Episode 30: Madison B-Cycle bike sharing

In cities of all sizes there is a new public transportation option that is convenient, flexible and inexpensive. Bike sharing allows you to have a bike when you need it and forget about it when you don't, without the hassles of parking and maintenance. Madison B-Cycle City Manager Claire Hurley explains how bike sharing works, who uses it and why it makes the city more livable. We also talk about utility and recreational bicycling in one of the most bike friendly cities in the country.

Madison B-Cycle was one of the first bike share systems in the United States. Bike sharing has been wildly successful in cities of all sizes and is rapidly expanding across the US and Canada. Check it out when you visit one of these places, and advocate for bike share in your own city. Follow the Bike Sharing Blog to read about international systems.

A few days later I completed a Tour de B-Cycle in which I toured the city by visiting all 32 stations in one day. The second half of this episode features a selection of audio from the adventure.

Bike touring in the winter, on a folding bike.

Many people are surprised I am traveling at this time of year (although it's not supposed to be winter anymore).  They see my little folding bike with small wheels and wonder why I didn't just wait for summer and buy a traditional touring bike. This is not a typical bike tour. For most bike tourists, it's about spending time on their bicycle, absorbing the scenery and carrying everything you need under your own power. Their goal is usually to ride only in small towns and rural areas and camp overnight. But as Path Less Pedaled authors Russ & Laura like to say, there is no right way to travel. Do what you enjoy and find what works for you.

I prefer using my bicycle to explore cities. I have little interest in consistently riding long distances in the middle of nowhere, and I love riding and studying public transportation. In most places it's still difficult to bring a full size bike on transit, which means a folding bike is the best tool for my multimodal journey. I can ride when I want to and take a train or bus when that's a better option.

Winter offers special challenges for my Brompton folding bike as it's not really built to handle snow. I have to disassemble and clean the derailleur at least every two weeks. Yet considering that I have no real treads on my tires, the bike is handling quite well, and the snow is just about over.

After living in New England for a long time I am accustomed to biking in the winter. It's often faster and more comfortable than dealing with uncleared snow, ice and slush puddles and then waiting for the bus, since you warm up in five minutes. Here in Minneapolis, the city does an excellent job of clearing snow from streets and the many bike paths, so aside from the cold it's always fun to ride.

Traditional bike touring would have me riding long distances and camping regardless of the weather, so if that's your style I'd suggest not touring in the winter. But for the kind of riding I do, where cities and towns are always nearby and public transit is valued, the weather is just one small inconvenience.

On a smaller bike you can't carry as much gear. I have only the Brompton front bag and a hiking backpack I've attached to the seat post and rear rack. The limited space helps me live more simply by purging unneeded items and figuring out what's important. While so far I have been staying with the many wonderful people along the way who have offered their couch (including CouchSurfing and WarmShowers), eventually I will learn to camp, and I currently have no idea how I will fit that equipment.

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Probably what I notice the most with a folding bike is the curiosity of others. Many have never seen or even heard of a folding bike. Depending on how I'm feeling at the moment, they may get a demonstration, and the people I trust usually get a chance to ride it. In fact, maybe that should be my new pitch: host me for a few nights and you can ride my folding bike!

Security and possible reactions to the Boston marathon explosion

It's very sad to hear of today's Boston marathon explosions.  It's unusual that nobody has claimed responsibility yet, so while we don't know much, it's important to take a deep breath and not react irrationally. Just a few friendly requests: Let's not use this as an excuse to start more wars for oil, like we did 12 years ago.

Let's not pretend that militarizing our cities will keep us safe or secure. It's already been reported that police with machine guns are patrolling buses in Baltimore and probably happening elsewhere. How exactly does that help anything?

If this turns out to be a foreign terrorist attack, before we react, let's remember the violence that is being committed in our name. We have killed and maimed thousands around the world in the past decade, and we continue to shoot random people in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere. We even purposely kill first responders in follow-up strikes. Either way, can we please stop?!

If it turns out to be a domestic terrorist attack, let's think about what would cause someone to take such drastic action, and fix those things.

Perhaps it was just gas leak or something.

Rail lines are not inherently better than bus lines

In my last post I celebrated the nearing opening of the Twin Cities' second light rail line. The project improved a heavily used transit corridor in two ways: it will increase capacity, and it will provide faster and more reliable service between Minneapolis, a major university and St Paul by operating in a dedicated right-of-way.  However, as sleek as trains may be, it's not solely the conversion from bus to rail that matters. Let's first dispense with the myth that trains are inherently better than buses. As a passenger I don't care how the vehicle propels itself; I just want to reach my destination.  What really matters for passengers is the service quality: a high quality transit line is fast, frequent, reliable and runs all day. At any time you can just show up at an easy-to-find station and count on completing your trip without extra effort or delays. Long waits, indirect routing, traffic and other delays are major disincentives to transit use and can happen regardless of the vehicle type.

The reason we believe that trains are inherently better than buses is that in most places we arbitrarily treat them better by giving them priority on the street, paying fares in advance and running frequent and well marketed service. Bus riders are subjected to long and uncomfortable waits, lines at the front door, traffic congestion and unpredictable delays, even though there is nothing stopping us from running high quality bus service.

In places that don't need the capacity that rail provides, let's build dedicated infrastructure for buses and implement all the other things we do without question for rail but never do for buses. For example, proof-of-payment fare collection (before boarding) can be implemented system-wide and would cut running times by 20 to 30 percent. The money saved in operating costs could be used to make other improvements like increasing frequency to address crowding, installing bus priority measures in congested areas and upgrading bus stops.

The question then is, if you really make an effort to improve bus service, will ridership grow so much that you will need rail vehicles for capacity reasons?  If so, great!

Minneapolis Light Rail expands to Central Corridor

When I spent a few days in the twin cities a few years ago, I was excited to ride the city's first light rail line.  The Hiawatha (Blue) Line replaced bus 55 in 2004, and even though its alignment outside of downtown is generally not pedestrian friendly, ridership grew so fast that platforms had to be lengthened only five years later to permit longer train sets.  That experience established the case for high quality, high capacity transit in the Twin Cities.      

Ten years later, Metro Transit is nearing completion of the Central Corridor (Green) Line which will replace overcrowded bus routes. Currently buses 16 (local, all times) and 50 (peak-only limited-stop) carry many thousands of riders between downtown Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota and downtown St Paul, and have no priority aside from a bus lane in downtown Minneapolis.

The Central Corridor LRT project, now about 90% complete, is a good example of how and when transit infrastructure should be built.  Too many cities build rail lines on empty corridors hoping for economic development while failing to understand actual transit ridership patterns and improve existing bus routes that people are using now.

As transit becomes more crowded it is important that we address areas of high demand. Trains should not be viewed as magical toys that will attract business, but rather as a tool for increasing capacity. When you have enough ridership, one train set can replace a few buses, which will save you a lot in operating costs. Since we will always have many needs and limited funding, I suggest gradually making capital improvements to speed bus lines all over the city, rather than waiting until you can build a rail line. When ridership is so high that you have major bus bunching, then it's time for light rail or sometimes even heavy rail.

Whenever possible, these things should be done for the entire system. Payment of fares before boarding and bypassing localized traffic congestion are two good places to start. Next year Metro Transit will be operating two high quality lines which should provide examples of ways to improve other lines.

My new favorite bridge: with an enclosed walkway

I have arrived in Minneapolis and am busy documenting transit and bike facility improvements. Look for this site to be very active over the next few weeks. Today I discovered my new favorite bridge: the Washington Ave Bridge linking the University of Minnesota campus on either side of the river. This is a two-level bridge featuring an enclosed walkway in the center of the upper level to provide shelter for the long walk.

An enclosed walkway seems so simple yet so incredibly useful. It's common in private spaces like shopping malls and should be built everywhere a bridge is needed. At least build a canopy.

The entire upper level of this bridge is for bikes and pedestrians only, so you can still walk outside if it's a nice day. The lower level was just reconstructed to add tracks for the new Central Corridor light rail line (the topic of several upcoming posts). It's a critical link for transit as thousands of bus passengers are carried across every day. Next I would like to see the vehicle lanes become exclusive bus lanes, and we'll have a truly sustainable bridge.

Episode 29: Madison Metro Transit

The unique geography of Madison, Wisconsin -- built on an isthmus, a narrow strip of land between two lakes -- creates an interesting bus service design. It's not quite narrow enough to put all buses on one street that everyone could walk to for very frequent service, but still there is frequent combined service on three corridors running the length of the isthmus. Like many agencies, Madison Metro Transit is struggling to manage steady growth in ridership. They were recently awarded the Outstanding Public Transportation Award for their efforts to improve and promote their service in innovative ways.  Marketing Director Mick Rusch joins me to discuss their services and some of the operational issues they deal with.

Bus routes and schedules are designed to facilitate connections at a series of transfer points at the edges of the city and downtown around the State Capitol. The most transit friendly city in Wisconsin has installed many transit priority facilities such as bus lanes and most notably a busway for the full length of the busy State Street pedestrian mall. The University of Wisconsin offers unlimited transit passes for their students, faculty and staff.

Metro Transit is struggling to deal with overcrowding and is even considering raising fares in order to increase service frequency. Would changing from a city department to a regional transit authority be the solution? Listen in to learn about bus-bike interaction, winter weather, bus technology and much more.

In the second half a listener shares a video on the structure of Singapore's bus and rail networks and suggests that privatized transit can only work well when heavily regulated. But if a public entity makes all the important decisions, is it still attractive to those who advocate for deregulation?  We also consider whether transit agencies should strive for profit, and suggests a way for the public sector to capture and reinvest some of increasing real estate values that their services facilitate.

Send your comments and suggestions for topics and/or guests by contacting me. Follow the blog at criticaltransit.com, and if this work is useful to you, please support the show to help me continue traveling and reporting.

Episode 28: The Vulture Space (Milwaukee Community Bicycle Project)

Enjoy my interview with Evan Pack, founder and director of the Vulture Space: Milwaukee Community Bicycle Project, a community bike shop focused on getting more people riding bikes more often. The shop sells inexpensive bikes, parts and accessories and provides the tools necessary for all kinds of people to learn and practice bicycle repair. Evan Pack is a Milwaukee native with a passion for long-term bike touring, when he's not busy helping other people get back on the road. Support this great community resource by donating money, parts, tools and accessories, and by becoming a member.  Find out more on website and Facebook page.

All of Evan's favorite bike coops and many more can be found on the Community Bicycle Organizations wiki compiled by the Bicycle Collective Network.

Other useful links: Milwaukee Bicycle Community; Amtrak bike policy (see also this bike packing video); Michael Horne's historic bikes (Milwaukee Magazine); South Shore Cyclery (donated equipment to Vulture Space and vintage bicycles to the Bike Federation); NPR affiliate WUWM on the Vulture Space opening (at the end) and their brief interview on Lance Armstrong; Ray's Indoor Mountain Bike Park; Milwaukee Bike Share (would be similar to Madison B-Cycle).

What Makes a Bike Friendly City? -- Madison, Wisconsin

As I hear people in the bike community talk about how cities like Portland and Minneapolis are very bike friendly, I’ve always wondered what that really means. Can cycling be fun, easy and stress-free when cars are still involved? I just spent a week in Madison, Wisconsin, a place many people consider to be among the most bike friendly cities in North America. It was quite likely the best place I’ve ever driven a bicycle.

It helps to understand that Madison is built on an isthmus -- a narrow strip of land between two lakes -- and is the progressive capital city of a state with a strong history of progressive politics. There are many housing and employee cooperatives in this city of 235,000 residents, as well as the main campus of the University of Wisconsin and Madison Area Technical College.

Madison benefits from a rare lack of freeways in its core and a limited parking supply as a result of its geography. These are two important long-standing incentives for people to try biking or transit when traveling into the city. So it is perhaps unsurprising that Madison was ahead of the curve when it developed its first bicycle transportation plan in 1975.

Today the city has bike lanes almost everywhere, a path/trail network running the length of the isthmus and along the lakes (complete with a “bike elevator” up to Capitol Hill), a two-year-old bike sharing system, contraflow bike lanes in many useful locations, bike boulevards, and a thriving bike/bus/pedestrian mall through the heart of downtown.

 

But I guess what it truly means to be a bike friendly city is that bikes are taken seriously as intended users of all streets in all stages of planning, design and construction. That means even very wide arterial streets are striped with wide bike lanes. One great setup is on University Ave along edge of the University of Wisconsin, a design which nicely accommodates all modes (though with too many car lanes) while purposely avoiding the conflict created when bikes and buses have to cross paths (top left). In the other direction a special left turn pocket (bottom left) puts you into a center bike lane (top middle) which continues straight into a contraflow protected bike lane (top right) while motor vehicles traffic curves to the right.  Very wide bike lanes in Capitol Hill (bottom center) and E Washington Ave (bottom right) keep you out of the door zone even when plowed snow takes up some room.

 

It also means that all bike routes are kept clear of snow and ice. While the number of bicyclists drops in the cold Wisconsin winters, there is still a steady stream of bikes on most corridors. (That may sound obvious, but far too many cities claim to support biking only to use bike lanes as places to pile snow all winter).

It’s not just the abundance of standard bicycle facilities. Madison has installed a number of excellent infrastructure that you won’t find in a traffic engineer’s toolkit. It’s also the way in which these facilities are treated, often with few or no stop signs and with special treatments made to conflict points such as intersections and non-standard situations.

As a city becomes more bike friendly, more people try getting around by bike, which gives biking a legitimacy that it doesn’t have in most places. Car driver behavior is noticeably better because many drivers also bike sometimes or at least have friends who bike. I’ve seen many people hauling trailers and at least a handful of children riding their own bikes in the street.

It’s important not to forget the bus system, Madison Metro Transit (which I’ll be posting about soon). Aside from bike racks, bus drivers receive extensive training on interacting with bicyclists in different environments and must ride bikes in traffic situations so they can fully understand the other perspective. It makes a big difference when you don’t have to worry about whether that large approaching vehicle is about to squeeze you into the curb.

A few opportunities remain, such as directional signage and improving the condition of railroad tracks at grade crossings, but overall I had a wonderful time as Madison has a relaxed pace of life and is easy to getting around.

Episode 27: Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

On the last bitter cold morning of the year I stopped by the Milwaukee office of the Wisconsin Bike Federation to learn about their efforts to improve bicycling across the state. Their education programs are a model for bike advocacy organizations looking to teach safe cycling skills to new cyclists of all ages. They are working to bring complete street designs to Wisconsin cities and towns and foster an already impressive bike culture.  Thanks to Communications Director Dave Schlabowske; Education Director (and soon-to-be Milwaukee chapter leader) Jessica Binder; and Education Project Manager (and bike polo master) Jake Newborn, for sharing all this great info. Follow the blog and learn about how you can help, and attend their Lobby Day on Tuesday, April 9 to help restore bike funding and promote legal protections for vulnerable road users. And if you become a member you get the shiny new magazine you heard about in the interview.

Also check out the Urban Ecology Center right next door, and have a look around the City of Milwaukee bike pages.