A strategy to encourage cycling as a public transport feeder mode Research in motion A strategy to encourage cycling as a public transport feeder mode

Problem statement Rail service quality and ridership is declining in Cape Town An integrated public transport system must address streets as connectors Cycling has significant unrealised potential to improve access to public transport More research is needed to understand context-specific obstacles to cycling

Hypothesis Bicycle planning often assumes that people want to cycle, and will do so if generic obstacles are removed But there is also a view that people don’t want to cycle in Cape Town conditions This research is based on the premise that discovery of individual motivations can inform bottom-up planning

Method: Campaign Experimenting together with the public rather than questionnaire surveys alone Stated preference methods go part-way Intercept surveys of rail passengers identified initial attitudes and needs and specific cycling obstacles We targeted key obstacles to see if passengers would respond by cycling to Kuils River station

Method: Campaign

Kuils River station Chosen for: Demographics Facilities in place Services and feeder modes in place Well-used park-and-ride facility indicating potential for a shift in feeder modes

Kuils River station Existing feeder modes: Walking 2789 54% Minibus Taxi 1156 23% Kiss n Ride 699 14% Park n Ride 488 10% Cycling 1 0% Total 5051

Intercept survey 210 rail passengers surveyed in March 2017 Reasons given for not cycling to the station: Don’t own a bike 145 Too far to cycle 18 Never thought about it 16 Too dark when I travel 9 Road safety 7 Not safe to leave bike at station 4 Can’t lock it up 2

Intercept survey Relationship to cycling: 19% self-identify as “cyclists” But: Only 10% both know how to cycle and have a bicycle, so relatively few passengers could simply hop on a bike even if they had the incentive

Intercept survey

Survey analysis Is there a market for cycling to the station? 152 out of 210 (72%) know how to cycle Exactly half of these would like to cycle to the station (36% of the full survey sample)

Survey analysis Of those indicating they would like to cycle to the station, 29 said they couldn’t afford a bike – 14% of the total survey sample. Huge implications for the assumption that removing the cost barrier will increase cycling Bicycle cost is too high for many, but this is not the dominant reason for not cycling to Kuils River station

Survey analysis People who said they: Have a bike Would not get robbed Want to cycle 4 people Suggests low take-up without an intervention

The campaign

The campaign You, a train passenger, can have a new bike for R250 if you meet certain targets for riding to Kuils River station

The campaign Satisfying behavioural traits: Endowment effect: if you pay for the bike, you are more likely to use it Loss aversion: recouping some of the purchase price will motivate behaviour Habit forming: six weeks of cycling allows reorientation of lives around frequent riding

The campaign

Conclusions Many showed an interest, and 11 signed up, but raised new obstacles or became nonresponsive 3 participants riding for six weeks to earn their bikes

Conclusions We needed to understand: What constitutes an attractive bicycle in the Kuils River market What is the fair market price for the bicycle being offered As a result, what is a meaningfully attractive discount to this market How liquidity (not just price) affects choice

Conclusions However: Either we misjudged the bicycle price, or there were other reasons for low take-up The intercept survey and subsequent interaction suggests other reasons Identified a desire to cycle, but there remain obstacles difficult to identify or remove Think systematically of budget & behaviour

Conclusions Potential for change based on social norms: Each station has clusters of similarity making it easier for people to follow others’ lead Characteristics that make it easier for one person will make it easier for others Take-up can be fed back to signal a change in social norms

Next steps Same strategy at same station unlikely to work Different station might reveal new insights, but also complications with new variables Aim to try another station in partnership with Bicycling Empowerment Network and Pedal Power Association to reap benefits from synergy with existing programmes Give people time for deciding & budgeting

Thank you