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International Desktop Study and Proposals for a Village to Village Bike Share Scheme Prepared by: ............................................................. Checked by: ........................................................................ Catherine Swift Keith Dalton Graduate Consultant Senior Consultant Approved by: ............................................................. Elaine Brick Associate Director Public Bike Scheme –International Desktop Study Rev No Comments Checked by Approved Date by 1 Draft Report for Comment KD EB 30/09/2016 2 Final Report KD EB 22/02/2017 Telephone: Website: http://www.aecom.com This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited for the sole use of our client (the “Client”) and in accordance with generally accepted consultancy principles, the budget for fees and the terms of reference agreed between AECOM Limited and the Client. Any information provided by third parties and referred to herein has not been checked or verified by AECOM Limited, unless otherwise expressly stated in the document. No third party may rely upon this document without the prior and express written agreement of AECOM Limited. Table of Contents 1 Background ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2 2 International Review of ‘Small Scale’ Bike Share Schemes .......................................................................................... 8 3 Identification of Suitable Schemes ................................................................................................................................ 17 4 Summary and Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 30 AECOM DLRCC Public Bike Scheme – International Desktop Study 1 Executive Summary Based on the success of the DublinBikes scheme, there is interest among the elected members of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to extend a similar scheme to the county. However, a study completed in 2014 examining the feasibility of a bike share scheme in the area estimated that daily usage per bike would be low and likely to require significant subsidy In order to further investigate the potential for bike share in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area, AECOM was appointed to undertake an international review of smaller scale bike share schemes which might be appropriate for the area . Six specific mechanisms of promoting bike share were identified, including: - Automated ‘A to B’ bike share schemes; - Attended bike hire schemes operated by local authorities and community organisations; - Self-service ‘back to base’ bike hire from lockers; - Low cost bike hire at rail stations; - Loan bike schemes; and - Grants for organisations to establish internally operated shared bike schemes. Two models of operation were looked at including 3rd generation schemes with traditional docking stations as well as 4th generation schemes. The more recent, 4th generation schemes, include innovation in many areas including solar energy and GPS tracking. The latter development has led to the introduction of ‘free floating’ schemes which can result in reduced capital costs and may be suitable for larger geographical areas, like Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. However, there is limited experience of these schemes in Europe at present. The assessment presented suggests that a ‘Village to Village’ scheme covering all of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown may not be feasible on the basis of low demand and geography. Based on an analysis of existing commuting trips within the county and considering local topography, AECOM has identified three areas which may have potential for local ‘Village to Village’ type schemes, including: - Coastal Villages: This scheme would extend from Dalkey to Blackrock and would include multiple stations in Dún Laoghaire and Blackrock. Other stations would be located in intermediate locations such as Salthill and Monkstown DART station and Glasthule village and at key trip attractors such as IADT. A coastal scheme would have potential for significant tourist/leisure use at weekends. - Dundrum/Sandyford: This scheme would link the employment centres of Dundrum and Sandyford and would include a number of stations in each area, including the business parks - UCD to Booterstown and Windy Arbour: This scheme would cater for last mile trips for public transport passengers travelling between UCD and the Luas Green Line and DART services. Stations would be located in a centralised area within the UCD campus and at Windy Arbour Luas stop and Booterstown DART station. A trial of one of these schemes could be undertaken to determine demand. Due to technology advances, the capital cost of scheme delivery has reduced however, the ongoing operating cost of these schemes could be prohibitive. As an alternative to implementing an automated bike share scheme, consideration could be given to improving bike availability in the county through implementing a short term ‘trial’ loan bike scheme for individuals, or a grant scheme for employers and/or community organisations to implement shared bike schemes. Each of these schemes would offer significant flexibility in design and implementation and may be a cost effective way of promoting modal shift. AECOM DLRCC Public Bike Scheme – International Desktop Study 2 1 Background 1.1 Project Description The success of the Dublin Bikes Scheme has prompted interest in an extension of the scheme, or the introduction of a similar scheme, to the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLRCC) area. DLRCC has appointed AECOM to undertake an international review of bike share schemes with the objective of identifying examples of smaller towns and cities where bike share has been introduced and to consider how similar models could potentially be introduced within DLRCC. This study follows a Feasibility Study in 2014 for a bike share scheme in the Dún Laoghaire area only. This was more geographically constrained than the current study which is specifically focused on the potential of a ‘Village to Village’ scheme to link the main towns and villages in the county. The introduction of a bike share scheme in the DLRCC area could fulfil the following objectives: - Encourage more cycling in the DLRCC area and facilitate modal shift towards cycling; - Improve access to key destinations and facilities; - Promote the health benefits of cycling for utility trips, leisure trips or both; - Reduce car use amongst residents and commuters; and - Increase the attractiveness of Dún Laoghaire as a place to visit and provide an opportunity for visitors to discover Dún Laoghaire and the surrounding area by bike. Despite the potential benefits of a scheme to the area, the challenge will be in finding a model for bike share that is suited to a less densely populated area than the urban areas around the world where bike share has been so successful. An additional challenge may be in sourcing a scheme which is effective both in terms of capital cost requirement and operations. When considering the potential use of a scheme for recreation and tourism, it should be noted that bike rental is already offered by the tourist office in Dún Laoghaire as well as by three businesses operating on a commercial basis. These businesses include the activity providers ‘CP Adventure’ and ‘Aboveboard’, which are both based near the West Pier and DLB Cycles, who offer bike rental from their shop on York Road. 1.2 Relevant Policy and Previous Studies A number of national and regional policies support the objectives of facilitating modal shift towards cycling, as follows: - The Smarter Travel Policy set a target to reduce the total share of commuting by private car from 65% to 45% and outlined a range of measures to support more sustainable travel modes, including cycling; - The National Cycling Policy Framework 2009 – 2020 sets a target of achieving 10% of all trips by bicycle by 2020. The framework includes an objective to provide public bikes in cities, although it should be noted that the policy (9.1) specifically refers to cities above 100,000 population; - The NTA Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035 has incorporated the GDA Cycling Network plan as a key component of the strategy. The strategy also outlines a number of other actions intended to complement the investment in the cycle network, including an “expansion of the bike share scheme in Dublin City (dublinbikes) and the introduction of similar schemes in other appropriate centres across the GDA”; - DLRCC published a Cycling Policy for the county in 2010, which sets out a vision for cycling in the county as follows: “To cultivate a cycling culture, through the implementation of appropriate infrastructure and promotional measures, that positively encourages all members of the community to cycle at all life stages AECOM DLRCC Public Bike Scheme – International Desktop Study 3 and abilities as a mode of sustainable transport that delivers environmental, health and economic benefits to both the individual and the community”. Cycling Policy (CP) 9.1 is to “work towards the provision of ‘public bike’ facilities within the central urban areas of the County”, while CP 9.2 is to encourage employers and educational institutions to consider the provision of pool bikes, and - The DLRCC County Development Plan 2016 – 2022 includes numerous policies to support walking and cycling, including Policy ST8: Public