Case Studies
Transperth Lock ‘n’ Ride Bike Shelters

Design Feature

Type of project
Infrastructure
State
Western Australia
Location
Urban
Well-connected public transport, pedestrian and cycle movement networks need to be supported with appropriate infrastructure to encourage improved levels of physical activity. Transperth understands this and has provided Lock ’n’ Ride bike shelters at Perth train stations.
Supporting active travel
Transperth has supported healthy outcomes in the community by providing Lock ‘n’ Ride bike shelters at train stations, encouraging increased use of public transport. The provision of secure bicycle parking encourages people to use public transport facilities to access their destination. Transperth has installed secure bicycle facilities (bicycle cages) at the majority of train stations in the Perth Metropolitan Area in an attempt to increase the bicycle mode share of station patrons and to ease the burden on station car parking facilities. 

The Lock ‘n’ Ride bike shelter consists of a locked steel mesh cage, accessed by means of a registered SmartRider card, with u-rail type bike parking facilities inside. Typically, these facilities accommodate around 25-35 bicycles each.
The Lock ‘n’ Ride bike shelters are provided in addition to existing bicycle parking facilities already available at most stations. Cyclists not registered to use the shelters still have access to these facilities. In general, the bike shelters are located as close to the station access as possible, to make cycling a more attractive option.
Transperth monitors the usage of the facilities and provides additional shelters where they are utilised to capacity for prolonged periods.
Project team
  • Transperth 

Project cost
$20,000 – $50,000 (per shelter)
Health value
The opportunity to cycle rather than drive to a destination, such as a train station, encourages users to be more physically active. In 2008 obesity was estimated to cost the Australian economy $58.2 billion due to diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and various forms of cancer. This cost can be significantly reduced by more people being physically active for as little as 30 minutes a day. Based on these calculations the estimated monetary value of the health benefits of riding a bike is around 75c per kilometre. This value takes into account the cost of injuries associated with increased cycling.
Economic value
  • By providing secure bicycle parking locally, a reduction in car trips directly relates to a reduction in the number of parking bays required. Construction of car parking bays can currently cost as much as $40,000 per space, without taking into account ongoing maintenance costs. Providing 25 secure bicycle parking spaces theoretically allows for a 25 car parking bay reduction. This equates to a construction cost saving of as much as $1 million.
  • Traffic congestion costs the Australian economy around $13 billion a year. It is estimated that this could rise to $20 billion per year by 2020 if current trends in development and transport continue.
  • Given that approximately 50% of car trips are less than 5 kilometres, a significant reduction in these costs could be achieved by providing the opportunity for more people to use bicycles, especially for these shorter journeys.

Environmental value
  • In the final quarter of 2011, transport was responsible for 88.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. This equates to about 16% of the total emissions, with car trips contributing around half of this. The cost to the environment due to greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water and noise pollution is estimated to be about 5.9 cents per kilometre travelled, and thus every kilometre cycled instead of driven brings benefits to the environment.
  • A secure bicycle cage was installed at the Brighton Beach Train Station in Melbourne. The shelter is the same as those installed throughout the Perth Metropolitan Area. Users of the Brighton Beach Train Station were surveyed to determine their travel behaviour before and after installation of the shelter. The users of the shelter were limited to 39, due to the capacity constraints. Before the installation, 62% of users cycled to the train station (using unsecure u-rail facilities) and 38% drove. After installation, the results demonstrated a reduction of 14 two-way car trips per day. With an average one-way trip of 3 kilometres, the provision of the shelter reduced the vehicle kilometres travelled per day to the train station by around 84 kilometres. .

Social value
Having access to day-to-day activities such as attending workplaces, shopping areas, medical services and entertainment is a vital element to being part of society. The provision of secure bike parking at key destinations where day-to-day activities can be performed allows those destinations and activities to be inclusive of those people who may not have access to a car. By installing bike parking at key destinations the youth (people not old enough to drive), the financially disadvantaged (people not able to afford a car), choice users (people who choose not to drive) and others, all have access to those destinations and are able to be independent contributing members of society.
Use value
The real use value of installing secure bike parking lies in affording patrons the freedom to choose their own mode of transport. These patrons have the ability to make the healthy, more environmentally conscious and cost-effective transport choice. Additionally, by allowing the SmartRider to be used to access the Lock ‘n’ Ride facility the system is conveniently accessible to most current public transport users, providing an additional incentive to use the system.
References

Stay informed. Sign up to our newsletter.

I agree that I have read and I accept the Heart Foundation's Privacy Statement.



Share by: