OBJECTIVES
• To propose technical and management characteristics of an integrated system of secure bycicle parking at public transportation stations of the RMB, which should adapt to the different realities of the railway and bus stations, and allows meet the security requirements of different actual and potential user profiles.
• To propose a list of locations to implement secure bicycle parking in order to achieve the goal of enabling 30 new secure parking before 2012, as stated in the measure EA2.10 of the Mobility Master Plan of the RMB (pdM).
context of the study
The whole of the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona (7 counties, 164 municipalities), although the content of the proposal may be applicable to all the public transport stations of Catalonia.
summary
The study examines the concept of security parking, there is a proposal of reference levels and basic types of secure parking for bicycles are defined. Furthermore, we show the results of a case-finding implemented everywhere, with a brief description of up to 36 experiences located in Europe, America and Asia, and an in-depth description of nine of the most relevant experiences to represent the main types of safe parking that have been defined previously.
On the other hand, a characterization of more than 300 railway stations and interurban buses of the RMB is made, in order to identify the type of current passenger flow, the population and slopes of the area, the current supply of bicycle parking declared by the operators, etc., with the ultimate goal of making a theoretical estimate of the potential demand of parking services in each of them, that for all the RMB accounts for up to 6,000 parking spaces, considering the early years of implementation. In addition, there is a field inventory of 55 of them in order to identify aspects of the environment, the available space, accessibility, etc., which can determine the choice of the more adequate parking on the ground.
The proposal of the secure bicycle parking system in the RMB has three types of infrastructure solutions: (a) lockers, (b) modular cages, and (c) construction areas. Primarily, the option would be the parking inside the enclosures of the stations with independent access 24 hours/7 days a week, although in many cases the available space or the potential demand justifies modular solutions outside. In all cases, the electronic identification of users in access to parks will be required, as well as the marking with a visual identifier of the bike. Is crucial that users will have a kind of service that guarantees a space in their regular station, and the study establishes the conditions that must be exist so the use of the system can be linked to the use of public transport and an integrated management among all public transport operators could be performed.
The study details the technical guidance for all elements of the proposed system and, in this sense, also aims to become a reference tool for designers of new public transportation stations of the RMB, which in all cases should include, from the first phase of the project, a secure bike parking suited to the potential demand of the station.
Choosing the best structural solution for each station has been analyzed on two levels. On one side, it has been identified, as a guideline, the best solution for all types of public transport stations of the RMB, and second, for 35 stations this approximate solution has been adjusted from the fieldwork data in order to get a viable solution, and its location has been established on aerial photography.
Finally, an economic analysis for different stages of implementation in the short term was conducted, and we studied in depth the results for a scenario run by transport operators with an approximate investment of 1 million euros that would allow to consolidate a network of over 20 parks and an overall capacity of nearly 1,000 spaces. It should be noted that although the potential demand of the service is significant for a good bulk of the RMB stations, low current modal share of cycling access to stations forces to consider a process of progressive and moderate growth in demand. For this reason, we must remember that the economic results are mostly at a lossmaking level and the creation and maintenance of the system generates fixed costs that represent important ratios for place if the system is not expanded later to get the whole potential demand. In this sense, the study proposes a fee structure and complementary services to the parking that can allow a significant reduction of the deficit.
The key to get the economic viability of the service lies in its real ability to attract new users to the public transport, which would generate enough revenue for the whole public transport system. In any case, it is essential not to forget the potential positive impact of the introduction of the system in terms of reducing pollutants, greenhouse gases, global costs for users, and accidents. With the calculations presented in this study, it is concluded that there is no doubt that from this perspective it is a worthwhile investment in social, environmental, safety and health.