Region's light rapid trans project needs to include bicycles

Now that the province has committed $300 million to the light rapid transit system for Waterloo Region, I hope the regional planners think about incorporating bicycle access.

Rapid transit flexibility is characteristic of the cycling culture of Copenhagen, which I had the opportunity to experience last week at Velo-city Global 2010.

If you thought the Toronto subway system was progressive for allowing bicycles on their cars during the off-peak hours, check out Denmark's rapid transit system, which allows bicycles at all hours. On the S-trains, bicycles ride for free, while on the M-trains, cyclists have to pay a discounted fee for their bikes.

On each service, there is a designated area for bikes: on Copenhagen's M-trains, it's the bicycle/buggy/luggage zone with folding seats; on Denmark's S-trains, there are bike sections cleared marked both on the platform and on the side of the train coaches, with bike "grabbers" and folding seats.

Back your bike's rear wheel into the rubber-coated grabber (see above) and the bike basically free-stands.

There are eight fold-down seats in the section, and seven sets of grabbers, for a mix of bikes and passengers, or all bikes, depending on circumstances. With two cars so equipped, each train could carry 14 bikes, but anytime I took the train, there was spillover, which the passengers all seemed used to accommodating.

Think of the reach that would add to a light rapid transit system in Waterloo Region. Ride your bike to the LRT, take the train, dismount and ride to work.

And a part of that would have to be incorporating bicycle parking into the major nodes of the light rapid trans, a la Copenhagen (here is just some of the bike parking at the Central Station).

There's a great opportunity here to think multi-modal transportation.

Comments

[Rob]

Of course it would also help if the proposed light rail transit a) went somewhere people want to go b) ran near where people actually live in these cities (as Kitchener puts forward yet more suburban sprawl) and c) it can actually get me where I want to go faster than I can by just cycling alone.

[Adam Glauser]

I agree! Speaking of bicycle facilities, parking specifically, the City of Waterloo is looking for input from cyclists regarding a planned secure parking facility for bicycles!

http://www.waterloo.ca/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=1&mid=449&def=News%20Article%20View&ItemId=1266

[Emily]

Does anyone know where to acquire these rubber coated bike-grabbers? Thanks!