Cycling to public transport stations: the most sustainable transport mode combination

Abstract

The Netherlands is regarded as one of the most prominent cycling countries in the world. It also has one of the best railway systems in the world. Interestingly, the combination of ‘cycling to railway stations’ has a very good mode share, as it has many advantages: it expands the catchment area of stations and is often faster than congested road traffic. In this paper the authors will explore if and how we can use this transport mode combination for the South African context. In a project to optimise Gautrain services, the authors have explored what could be done to promote a mode shift in the access/egress to/from Gautrain stations, with Hatfield Station as a pilot. We suggested a cycling network with dedicated lanes along major arterials and mixed-traffic on quieter streets, and secured bicycle parking at the Gautrain station (and elsewhere in town); as well as a bicycle-share facility for ‘the Last-Mile’ in combination with an already existing bicycle-share programme for the University of Pretoria. In this paper, the authors have explored some other conditions that need to be fulfilled, to implement this for public transport stations such as the Gautrain, Metrorail, BRT, bus and taxi ranks. Ideally, over-time, this could facilitate cycling as a preferred transport mode in South Africa.