2012 Inventory of Bicycle Parking Spaces and Number of Parked Bicycles at MBTA Stations

2014·1.5 MB·English

by  Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

O S T ON REGI
B ON BOSTON REGION METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
MPO
Richard A. Davey, MassDOT Secretary and CEO and MPO Chairman
M N
E O Karl H. Quackenbush, Executive Director, MPO Staff
TRO ZATI
POLITAN PLANNING OR G ANI MEMORANDUM
DATE May 1, 2014
To Congestion Management Committee
From Hiral Gandhi and Ryan Hicks
MPO Staff
Re 2012 Inventory of Bicycle Parking Spaces and Number of Parked Bicycles
at MBTA Stations
1 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memo is to present the results of the 2012 inventory of
bicycle parking spaces and the numbers of parked bicycles at Massachusetts
Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail stations, commuter boat
terminals, and rapid transit stations, including surface rapid transit stations and
some bus stops. (For the purposes of this memo, the term "stations" includes
bus stops.) This periodic monitoring is part of the Congestion Management
Process (CMP), which is carried out in accordance with federal regulations to
help determine the Boston region’s transportation investments.
MPO staff inventoried MBTA and municipal bicycle racks at each of the 134
rapid transit stations, 122 commuter rail stations, and six commuter boat
terminals in the MBTA’s system, and at three of the major bus stops. Overall,
when staff compared the results of the 2009–11 inventory to those of the 2012
inventory, they noted a 48 percent increase in parked bicycles and a 30 percent
increase in parking spaces. As discussed later in this memo, the factors
contributing to the increase include seasonal variations, the construction of
additional bicycle cages since the earlier inventory, and surveying stations that
had not been monitored in the earlier inventory.
2 BACKGROUND
The CMP is an ongoing MPO program for collecting and gathering performance
data about the region’s transportation systems. As part of the CMP, data are
analyzed, and the results of the analysis are used to provide planners and
MPO members with tools to help prioritize transportation projects and to
program funds. For example, this inventory of bicycle racks could be used to
help determine the number and type of bicycle racks needed at each station.
Some stations may need additional bicycle racks, while others may need to
have a bicycle cage installed. For other stations, additional surveys may need
to be conducted to identify the key users of the bicycle racks.
State Transportation Building • Ten Park Plaza, Suite 2150 • Boston, MA 02116-3968
Tel. [phone] • Fax [phone] • TTY [phone] • www.bostonmpo.org
Boston Region MPO 2 May 1, 2014

While bicycle racks at transit stations allow users to use their bicycles at one
end of a transit trip, bicycle racks on buses allow customers to use their
bicycles at both ends of a trip. The MBTA began the process of outfitting their
bus fleet with bicycle racks in 2006 and made significant strides with the help of
a grant in 2010 through the MPO’s Clean Air and Mobility Program. As of
December 2012, 95 percent of the MBTA’s bus fleet had been equipped with
bicycle racks; buses that use overhead electrical lines were not included with
racks because of safety concerns1.
The MBTA has also been expanding bicycle access to rapid transit vehicles. Its
Blue Line Pilot Program became permanent in December of 2012. The purpose
of this program is to expand bicycle connections between East Boston and
downtown Boston, which are separated by Boston Harbor. The program adds
an hour of bicycle access on the Blue Line in the peak direction and eliminates
the restrictions entirely in the nonpeak direction.
For information about the MBTA’s rules for parking bicycles and bringing
bicycles on MBTA vehicles, please see Appendix C, “Bikes and the MBTA,” a
pamphlet that was published by the MBTA in May 2010. However, the MBTA’s
website has the most up-to-date information (mbta.com/riding_the_t/bikes/).
In 2009, the MBTA was awarded federal stimulus funds to improve bicycle
facilities. By the fall of 2013, the MBTA will have installed 14 Pedal & Park
bicycle cages at selected stations using this funding, and an additional cage is
expected to open in 2014. The MBTA was expected to also use this funding to
install 50 bicycle ports and canopies (sheltered bicycle parking) at selected
locations by October 2013. See Table A2.2 in Appendix A for a detailed list of
the stations that will be or have been equipped with these amenities. Some
Pedal & Park facilities and bicycle ports and canopies were being installed
during the time this inventory was conducted, in 2012.
3 DATA COLLECTION PROCESS
Inventories were conducted on typical fair-weather weekdays from July through
October 2012. Commuter rail stations were inventoried during the summer
months, while rapid transit stations were inventoried in the fall to account for
student activity near the colleges. A nearly identical methodology was used to
conduct inventories in 2005–06 and in 2009–11. These data were compared to
the current data and are presented in the tables in Appendix A.

1 Article on MassBike’s website, “Two Major Victories For Bikes On The MBTA,”
http://massbike.org/blog/2012/12/11/two-major-victories-with-the-mbta/ (accessed January
2013).
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In general, MPO staff inventoried each station once. Data were collected using
the survey form shown in Appendix B. The number, location, and condition of
bicycle racks were recorded, as well as the number of bicycles parked in the
racks and elsewhere at the station. Data on amenities and other characteristics
of the station and its vicinity were also collected, including lighting, security, and
the presence or absence of bicycle paths (trails) and bicycle lanes near the
station.
At many of the MBTA stations that lack bicycle parking, there are bicycle racks
near the station on municipal property or along the sidewalks. These bicycle
racks were included in the inventory if there was no bicycle parking at the
nearby transit station or if it appeared likely that the municipal bicycle racks
would be convenient for transit riders. If bicycle racks were located nearby but
were very inconvenient for transit riders, they were not included in the
inventory.
The observed utilization of the bicycle racks is assumed to be typical for the
station. Detailed observations over time—an effort beyond the scope of this
project—would be necessary to gather a more accurate bicycle rack utilization
percentage because of the fluctuation of weather and work schedules, among
other factors.
4 RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF BICYCLE PARKING INVENTORY
4.1 Rapid Transit2
The total number of bicycle parking spaces on rapid transit lines increased by
39 percent between the 2009–11 and the 2012 inventories, during which time
there was a 51 percent increase in the number of bicycles parked at rapid
transit stations. This led to an increase in the bicycle parking space utilization
rate, from 43 percent in the 2009–11 inventory to 47 percent in the 2012
inventory. Table 1 shows the number of bicycles parked, the number of bicycle
parking spaces, and the percentage of bicycle parking space utilization in the
rapid transit system, by line, for the two inventory periods.
In Table 1, bicycle racks located at transfer stations (stations serving more than
one line) were included in the data for all of the lines at a given station. For
example, if there were 12 bicycle parking spaces at Downtown Crossing, those
12 spaces were included in the total for “Red Line” and in the total for “Orange
Line.” For the stations that serve more than one line, the total number of bike
racks at the station is used for each line at that station. However, the total is the

2 In this memo, “rapid transit” refers to the Red, Orange, Blue, Green, Silver, and Mattapan
High-Speed lines.
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actual number of bicycle spaces at the stations, not a summation of the
"duplicate" numbers used for the lines serving that station.
At an individual station, the number of parking spaces may differ between the
two surveys for a variety of reasons: because the number of parking spaces
changed, because the parking spaces were counted differently, or because
field staff did not find all of the parking during one of the inventories. While the
number of bicycle parking spaces is mostly independent of seasonal variation,
the number of parked bicycles does vary seasonally; therefore most of the data
for the 2012 inventory were collected in fairly favorable bicycling weather, in the
summer and fall. A cursory inspection of the previous inventories indicates that
most of the data were collected during the same time of year and under similar
conditions as in the 2012 inventory.

TABLE 1
Bicycle Parking Inventory and Percentage of Spaces Utilized:
Rapid Transit Stations
2009–11 2009–11 2009–11 2012 2012 2012
Bicycles Parking Percent Bicycles Parking Percent
Line and Branch Parked Spaces Utilization Parked Spaces Utilization
Red Line 773 1,202 45 1,004 1,553 65
Mattapan High-Speed Line 2 75 3 5 90 6
Blue Line 72 240 30 92 409 22
Orange Line 219 700 31 374 941 40
Green Line Subway 58 142 41 82 207 40
Green Line B Branch 34 91 37 145 224 65
Green Line C Branch 20 137 15 34 187 18
Green Line D Branch 71 191 37 95 207 46
Green Line E Branch 12 51 24 17 45 38
Silver Line Washington Street 25 118 21 37 125 30
Silver Line Waterfront 28 115 24 77 230 33
Total 1,223 2,830 43% 1,841 3,929 47%
Notes: “Bicycles Parked” and “Percent Utilization” do not include bicycles locked to objects other than bicycle racks.
“Percent Utilization” is the percentage of the bicycle rack spaces filled by bicycles. For stations that serve
more than one line, the total number of bike racks at the station is used for each line at that station.
However, the grand total is the actual number of bicycle spaces at the station, not a summation of the
"duplicate" numbers used for the lines serving that station.
Of the rapid transit stations that had bicycle racks in the previous inventory
(2009–11), the Green Line B Branch had the greatest percentage increase in
bicycle parking spaces, from 91 to 224 spaces in 2012. The Red Line had the
largest absolute gain in the number of spaces, with 351 spaces added; this is
attributable to the installation of new Pedal & Park bike cages at some Red
Line stations that had been installed just before the 2012 inventory. The
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number of bicycle parking spaces on the Blue, Orange, and Red lines
increased by 70 percent, 34 percent, and 29 percent, respectively.
The Red Line had the greatest number of bicycles parked at bicycle racks in
both the 2009–11 and 2012 inventories. This is due in part to the high number
of bicycles parked at racks at Alewife and Davis stations, and to a lesser
extent, at Central Station. Alewife and Davis stations are both located on
heavily traveled bicycle and pedestrian paths and have a large number of
bicycle parking spaces to accommodate the demand. However, all of the rapid
transit lines saw a substantial increase in the number of bicycles parked at
racks. Nearly 150 more bicycles were observed at Orange Line stations, and
more than 200 more bicycles were observed at Red Line stations.
Chinatown, Hynes Convention, BU Central, and Chestnut Hill stations were at
100 percent of their capacity during the 2012 inventory. Kendall/MIT and
Sullivan Square stations each had 117 percent utilization. At these two stations,
bicyclists were able to fit more bicycles on racks than the racks were intended
to store. It was observed that people attach their bicycles to signs, benches,
railings, and trees once the bicycle racks are full.
The Red Line and Green Line B Branch were the only lines observed during
the 2012 inventory to have more than 100 bicycles parked in areas other than
the bicycle racks provided at the time of observation. This may be an indication
that the existing racks are not located in areas that are perceived as safe; the
racks are located in an inconvenient location; or the rack utilization is at, near,
or exceeding the design capacity. This can also indicate that local retail shops
and other commercial establishments need to provide additional bicycle racks
for their patrons. For example, at Central and Harvard stations, many of the
bicycles were parked at places such as trees, sign posts, and meters. A
secondary survey could determine the destination of the bicycle riders, whether
it is an MBTA service or a nearby commercial establishment. The survey would
help determine who would be responsible for installing additional racks.
Thirty of the 134 rapid transit stations observed in the most recent inventory did
not have bicycle racks. Those stations are listed below.
Red Line
None
Mattapan High-Speed Line
Cedar Grove
Valley Road
Central Avenue
Blue Line
Government Center
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Green Line Subway
Government Center
Copley
Green Line B Branch
South Street
Chestnut Hill Avenue
Cheswick Road
Sutherland Road
Warren Street
Allston Street
Griggs Street
Harvard Avenue
Packards Corner
Green Line C Branch
Hawes Street
Kent Street
St. Paul Street
Brandon Hall
Fairbanks Street
Dean Road
Englewood Avenue
Green Line D Branch
Beaconsfield
Green Line E Branch
Fenwood Road
Mission Park
Riverway
Back of the Hill
Heath Street
Silver Line Washington Street (SL4 and SL5)
Dudley Square
Silver Line Waterfront (SL1 and SL2)
Courthouse
Seventy-eight percent of the 134 stations in the rapid transit system had bicycle
racks when the 2012 survey was conducted. See Table A1.1 in Appendix A for
rapid-transit, station-specific data on bicycle parking and utilization. Table A1.1
also indicates the number of bicycles that were locked to objects other than
bicycle racks (such as poles, trees, and railings) at each station.
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4.2 Commuter Rail
The total number of bicycle parking spaces in the commuter rail system
increased by 12 percent from the 2009–11 inventory to the 2012 inventory, and
the utilization rate increased from 20 percent to 25 percent. Table 2 shows the
number of bicycle parking spaces in the commuter rail system, by line, for the
two inventory periods, the number of bicycles parked, and the percentage of
bicycle parking space utilization for each inventory period.
TABLE 2
Bicycle Parking Inventory and Percentage of Spaces Utilized:
Commuter Rail Stations
2009–11 2009–11 2009–11 2012 2012 2012
Bicycles Parking Percent Bicycles Parking Percent

Commuter Rail Line Parked Spaces Utilization Parked Spaces Utilization
North Side blank blank blank blank blank blank
Newburyport/Rockport
43 230 19 90 272 33
Line
Haverhill Line 38 232 16 36 244 15
Lowell Line 48 153 31 61 137 45
Fitchburg Line 49 205 24 90 260 35
Framingham/Worcester
35 224 16 74 272 27
Line
North Side total 213 1,044 20% 351 1,185 30%
South Side blank blank blank blank blank blank
Needham Line 20 101 20 16 104 15
Franklin Line 21 163 13 25 162 15
Fairmount Line 3 76 4 1 84 1
Providence/Stoughton
71 296 24 81 309 26
Line
Middleborough/Lakeville
17 79 22 12 81 15
Line
Kingston/Plymouth Line 8 79 10 19 84 23
Greenbush Line 18 57 32 25 109 23

South Side total 57 805 19% 176 891 20%

Grand total 370 1,849 20% 527 2076 25%
Notes: “Bicycles parked” and “Percent Utilization” do not include bicycles locked to objects other than bicycle racks.
“Percent Utilization” is the percentage of the bicycle rack spaces filled by bicycles. As in Table 1, duplicate
numbers of bicycles and racks are included at stations that serve more than one line. However, in each of
the totals, these spaces are counted only once.
Ninety-seven percent of the stations in the commuter rail system have bicycle
racks. One new station was added to the 2012 inventory: Wickford Junction, on
the Providence Line. This station has 22 bicycle spaces, with one bicycle
parked there at the time of observation. See Table A2.1, in Appendix A, for
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commuter rail station-specific data on bicycle parking and utilization. Table
A2.1 also indicates the number of bicycles locked to objects other than bicycle
racks (for example, poles, trees, or railings) at each station.
Except for the Lowell and Franklin lines, the number of bicycle parking spaces
had increased on every commuter rail line after the 2009–11 inventory. The
decrease in the number of bicycle parking spaces on the Lowell Line is due to
the removal of bicycle racks at North Billerica and West Medford stations. The
greatest percentage increase was on the Greenbush Line, which increased
from 57 spaces in 2009–11 to 109 spaces in the more recent inventory.
The Newburyport/Rockport and Fitchburg lines had the highest number of
parked bicycles, with 90 bicycles parked at the racks for each line. The Lowell
Line had the highest bicycle rack utilization, with 45 percent of bicycle rack
spaces occupied. The Fairmount Line had the lowest bicycle rack utilization,
with 1 percent. In all, 23 of the commuter rail stations that had racks were
observed to have no parked bicycles. In the most recent inventory (2012), 5 of
the 122 commuter rail stations observed did not have bicycle racks. These
stations are:
• Mishawum, on the Lowell Line
• Hastings, on the Fitchburg Line
• Windsor Gardens and Plimptonville, on the Franklin Line
• Plymouth, on the Kingston/Plymouth Line
During the 2012 inventory, staff observed 139 bicycles locked to objects other
than the bicycle racks provided at the commuter rail stations. Newburyport,
Hamilton/Wenham, Swampscott, Natick, and Providence stations each had 10
or more bicycles locked to objects other than bicycle racks. This may be an
indication that the existing racks are not located in areas that are perceived as
safe; the racks are located in an inconvenient location; or the rack utilization is
at, near, or exceeding the design capacity.
4.3 Commuter Boat and Bus
The utilization of bicycle racks at selected major bus stops increased from 71
percent during the 2009–11 inventory to 75 percent in the 2012 inventory.3 All
six of the MBTA’s commuter boat facilities were monitored in the 2012
inventory. Bicycle parking utilization at those locations in the most recent
inventory was relatively low, at 14 percent. The number of bicycles parked at

3 Data for the Woburn park-and-ride parking lot were collected as part of the park-and-ride data
collection effort. Watertown Square and Watertown Yard (which is now a park-and-ride lot)
were inventoried as part of the data collection effort for this task because of the high number
of buses traversing Watertown Square.
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the terminal in Hingham remained the same, while the number of parking
spaces increased. Table 3 shows the number of bicycles parked, the number of
bicycle parking spaces, and the percentage of bicycle parking space utilization
at the commuter boat terminals and major bus stops for the two most recent
inventory periods. Please see Table A3.1, in Appendix A, for more detailed
information on these locations.
The Hingham commuter boat terminal has racks that accommodate 24
bicycles, and in the 2012 inventory, 9 were parked there. During the 2009–11
inventory, the Fore River Shipyard Ferry Terminal, in Quincy, had no bicycle
racks, but by the 2012 inventory it had received one new bicycle rack, with
eight spaces; one bicycle was parked at the rack. The Charlestown Navy Yard
commuter boat terminal also acquired new bicycle racks, increasing its capacity
from 2 to 28 spaces. Bicycles are allowed on MBTA commuter boats at all
times, making it a viable option for bicyclists to bring bicycles on the boat and
lock or ride them upon arrival at their destination.
TABLE 3
Bicycle Parking Inventory and Percentage of Spaces Utilized:
Commuter Boat Terminals and Major Bus Stops
2009–11 2009–11 2009–11 2012 2012 2012
Bicycles Parking Percent Bicycles Parking Percent
Transit Mode Parked Spaces Utilization Parked Spaces Utilization
Commuter boat 11 26 42% 10 70 14%
Major bus stops 12 17 71% 12 16 75%

In the 2012 inventory, the two Boston boat terminals were examined, as had
been done in the previous inventory. Neither Rowe’s Wharf nor Long Wharf
had any bicycle parking. Bicyclists could park their bicycles at Aquarium
Station, but this is not the most convenient place to park. Installing a few
bicycle parking spaces near the dock would give people a better place to park.
Watertown Yard (park-and-ride lot), Watertown Square, and the Woburn park-
and-ride lot were the only major bus stops monitored in the 2012 inventory.
Watertown Yard had four spaces with two bicycles parked in those spaces;
seven bicycles were parked near the bus shelter (which is several hundred feet
away from the rack). Installing sheltered parking closer to the bus shelter, or
adding signs directing bicyclists to the rack, would encourage more bicyclists to
use access bus service here. Watertown Square had 12 spaces, and 10 parked
bicycles were observed in those spaces during the 2012 inventory, with no
parked bicycles observed nearby. There were no parking spaces at the Woburn
park-and-ride lot, nor were any bicycles parked in the area.
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5 INVENTORY OF AMENITIES AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
OF A STATION AND ITS VICINITY
As part of the 2012 inventory, staff recorded information on amenities and other
characteristics of each station and its vicinity that are pertinent to bicyclists.
These include the types of bicycle racks, whether the racks are sheltered, if
there is a bicycle path or trail nearby, and whether there are bus routes that
connect to the station. These data are included in Appendix A, in Tables A2,
A4, and A6, and are discussed below. In addition, also discussed below, staff
recorded data on roadways with bike lanes that connect to MBTA stations.
5.1 Types of Bicycle Racks
Tables A1.2, 2.2, and 3.2, in Appendix A, list in detail the amenities at each
station. Some styles of bicycle racks are better than others. The inverted-U-
style and post-and-loop-style racks support a bicycle in two places, keeping it
from falling and being damaged. Also, they make it easy for a bicyclist to lock
the bicycle frame and front or rear wheel to the rack to prevent theft. Other rack
styles, such as dish-rack and ribbon, support bicycles in only one place, making
it more likely for the bicycle to fall. Locking both the bicycle frame and wheel to
dish-rack and ribbon-style racks is difficult.
At the stations inventoried, the ribbon and inverted-U styles were the most
common types of bicycle racks. While the post-and-loop is also a commonly
used style, it was observed mostly on sidewalks in the proximity of stations,
and rarely at the stations themselves. The newly installed bike ports consist of
inverted-U-style racks.
5.2 Sheltered Bicycle Racks
Bicyclists may be deterred from bicycling to a transit station by inclement
weather, in part because of a lack of covered bicycle parking. However, while
sheltered bicycle racks protect bicycles from the elements and provide a sense
of security, it is not feasible to install them at all stations. Of the 134 rapid
transit stations, only 14 stations provide at least some covered bicycle parking;
two of them are South Station and Back Bay Station. These major stations
have commuter rail, rapid transit, and bus connections. Tables A1.2, A2.2, and
A3.2, in Appendix A, provide detailed information on all of the MBTA stations.
Between the 2009–11 inventory and the 2012 inventory, the number of
commuter rail stations that have covered bicycle parking almost tripled, from
12to 34 stations. As more bike ports and Pedal & Park facilities are installed,
more stations will have sheltered parking spaces. The South Acton commuter
rail station has individual bicycle lockers for rent in addition to unsheltered