Here you will find a number of recommendations and best practice examples to promote multimodal trips along the cycle superhighway network. The aim is to create a high and consistent level of connectivity between cycle superhighways and public transport.
The recommendations and examples can be used when screening future (or existing) cycle superhighways to also upgrade conditions for commuters who use a combination of cycling and public transport.
Selection criteria for relevant public transport hubs
Cycle superhighways are the third pillar of regional transport planning. The target group is bicycle commuters who commute distances longer than five kilometers by bike. Public transport hubs that support longer commutes combined with cycling are therefore particularly relevant when stations and stops are identified and upgraded in connection with the establishment of a cycle superhighway.
It is recommended that relevant public transport hubs to which the cycle superhighways should particularly connect, are selected based on the following selection criteria.
Distance to cycle superhighway
There should be a relatively short distance between the hub and the cycle superhighway.
Trains often serve longer commutes than buses, which is why bicycle commuters tend to cycle further to change to trains than to buses. Therefore, differentiation is made between the distance of different types of public transport hubs to cycle superhighways.
| Railway stations | Bus stops |
| Maximum 500 meters distance between stations and cycle superhighway. | Maximum 100 meters distance between bus stops and cycle superhighway. |
Frequency
For multimodal trips, the frequency of public transport departures is important as it needs to match the flexibility of cycling. There will often be a higher frequency at hubs near cities where there are also several types of transportation options. On the routes between cities, the frequency will often be lower. Therefore, different standards for frequency are applied based on two different geographical contexts..
| Urban Areas | Rural Areas |
| Minimum six departures per hour at the stop/station (across public transport modes) | Minimum two departures per hour at the stop/station (across public transport modes) |
Transport options
When connecting cycle superhighways to public transport hubs, priority should be given to the hubs that offer the longest and most time-competitive trips compared to driving.
| Order of priority | Public transport mode | Rationale |
| 1. | Long-distance and regional trains | Long-distance and regional trains serve the longer public transport journeys. Due to the long distances between stops, the bicycle is an ideal access mode for bringing people to stations. |
| 2. | S-trains | Like the cycle superhighway network, the S-train network is widely branched and follows important corridors from the Finger Plan with workplaces and housing, connecting important towns and hubs. S-train stations have the highest share of access journeys by cycling among public transport modes and are obvious multimodal connection points for cycle superhighways1Passagerpulsen: Passagerpulsens Nationale Passagertilfredshedsundersøgelse, 2018. Link. |
| 3. | Local trains | Local trains serve important connections, such as linking market towns with each other and with smaller communities outside the Finger Plan’s ‘palm’ and ‘finger corridors,’ and are obvious multimodal connection points for cycle superhighways. |
| 4. | E, R and S buses (regional express buses) | The E, R and S bus lines are the bus lines that are the most time-competitive on longer distances. This is partly due to direct routes and partly due to the relatively large distance between stops. In addition, they often connect major hubs. Particularly popular bus stops on these bus routes are obvious multimodal connection points for cycle superhighways. |
| 5. | Light rail | Light rail systems can serve many different types of journeys. The upcoming light rail along the road Ring 3 in Greater Copenhagen will likely cater to both short, local trips and more regional journeys across several municipal borders. Some of the stations will have a fairly large and dispersed catchment area, making them suitable for access trips by bicycle. |
| 6. | Metro and other bus lines | The last category includes public transport modes that are generally used for shorter trips, making them less suitable for multimodal journeys and thus prioritized lower in this selection. Research conducted by Passagerpulsen shows that these modes have the lowest proportion of cycling in both access and egress journeys2Passagerpulsen: Passagerpulsens Nationale Passagertilfredshedsundersøgelse, 2018. Link. |
Local conditions can vary, and in some areas, a bus line may be the fastest and most important public transportation option, just as metro terminus may have a larger catchment area than other stations along the line. Therefore, it may be relevant to upgrade these hubs as well.
Connecting cycle superhighway to public transport hubs
Often there will be a certain distance between the cycle superhighway and the hub. This connection is an important part of the connectivity. It is therefore important to consider the following circumstances:
Bicycle connection
To make the distance between the cycle superhighway and the public transport hub feel like an integrated part of the multimodal journey, it is recommended that the standard quality for this stretch also follows the recommendations for the choice of design of the path and route on the rest of the cycle superhighway network.
Navigation and wayfinding
It is important that the commuter is guided properly between the cycle superhighway and the public transport hub. Therefore, it is recommended to use signage both away from the cycle superhighway to the public transport hub and from the public transport hub to the cycle superhighway.
It is also a good idea to use the same type of signage throughout the entire cycle superhighway network to ensure recognisability across the network. The signage can also act as a seal of quality for the individual user and as an indication of good parking options for bicycles in connection with intermodal travel.
Wayfinding from the cycle superhighway to the public transport hub
From the cycle superhighway, it is recommended to use the F21,2, path direction sign, with the service symbol and the name of the hub. The distance to the hub should always be indicated.
The symbol used depends on the type of public transportation. Examples of the symbols are shown below:
Wayfinding from the public transport hub to the cycle superhighway
At the public transport hub, it is recommended to have clear signage for the cycle superhighway so that those arriving by public transport can easily find it. The signage can also serve as an advertisement for the cycle superhighway and possibly draw attention to how short it is by bike to the next city or station.
It is recommended:
- to use the same type of signage as on the entire supercycle network, e.g. F21,2 signposts with the cycle superhighway logo and route number.
- to supplement signage with markings on the surface that can guide you to the cycle superhighway.
- As a minimum, to use signage for the cycle superhighway placed by bicycle parking. The signage should be clear and easy to spot for the commuter.
Location and design of bicycle parking facilities
An important element in connecting cycle superhighways and public transport is to promote a seamless transition between the two modes at the hub. Here, bicycle parking plays an important role. Below are a number of recommendations for the layout and design of bicycle parking.
Placement of bike parking
For at cykelparkering skal blive brugt af cykelpendlerne såvel som andre cyklister er det vigtigt, at cykelparkeringen er placeret rigtigt i forhold til adgangsveje og stationsområdet eller stoppestedet. Derfor anbefales følgende:
- Direct access from cycle path to bicycle parking
Ensuring an optimal flow is important for the experience. There should be no unnecessary obstacles such as stairs, fences and steep ramps between the cycle path and bike parking. This can lead to cyclists choosing not to park their bikes as intended and instead placing their bikes in an inappropriate place.4Cycling Embassy of Denmark: Collection of Cycling Concepts, 2012. Link.
- Bicycle parking should be placed so that you can park your bike on the way to the platform
There are often multiple access routes to the station, so proper planning is essential. Meanwhile, the bicycle parking shouldn’t be placed further away than necessary. It is recommended that there is a maximum of 30 meters between bicycle parking and the platform at smaller hubs and a maximum of 60 meters at larger hubs.5Passagerpulsen: Cykelparkering på togstationer, 2016. Link. From the bicycle parking area, it should be clear how to get to the platform.
- Access must be clear and easy to use
It should be easy to get in and out of the parking areas. Optimally, there is space for two bikes to pass each other6Vejregler: Anlæg for parkering og standsning i byer, 2018. Link. Where you want cyclists to go from the access road to the bicycle parking, any curbs should be separated by ramps with a slope not exceeding 200‰
- Sufficient space in the bike parking area
In the bike parking area itself, there should be enough space to maneuver your bike while leaving room for other users to avoid unfortunate bottlenecks on the road.
Wayfinding to and from bike parking
It is recommended that there is clear guidance to bicycle parking both from the bicycle path and elsewhere in the public transport hub, making it easy for the commuter to find the bicycle parking stands or bicycle cellar. There should also be proper guidance from the bike parking area itself to either the platform or bus stop. For example, you can use signposts or markings in the ground.
Bicycle parking regulation
When establishing bicycle parking spaces, a sufficient number should be established
This bicycle parking regulation is based on the Bicycle Parking Handbook with regard to the regulation at stations, although the regulation is differentiated according to the type of train. The standard at bus stops is based on the regulation from the Super Shift, but also takes bicycle parking at A-bus routes. You can scale according to current needs, but you should also allow for the possibility of scaling for future growth. In this connection, it may be a good idea to take any planned urban development in local plans etc. into account. Increased demand for bicycle parking should be planned for when bicycle parking facilities are improved or when new facilities are established.
In the Cycle Superhighway Collaboration in the Capital Region, it is recommended to use the following standards for bicycle parking:
| Hub | Bicycle parking regulation | Exampel at 20% |
| Stations | 10-30% of passenger numbers (number of travelers per day) | 1000 travelers → 200 bicycle parking spaces 20,000 travelers → 4000 bicycle parking spaces |
| Bus stops and terminals | 10-40% of passenger numbers (during the morning rush hour 6-9am). | 90 travelers → 18 bicycle parking spaces 200 travelers → 40 bicycle parking spaces |
In addition, it is also recommended to calculate 25% extra space for future expansions and that 5% of the space is dedicated to larger bikes such as cargo bikes.
Regulation at stations
The Cycle Superhighway Collaboration in the Capital Region recommends different regulation norms for bicycle parking at stations depending on the type of rail-based transportation at the hub:
| Bicycle parking regulation at stations (Number of bicycle parking spaces as a share of daily boardings) | |
| Long-distance/regional trains | 20 % |
| S-trains | 30 % |
| Local trains | 20 % |
| Light rail | 20 % |
| Metro | 15 % |
Bicycle parking regulation at bus stops
The Cycle Superhighway Collaboration in the Capital Region recommends different standards for bicycle parking at bus stops depending on the type of bus lines serving the hub:
| Bicycle parking regulation at bus stops (Number of bicycle parking spaces as a share of boarding passengers during peak hours, 6:00-9:00) | ||
| City center, residential and business areas | Suburbs, rural areas | |
| R-, S- og E-busses | 20 % | 40 % |
| Other lines (including. A-busses) | 10 % | 10 % |
Design of bicycle parking
To ensure a good and easy experience when parking your bike at a station or bus stop, there are several aspects to consider.
Bike racks
Once the commuter has arrived at the bike parking area, it is important that the bike stands is of good quality that ensures that the bike can be locked, is well supported and does not pose a risk of damage to the bike while it is parked. Therefore, it is recommended to choose bike racks that make bike parking attractive so that bikes do not end up outside the racks.
There are many different types of bike racks available today and different variants according to space requirements. Some bike racks allow for easy locking of the bike, which can be attractive for cyclists with expensive bikes, such as e-bikes and cargo bikes.
The scale of the bike stands depends on the area and number of bicycle parking spaces to be provided. The number of bicycle parking spaces can be found by looking at the bicycle parking regulations. It is recommended to have 60 cm between each parking space, while gaps down to 50 cm can be used if needed. It is not recommended to create larger distances between racks, as this may result in an extra bike being placed in between.
Covered bicycle parking and locking options
For larger bicycle parking facilities, it is recommended that 50% of new bicycle parking spaces are covered by roofs.
The cover should be designed in such a way that the bicycle parking is not perceived as unsafe. This can be done by ensuring good lighting at entrances, exits and at the bicycle parking area itself, as well as ensuring good visibility from, for example, roads and the station area.
Paving and drainage
It is recommended that hard paving such as asphalt, tiles or drainage grates are installed at the bicycle parking area. The surface should be even and non-slip in all weather conditions.
The paving in walking and waiting areas should be clearly distinguishable from the paving in driving areas. At the same time, the surface must be able to withstand the traffic that may occur on it.
The driving areas at parking lots are used by both vehicles and pedestrians in all types of weather. It is therefore important that drainage is effective. Local drainage of rainwater can be incorporated into the drainage system, for example by using permeable paving, rainwater beds, etc.
Maintenance and clean-ups
At large hubs with high bike parking occupancy, consider “bike butlers” who clean up bike parking and mark abandoned bikes for removal.
Additional service
To increase the attractiveness of the bicycle parking facility, you can establish extra services for users, for example:
- Service stations: Bicycle pump, water station and tool station can be set up at the bicycle parking area
- Information: Clocks, bicycle counters (counting the number of cyclists on the cycle path), digital departure boards and signs with information about the local area.
Evaluation
It is important to do evaluations including before- and after assessments when upgrading a public transport hub or building new bicycle parking to measure the impact of the investment. This can increase the overall level of knowledge and qualify future investments in bicycle parking.
Example of municipal guidelines for bicycle parking
The City of Copenhagen has prepared a number of guidelines for the establishment of bicycle parking10Københavns Kommune: Retningslinjer for etablering af cykelparkering, 2017. Link. Below, find some examples of guidelines from the publication:
Type of racks
- Standard stand with 1-5 parking spots. The stand is either single-sided with up to 5 spaces or double-sided with up to 10 spaces.
- Stands that can be delivered in 90, 45 or 30 degrees.
- Stands that can be set up in chains of up to 4 modules.
- Stands that can be mounted on a 0.6 m bollard on sidewalks, or 1.0 meter if the bollard is placed on the road.
- Preferably galvanized steel stands are used for maintenance reasons (may vary according to architectural requirements).
Drawings with dimensions and space requirements
Background for bicycle parking regulations
The specification of the bicycle parking regulation above is based on different sources and assessments. The rationale for the different choices is described below for each public transport type.
Long-distance and regional trains
In the period 2015-2018, 13-16% of long-distance and regional train passengers in Region Zealand and 12-19% in the Capital Region arrived at the station by bike11Procentandelene er fra gennemsnittet af perioden oktober 2017 til september 2018 fra Passagerpulsens Nationale Passagertilfredshedsundersøgelser. As the possibilities to bring your bike on long-distance and regional trains are significantly more limited than on S-trains, it is estimated that the majority of passengers cycling to long-distance and regional trains need to park their bikes before taking the train. At long-distance and regional train stations, it is recommended to provide bicycle parking spaces for 20% of the daily passengers.
S-trains
In S-trains, 24-30% of all passengers in Region of Zealand and 19-23% in the Capital Region of Denmark arrived at the station by bike in the years 2015-201812Procentandelene er fra gennemsnittet af perioden oktober 2017 til september 2018, fra Passagerpulsens Nationale Passagertilfredshedsundersøgelser. In S-trains, it has been allowed to bring bicycles free of charge since 2010, so there will not be a need for bicycle parking for everyone who bikes to the station. However, due to the high proportion of commuter trips by bicycle and the limited bicycle capacity in S-trains, it is still recommended to provide bicycle parking spaces at S-train stations for 30% of daily passengers.
Local trains
In local trains, 8-10% of all passengers in the Region of Zealand, and 15-22 % of all passengers in the Capital Region of Denmark arrived at the station by bicycle in 2017-201813Procentandelene er fra gennemsnittet af perioden oktober 2017 til september 2018, fra Passagerpulsens Nationale Passagertilfredshedsundersøgelser. For a number of years, it has been free of charge to bring your bike on local trains in the Capital Region of Denmark while it was not free of charge in Region of Zealand. But since July 2022 it has been free of charge to bring your bike on all Movia’s means of transportation, including all local trains. This may affect how many bicycle parking spaces are needed at each station. For local trains, it is recommended to install bicycle parking spaces equivalent to 20% of the daily passengers. However, it is recommended to monitor the development in terms of the number of bicycles on the trains as well as parked bikes at the stations.
Metro
In the metro, around 7-11% of all passengers arrived at stations by bike in the years 2015-201814Procentandelene er fra gennemsnittet af perioden oktober 2017 til september 2018, fra Passagerpulsens Nationale Passagertilfredshedsundersøgelser. Not many people bring their bike on the metro. Metro journeys are short trips where the entire journey can often be done by bike. In addition, access to the metro platforms is not optimal for cyclists, the metro trains are not designed to carry bicycles, and there is a ban on bicycle transportation during rush hour. Therefore, it is recommended to provide bicycle parking spaces corresponding to 15% of the daily passengers at metro stations.
Light rail
Light rail stations are likely to be comparable to the metro in this respect, but serve a more dispersed catchment area. Longer commutes can therefore be expected, which would be better served by bicycle. At light rail stations, it is recommended to provide bicycle parking spaces for 20% of the daily passengers.
E-, R- and S busses
E, R and S buses travel longer distances and with longer distances between stops than other buses. It is also primarily these types of buses that people cycle to. It is recommended to follow Movia’s standard regulation, with bicycle parking equivalent to 20% of boarding passengers during peak hours for city centers, residential and commercial areas and 40% in suburban and rural areas15Movia: Superskiftet, 2017. Link.
Other bus lines and A-buses
The other bus lines and A-buses connect small and large cities throughout Zealand – internally and with each other. It is recommended to designate a few important main stops that are no more than 100 meters from a cycle superhighway and that serve several major lines in an area where there are no other public transport options. For other lines and A-buses, it is recommended to provide bicycle parking spaces equivalent to 10% of peak hour boarding passengers, if space is available.
Did you know that…
Connecting cycling and public transport significantly extends the reach of both transport modes and ensures a more flexible and sustainable transportation system.
Here’s an example of how you can go much further in the same amount of time if you combine cycling and public transport on your journey16Region Hovedstaden: Trafik- og mobilitetsplan for hovedstadsregionen, 2019 (Trafikale scenarier for Hovedstadsområdet – Baggrundsrapport, 2018). Link:
On the left: Difference in travel time between public transport and car from all locations in the metropolitan area to Copenhagen Central with walking as a means of transportation.
On the right: Difference in travel time between public transport and car from all locations in the metropolitan area to Copenhagen Central with bicycle as commuter transport.
References
- Passagerpulsen: Passagerpulsens Nationale Passagertilfredshedsundersøgelse, 2018. Link
- Vejdirektoratet: Servicevejvisning på almindelige veje, 2018. Link
- Cycling Embassy of Denmark: Collection of Cycling Concepts, 2012. Link
- Passagerpulsen: Cykelparkering på togstationer, 2016. Link
- Vejdirektoratet: Anlæg for parkering og standsning i byer, 2018. Link
- Celis Consult & Dansk Cyklist Forbund: Cykelparkeringshåndbogen, 2007. Link
- Movia: Superskiftet, 2017. Link
- Københavns Kommune: Retningslinjer for etablering af cykelparkering, 2017. Link
- Region Hovedstaden: Trafik- og mobilitetsplan for hovedstadsregionen, 2019 (Trafikale scenarier for Hovedstadsområdet – Baggrundsrapport, 2018). Link
