Understanding a Public Bicycle Share Program in Vancouver, Canada: Program Uptake and Impacts on Bicycling by Kate Hosford B.A.Sc., Quest University Canada, 2015 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Master of Science Program Faculty of Health Sciences © Kate Hosford 2018 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2018 Copyright in this work rests with the author. Please ensure that any reproduction or re-use is done in accordance with the relevant national copyright legislation. Approval Name: Kate Hosford Degree: Master of Science Title: Understanding a Public Bicycle Share Program in Vancouver, Canada: Program Uptake and Impacts on Bicycling Examining Committee: Chair: Shira Goldenberg Assistant Professor Meghan Winters Senior Supervisor Associate Professor Scott Lear Supervisor Professor Daniel Fuller Supervisor Assistant Professor School of Human Kinetics and Recreation Memorial University of Newfoundland Alex Bigazzi External Examiner Assistant Professor Department of Civil Engineering University of British Columbia Date Defended/Approved: September 25, 2018 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract Public bicycle share programs have the potential for positive health and environmental benefits. In order for these benefits to be realized, the programs need to be well used at the population level and contribute to increases in bicycling. This thesis aimed to understand demand for the Vancouver public bicycle share program among residents and the impact of the program on bicycling. We used data from a public bicycle share member survey and a repeat cross-sectional survey of Vancouver residents. As of Fall 2017, approximately 6.2% of Vancouver residents have used the public bicycle share program, and amongst non-users, nearly 1 in 4 indicate they are likely to use the program. However, we did not observe an increase in bicycling for those living and/or working inside the bicycle share service area relative to those outside the service area in the second season of program operation. Keywords: public bicycle share program; bicycling; active transportation; natural experiment; population level impacts iv Acknowledgements I am grateful to the many individuals who have contributed to this thesis and who have supported me throughout my graduate degree. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor Meghan Winters for her outstanding mentorship and support. She is a wonderful example of a researcher who works collaboratively with city and community partners to evaluate the impact of real- world interventions – something I aspire to do. I am grateful to Scott Lear, for his guidance on concise writing and attentive feedback; and to Daniel Fuller, for his statistical advice and prompt and helpful feedback. I feel fortunate to have had such a supportive and encouraging committee. I am grateful to Kay Teschke, Michael Brauer, and Lise Gauvin who contributed to the research chapters of this thesis. Their feedback and advice throughout several drafts is an example of the generous and supportive environment that academia can offer. Financial support for my training and research was provided by the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the City of Vancouver. I am grateful for this funding. I also want to thank our partner, Mobi by Shaw Go, for their responsiveness to data requests and interest in our research. Thank you to the CHATR lab for a fun research environment. I am grateful for the network of support provided by all members of the lab group and the many shared documents that helped me with scholarship applications, proposals, and papers. A huge thank you to Suzanne Therrien, who has been the Project Manager for the Vancouver Public Bike Share Study. Her exceptional organizational skills made data analysis much easier. And finally thank you to my family and friends for their endless encouragement. I am lucky to have many wonderful people in my life who support me, adventure with me, and make life enjoyable, even in the midst of writing a thesis. v Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................ ii Ethics Statement .............................................................................................................. iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables .................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Literature Review .................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1. The link between active transportation, health, and the environment ............. 1 1.1.2. Bicycle sharing: a new form of active transportation ....................................... 2 1.1.3. Bicycle sharing and health ............................................................................... 4 1.1.4. Existing research on public bicycle share programs ....................................... 5 1.1.5. Program perceptions and uptake .................................................................... 6 1.1.6. Impacts on bicycling ........................................................................................ 7 1.1.7. Research gaps ................................................................................................ 8 1.2. Rationale ................................................................................................................. 9 1.2.1. Objectives ...................................................................................................... 10 1.2.2. Data ............................................................................................................... 10 1.2.3. Context .......................................................................................................... 11 1.2.4. Structure ........................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 2. Who is in the near market for bicycle sharing? Identifying current, potential, and unlikely users of a public bicycle share program ........ 14 2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 14 2.2. Methods ................................................................................................................ 15 2.2.1. Context .......................................................................................................... 15 2.2.2. Data ............................................................................................................... 15 2.2.3. Measures ....................................................................................................... 16 2.2.4. Analysis ......................................................................................................... 17 2.3. Results .................................................................................................................. 17 2.3.1. Current users compared to non-users ........................................................... 18 2.3.2. Potential users compared to unlikely users ................................................... 18 2.3.3. Motivators and deterrents .............................................................................. 19 2.4. Discussion ............................................................................................................ 23 2.5. Strengths and Limitations ..................................................................................... 26 2.6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 27 Chapter 3. Evaluation of the impact of a public bicycle share program on bicycling in Vancouver, Canada ............................................................. 29 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 29 3.2. Methods ................................................................................................................ 30 vi 3.2.1. Context .......................................................................................................... 30 3.2.2. Design ........................................................................................................... 30 3.2.3. Measures ....................................................................................................... 31 3.2.4. Analysis ......................................................................................................... 32 3.3. Results .................................................................................................................. 33 3.4. Discussion ...........................................................................................................