Urban areas such as The Hague face traffic congestion and environmental issues due to frequent car usage, especially for short trips up to 5 kilometres. To address these challenges, combining cycling with public transportation (PT) offers a promising alternative. This study exami
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Urban areas such as The Hague face traffic congestion and environmental issues due to frequent car usage, especially for short trips up to 5 kilometres. To address these challenges, combining cycling with public transportation (PT) offers a promising alternative. This study examines the potential of bicycle parking facilities at public transport stops in The Hague, aiming to encourage multimodal travel and discourage short car trips.
The qualitative part of the research involved structured interviews with residents of The Hague. The results showed that people are open to considering the bicycle-PT combination but have not yet adopted it. The main barriers are the lack of safe, accessible, and well-maintained bicycle parking at public transport stops. Respondents emphasized the need for more bike parking and cited bad weather and convenience as common reasons for choosing the car.
The quantitative analysis, based on a stated preference survey and a multinomial logit model, confirmed the interview findings. Residents are more likely to opt for the bicycle-PT combination if certain bicycle parking facilities, such as bike racks or lockers, are available. These specific facilities could shift up to 2 percentage points of trips toward the bicycle-PT combination and reduce short car trips by up to 3 percentage points.
Additionally, the results indicate that cost and travel time are important factors in transport choice. Increasing car-related costs and reducing public transport fares were tested and could further contribute to a modal shift from car to bicycle-PT. Tested scenarios showed a potential increase of up to 5 percentage points in bike-transit usage and a reduction of up to 6.5 percentage points in car trips.
Based on these findings, it is recommended to invest in user-friendly and more abundant bicycle parking at transit stops, particularly bike racks, which are cost- and space-efficient. Policymakers are also advised to explore pricing policies that make public transport more financially attractive compared to car use.
These findings are not only relevant for The Hague but also offer insights for similar cities striving to create a more sustainable mobility system by better integrating cycling with public transport.