Imagining a Public Bike Scheme in Kilkenny
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VELO Imagining a Public Bike Scheme in Kilkenny December 2018 This plan was commissioned by Kilkenny LEADER Partnership CLG. It was authored by Ian Dempsey, Prescience in collaboration with Willie Miller Urban Design (Glasgow) and Jacob Dibble (Helsinki) between June and December 2018. Ian, Willie and Jacob wish to acknowledge the contribution of many organisations and individuals who shared willingly of their time, information, perspective and ambition including: This project was part funded by Kilkenny LEADER Partnership CLG through the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas VELO-CITY: IMAGINING A PUBLIC BIKE SCHEME IN KILKENNY December 2018 Kilkenny LEADER Partnership 8 Patricks Court Patrick St Kilkenny Ireland PRESCIENCE 6 North Square Rosscarbery Co. Cork Ireland P85 Y268 CONTENTS PAGE Executive Summary i 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Cycling: A Policy Context 3 3.0 Quantifying the Benefits of Cycling 5 4.0 The Evolution of Bike Share 7 5.0 Defining a Bike Share Scheme 9 6.0 Essential Characteristics of a Bike Share Scheme 11 7.0 Bike Share: A Review of Recent Literature 17 8.0 Bike Sharing Schemes in Ireland 21 9.0 Kilkenny: Character, Demographics and Economy 27 10.0 A Bike Share Scheme for Kilkenny? 35 11.0 Recommendations 41 12.0 Appendix 1 43 13.0 Appendix 2 63 14.0 Appendix 3: 67 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Cycling contributes substantial added value to the urban mobility system and are now regarded the scheme objectives and goals, target groups, a wide array of EU and national policy goals. as essential elements in placemaking, Smart City user demographics, the quality of the cycling These goals are influenced and shaped in part and competitive positioning strategies. infrastructure as well as the compatibility with by commitments to supranational obligations and/or integration with other modes, most notably including the United Nations Sustainable Bike Share Schemes can differ substantially in public transport. Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and nature, network and scale but in essence they the New Urban Agenda. In practical terms cycling enable the short term rental of a bicycle generally Operating and financing models differ widely; supports low emission mobility; stimulates for a small fee, whether subscription or usage the specifics of which will generally be a matter economic, leisure and social development; based. Rentals have traditionally been from a of defined scheme objectives, most generally facilitates multimodality in and integration of pre-ordained location such as a docking point linked to seamless integrated urban mobility, public transport; enhances urban mobility; with the bicycle later returned to the scheme at congestion easing or the facilitation of modal shift. promotes physical activity, health and wellbeing this or some other location within the network. Higher costs associated with the development as well as liveability and quality of place. Recent developments in Bike Share Schemes and operation of conventional docked schemes however have seen the emergence of dockless generally require a significant subvention of In 2017 the EU Cycling Strategy quantified the or free floating schemes which obviate the need public funds from National or local authorities. economic benefits of cycling across a broad for docking stations and offer greater flexibility In contrast the lower costs associated with spectrum of disciplines to be €513bn. It asserts in access, usage and network range. dockless schemes require that they operate on that where pro-cycling development policies a commercial basis; success primarily determined and incentives are in place and where cycling Successful Bike Share Schemes in urban locations by operational efficiency, commercial revenue and is promoted as an equal partner in the mobility are characterised by widespread user acceptance, user acceptance. Aside from the need for a public system, economic benefits of €760bn by 2030 low cost, ease of access, reliability, consistency, and subvention and Irrespective of configuration, can be achieved. convenience. Scheme size and reach is generally revenues accrue from subscription fees, usage a function of population and population density charges and commercial sponsorship. From its earliest iteration in the 1960’s Bike in the urban environment with bicycle provision Share Schemes have evolved rapidly, with over focused on central, densely populated and highly Extensive research conducted on Bike Share 1600 schemes now in operation globally; its trafficked routes. A continual requirement to Schemes throughout the World demonstrates evolution aided by significant social, cultural rebalance bicycle stocks to meet demand at peak that convenience and value for money are central and technological change as well as by locally-led times militates against the location of docking to user acceptance and scheme success. The initiatives. Now in its fourth generation, Bike Share points in isolated or peripheral locations. Demand Schemes have become a prominent feature of characteristics differ considerably depending on Bicing in Barcelona PRESCIENCE | DECEMBER 2018 | i VELOCITY: IMAGINING A PUBLIC BIKE SCHEME IN KILKENNY former demands consistent ease of access to a in the City is unlikely until clear scheme objectives the solidity, permanence and network effect of a bicycle and proximity to user residence and place and goals are determined, thus allowing the scheme is considerably diminished. of employment; the latter requires cost savings accompanying developmental and operational over other modes, including public transport. resources to be identified, sourced and/or This study identifies a critical path through Most notably from a sustainable transport and redeployed from stakeholders as necessary. which stakeholders can define scheme goals modal shift perspective, the majority of scheme Survey findings suggest a disposition locally and objectives, pool resources and delineate users globally migrate to bike share from other towards occasional bike share usage on a pay as responsibilities. It also identifies critical enablers sustainable forms of transport rather than from you go basis rather than for a regular commute. for scheme success to include a Cycling Master the private car. Occasional leisure and recreation This is in line with experiences observed elsewhere Plan and associated infrastructure enhancements usage predominates over regular commuting in Ireland and overseas whereby scheme usage that can create and foster a pro-cycling culture usage. is an adjunct to primary and secondary transport and environment, appropriate to and safe for all. modes. It is within this context that a Bike Share Scheme A Bike Share Scheme was first introduced to can make a notable contribution to the social, Ireland in 2009. The initial success of the Dublin This study determines that a modestly-scaled, economic and environmental development of scheme – often regarded as one of the most conventional docked scheme for the City Kilkenny City. successful in the World – saw it introduced would cost a minimum of €150,000 to develop to Cork, Limerick and Galway by 2014. These and require a minimum public subvention or Taking account of the enablers and success schemes are conventional city-scale docked commercial sponsorship of a similar magnitude factors observed elsewhere the study concludes schemes with a dense urban network aligned to sustain operations on an annual basis. Such by envisioning a scheme for Kilkenny. This and integrated with the public transport network. an investment could be justified on the basis proposal, which is scalable and can be developed The operation of each of the schemes as well of a strong contribution by a Bike Scheme to incrementally over successive phases, seeks as their continued development is dependent placemaking, urban liveability, citizen wellbeing, to place the development and sustainability on policy initiatives and financial support from quality of life and quality of place in Kilkenny. of a Bike Share Scheme within a progressive Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, The rationale for the use of such resources to placemaking strategy appropriate to the city’s the National Transport Authority as well as from promote modal shift, to serve as first/last mile scale and context. It is based upon the existing the Local Authorities. More recently, the scheme solutions, to ease vehicular congestion or to cycle infrastructure for which the study makes site scope and network in Dublin has been extended facilitate increased leisure and tourist usage in specific recommendations to enhance its network by the introduction of a dockless scheme by the City is much less certain. The development value. The key principles of Network, Centrality private operators as a complement to the densely and operational costs of Bike Share Scheme can and Place are used to inform the optimal location clustered docked network. be mitigated by the licensing of a Bike Share of bicycle availability, irrespective of whether Scheme and the transfer of financial risk from a docked or dockless scheme is favoured. This Kilkenny City, its scale, personality, demographics the Local Authority to a commercial operator; seeks to ensure that maximum coverage and and economy offer many of the characteristics the success and sustainability of which would reach is afforded to all locations and users in the necessary for the introduction of a Bike Share be wholly dependent on attracting sufficient City, factors central