attitude, and Feeder Mode Choice of Metro Commute: Evidence from Shenzhen

“…The bicycle’s integration with transit (bike-and-ride) is also common for commuters. The synergy of the bicycle and transit for access/egress trips can be summarized into three patterns: bicycle-and-transit, transit-and-bicycle, and bicycle-on-transit (taking a bicycle on transit) [ 34 , 35 ]. There are many preconditions for the bicycle-and-transit and transit-and-bicycle patterns, such as the ownership of bicycles, available secure parking spaces, and parking facilities (e.g., shelter and parking dock) around transit stations [ 36 ].…”

“…There are many preconditions for the bicycle-and-transit and transit-and-bicycle patterns, such as the ownership of bicycles, available secure parking spaces, and parking facilities (e.g., shelter and parking dock) around transit stations [ 36 ]. However, the bicycle-on-transit pattern is usually constrained by the parking space or capacity on transit, which may bring conflicts between regular transit passengers and bicycle–transit users [ 35 ]. Recently, bike-sharing services, including docked and dockless programs, have been introduced to various cities (e.g., Paris, Singapore, and Shanghai).…”

Insights into factors affecting the combined bicycle-transit mode

“…To complete this section on competing modes, the study of Singleton and Clifton (2014) in the US is of interest. The researchers challenged the concept that cycling is a competitor for transit services.…”