Background
Bicycling has the potential to increase transit ridership by extending the reach of transit and reduce demand for car parking at major transit facilities while offsetting greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). While there is considerable anecdotal evidence across the country to support these outcomes, there is very little quantitative data available amongst individual transit agencies and across the entire industry. This lack of data on a variety of factors present transit agencies with challenges in analyzing, planning for and prioritizing investments to enhance bicycle integration solutions.
What We Did
UCS has begun a review of the current state of bicycle and transit integration in New York State through a statewide survey to be developed and distributed to all transit operators registered with the New York State Department of Transportation’s public transit division. We are also developing a simultaneous statewide "cycling census" to garner insights directly from cyclists and transit customers statewide. In addition, UCS will lead a focused investigation at four (4) NYS agencies of different scales – including NYCT, CDTA, TCAT and SCT – to provide deep insights into bike rack utilization onboard buses, and frame future strategies for using this data to drive energy efficient and effective public policy. UCS is currently in the beginning phases of this project, preparing for statewide agency outreach and data collection.
Results
When complete, the final report will apply lessons learned from data analysis and pilot agency field investigations to develop recommendations for agencies of all scales, and quantif the amount of GHG emissions offset by integrating bikes onboard buses. Based on these findings, the report will also include a series of policy recommendations for agencies to capitalize on the benefits of
bike/transit integration.
