CogniCycle - Cities of Tomorrow

1
8 0 9 4 9
p r e s e n t s
CogniCycle
reimagining active transportation
Connected Communities by 80949
Prepared for
LUMCO
Cities of Tomorrow
A Student Ideas Competition
By
80949
May 2015
2500 words
i
Executive
Summary
As cities grow, innovative
transportation demand
management options are needed
to combat the rising economic
and environmental costs of
congestion. Increasing active
transportation can be an
alternative strategy to expensive
infrastructure investments.
However, promoting cycling in
suburban communities presents
many obstacles due to low
densities and car-friendly land use.
Our proposal is to
create lasting
behavioural changes
to transportation
choices in low-density
developments by
promoting cycling
through school-based
bike-share programs.
CogniCycle by 80949
ii
Secondary schools are the
ideal conduits for transforming
bike-shares from tourist-focused
setups to community-based
systems. They allow for regular
student users alongside occasional
community access. This model
fosters long-lasting behavioural
shifts while providing a sustainable
revenue source.
Many secondary schools in
Ontario’s cities are located near
ravines or hydro corridors. These
green spaces can provide a safe
path for students to get to and
from school in car-centric
communities.
Schools with bike-shares can
use those resources to hold cycling
classes, thereby promoting active
transportation within the
community. They can also teach
bike maintenance, which can lead
to youth employment at bike
repair shops.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
Improving mobility options in
suburbs means better access to
amenities and job opportunities for
the residents, and congestion relief
for cities as a whole. Increasing the
uptake of cycling in suburbs
promotes healthy communities in
areas that have the highest rates
of diabetes and obesity.
In municipalities which already
finance bike-share programs, these
can be easily modified to fit the
school environment, and require
much lower operating costs than a
traditional setup. Cities wishing to
develop a new bike-share model
have the advantage of greater
flexibility in creating a system that
can also cater to suburban
communities.
CogniCycle
Table of Contents
Background and Justification
Project Description
Finance
Challenges and Vision
Appendices
1
7
11
15
21
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
1
Background and
Justification
Ontario’s city roads have a
traffic problem. Congestion costs
the GTHA over $6 billion and
Ottawa-Gatineau $200 million
each year1. Improving traffic flow
through infrastructure investments
such as transit lines or roads is
prohibitively costly and timeconsuming. An alternative
approach is increasing active
transportation.
Cycling is effective in reducing
congestion because bicycles take
up less road space than cars.
Downtown Toronto is one area
where cycling is replacing
motorized modes of transportation.
Unfortunately, narrow roads and
limited off-road trails have led to
tensions and collisions between
cyclists and drivers.
CogniCycle provides an
innovative way of increasing
cycling outside of the
downtown core, while
creating jobs and improving
community health.
CogniCycle by 80949
2
By contrast, suburbs and inner
suburbs have a greater potential
for cycling infrastructure due to
their wide multi-lane roads and
abundant green space.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
Suburbs also have limited
access to public transportation; in
many areas, infrequent and
unreliable buses are the only form
of transit available. There is clearly
a need for alternative
transportation options, yet, it is
precisely in these areas that
cycling is least popular.
3
There are several barriers to
cycling outside of downtown.
Because of low-density
development, it is less likely that
residents live close to their
workplaces. 74% of cycling trips in
Toronto were less than 5km in
length2. Additionally, the land
development is very car-centric,
with fast multi-lane roads that lack
adequate cycling infrastructure.
Even if someone is close enough to
their destination to bike, they may
be afraid of getting injured on the
roads.
Despite these challenges,
ravines and hydro corridors that
are common in low-density areas
often have multi-use trails that are
safe for cyclists. Encouraging
citizens to use these trails would
reduce traffic and promote
healthy habits. There is also the
added bonus of making
underutilized green spaces safer
and preventing criminal activity3.
The affordability of Toronto’s
inner suburbs is attractive to lowincome residents and new
immigrants. Most of Toronto’s
Neighbourhood Improvement
Areas4 are located in the inner
suburbs, indicating that they
require particular attention by the
municipality. These places have
low economic and social
indicators (e.g. employment,
income, mortality, diabetes).
CogniCycle by 80949
4
Neighbourhood Improvement Areas in Toronto
Immigrant Distribution in Toronto
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
5
Bike-shares can be used to
introduce cycling to people who
do not own bicycles. The cost of
occasionally renting a bicycle is
low, and there is no commitment
necessary. Growth in bike-share
systems in cities throughout the
world effectively reduces the
number of automobile trips in
many urban areas. Unfortunately it
has proven to be difficult to
expand bike-share systems into
low-income neighbourhoods5.
Traditional bike-shares are
designed for high-density tourist
regions. Because users can leave
bicycles at one of many stations,
the bicycles are not always evenly
distributed. Despite the operators’
best efforts, there is no guarantee
that there will be a bicycle or
docking station available when a
user needs it. This unreliability
favours recreational and
occasional users.
However, with a few
simple tweaks, bikesharing can be an
effective method of
promoting regular and
long-term cycling in lowdensity neighbourhoods.
CogniCycle by 80949
6
Our solution is
CogniCycle: a bike-share
system based out of
secondary schools in lowdensity developments.
Schools are the perfect
candidates for a community bikeshare. In low-density
neighbourhoods it can be difficult
to find places that have enough
activity to justify a bike-share.
Schools have the advantage of
being a guaranteed destination for
hundreds of students 5 days a
week, 10 months a year.
Furthermore, schools have small
catchment areas, so biking to
school is more feasible than biking
to work, especially in the suburbs.
Finally, most students do not have
the option of driving as they are
too young to have a license or
they do not own a vehicle.
Therefore, CogniCycle would not
have to compete with the
automobile in the same way as a
traditional bike-share does.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
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Project
Description
One good candidate
CogniCycle is West Humber
Collegiate Institute. Located south
of Jamestown on Martin Grove
Road, this school has just over 1000
students. Like many schools it is
located along a ravine (Appendix
A) (the Humber River), with trail
access through Humber Gate Park
on Turnvale Road.
West Humber CI
areas directly accessible by trail
from West Humber CI
CogniCycle by 80949
8
The trail provides
direct access to many
neighbourhoods to the
west and south, within the
catchment area of the
school. These
neighbourhoods can be
reached without cycling
along any major arterial
roads (although Martin
Grove Road must be
crossed at a signalized
intersection).
With the addition of just one bridge, the
trail network could be extended to provide
better connectivity with areas to the east.
Such minimal infrastructure investments
would benefit the whole community.
Currently, few students bike to school at West
Humber CI. Most are driven by their parents6.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
9
A participating school would
be equipped with 20-30 bicycles
and a locking/storage system.
Students at the school would apply
for monthly passes for priority
access to the bicycles. The pass
would allow a student to take the
bicycle home and use it until
school starts the next morning.
The advantage of a monthly
membership over a typical firstcome first-serve bike-share system
is that students know that they will
have a way of getting home,
which will encourage regular bike
use.
During the day, the bicycles
are kept at the school, and can be
used for a variety of purposes. The
amount of bicycles should
correspond with typical class sizes,
so they can be used for
educational purposes. The school
can incorporate cycling classes
into the physical education
curriculum. This can be done
indoors during the winter, in the
school yard, or along nearby trails.
Once a student is comfortable with
cycling, they may be motivated to
apply for a bike-share membership
or purchase a bicycle of their own.
Weekends, Holidays and Summer Vacation
When the school is closed
CogniCycle will function similarly to
a traditional bike-share system.
Students will be required to leave
their bikes at the school or rent
them out for an additional fee.
Bikes that are not rented out by the
students can be accessed by the
community.
The months of July and August in
particular present a good incomegenerating opportunity as they are
popular times for cycling.
CogniCycle by 80949
10
The CogniCycle bicycles
could also be used as part of a
course on bicycle repair. West
Humber CI has an auto shop (as
do many schools), which could
easily be upgraded to include
bicycle repair tools and parts7. Not
only would this teach valuable skills
to the students, it would provide a
low-cost solution to maintaining the
fleet of bicycles.
Finally, the bicycles could be
used as part of a more traditional
bike-share during the day, in that
they could be rented out by the
hour. This would generate revenue
for the program.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
GPS
All CogniCycle bicycles will be
equipped with GPS systems to
serve dual purposes:
1. As a security measure in case
the bicycles are lost or stolen. In
neighbourhoods with significant
crime, this could aid police in
finding and prosecuting
criminals.
2. To better understand cycling
patterns in the city. It is
challenging to obtain
geographic information on
cyclist behavior; an obstacle to
effective cycling infrastructure
investments. Knowing where
people are cycling makes it
easier to decide where to put in
bike lanes. There are several
options for GPS systems that are
hidden within the bicycle and
cannot easily be removed8.
11
Finance
In comparison to transit and roads, bike-shares are relatively low-cost
and flexible. Furthermore, CogniCycle presents many operational savings
over a traditional model (Appendix B). Our proposal considers
expanding/modifying an existing bike-share, or developing a standalone
model.
Capital Costs
The main capital costs
associated with CogniCycle are:
purchasing bicycles, locks and/or
docking stations, GPS, equipment
for bicycle maintenance and fleetmanagement software. In addition
to those costs, it will be necessary
to equip the selected schools with
adequate bike shelters, as theft
and vandalism are significant
concerns9. It is necessary to
provide secure storage for
privately-owned bicycles as well, in
order to encourage cycling in the
student population overall.
CogniCycle will have lower
capital costs than a traditional
model. Firstly there is no need to
purchase space for a
maintenance facility, as many
schools have tech or auto shops
that can easily be outfitted with
bicycle repair facilities. Secondly,
traditional bike-share systems
spend significant capital on
marketing10. CogniCycle does not
need additional funds for
marketing to students. As the
students use the facilities, the
community will be introduced to
the system through word-of-mouth.
CogniCycle by 80949
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With these savings, it is feasible
for a bike-share company to
consider CogniCycle to be an
attractive investment.
Public/private partnerships are the
prevalent method for funding bikeshare systems.
To fund the capital costs, a
combination of federal, provincial,
and private grants can be
explored (e.g. EcoAction
Community Funding Program).
Pairing such funding opportunity
with municipal investment could
cover the capital costs, and some
of the operating costs.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
For the bikes, we recommend
smart bikes (e.g. SoBi in Hamilton),
rather than a smart rack system
(e.g. Toronto Bixi). The main
difference between the two is the
capital cost. Rather than investing
in fixed infrastructure, bikes are
equipped with the technology that
would usually be on the docking
stations. This system is more
scalable because expansion does
not require investing in a costly
docking station, and can be a
matter of buying a few more bikes.
From the operations end, it also
allows for real-time data on bike
trips and can be a useful resource
for transportation planners.
13
Operating Costs
The operating costs include:
maintaining and replacing
bicycles, and maintaining the
software system. Standard bikeshare systems have significant
labour costs11. In CogniCycle,
maintenance can be performed
by students as part of a bicycle
repair course, producing significant
savings.
Most bike-share systems also
spend money on fleet
redistribution. With CogniCycle,
students have to return their
bicycles to one location, which
prevents the need for rebalancing.
With these savings, a large
portion of the operating costs can
be covered by user fees.
Additional funding can come from
the municipality, which is often the
case in traditional bike-share
systems.
Many cities have existing bikeshare systems, which is an
opportunity because it allows the
municipality to take advantage of
economies of scale in expanding
their bike-share system, while
reaching a population typically
underserved by transit.
Costs
The cost of acquiring bikes12 can
vary depending on the system. The
GPS-enabled bikes, (e.g. Social
Bicycles) cost less than $1000 per
bike. This places the initial cost of
the bikes at $25 000 - $35 000
(including a replacement stock of
about 5 bikes).
Operating costs can be between
$2 000 and $6 000 per year, per
bike.
Maintaining the bicycles in a state
of good repair can cost up to $800
per bike.
CogniCycle by 80949
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Revenue
CogniCycle users can be divided
into occasional and regular users.
Regular users will be students that
have priority access to the bicycles
during the week for a month at a
time. Occasional users will pay by the
hour.
The public/private partnership can involve the transportation
department of the municipality in conjunction with the public health
department and the private bike-share vendor. This structure is proposed
based on best practice examples, where the vendor is responsible for the
maintenance and operation along with local community partners and the
municipality is responsible for the capital investment.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
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Challenges
and Vision
Challenges
The main challenge
CogniCycle is security. For
example, at West Humber CI
students only lock their bikes up in
areas that are covered by
surveillance cameras (PRINCIPAL
SOUCRE). Security concerns can
be addressed in various ways.
Clear branding on the bikes makes
them distinctive, and less likely to
be stolen. In addition, improving
the visibility of bike racks and
providing more secure bike storage
areas can reduce or prevent theft,
as can previously-discussed GPS
systems. A good security solution
will also help reduce the costs of
replacing stolen bicycles.
Another challenge is having a
system that is flexible enough for
both regular student users and
occasional community users. This
means the storage system has to
be both secure, and easilyaccessible. There are several
technological solutions to this, one
of which would be to have a
system that generates passcodes
for users. This would eliminate the
need for user credit cards, which
students and low-income residents
are unlikely to possess.
CogniCycle by 80949
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One obstacle to the early
adoption of CogniCycle is the lack
of cycling infrastructure suitable for
more than just recreational use.
However, CogniCycle provides an
opportunity for municipal planners
to collect data on preferred bike
routes through the GPS-enabled
bikes in the program. This
information can be used to
prioritize infrastructure investments
and complete the cycling network
throughout suburban areas.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
Another potential challenge is
the perception that cycling is
unsafe. Changing that perception
is an obstacle that can be
surmounted through better cycling
education programs, and
partnership with schools to teach
cycling skills. Equipping students
with the requisite skills for sharing
the road will make them more
confident cyclists, and address
some safety concerns.
Additionally, the presence of
more cyclists on the road has been
shown to decrease the accident
rate, which in turn can increase the
uptake of cycling.
17
Visions
CogniCycle is scalable: it
adapts the bike-share model to
make it operable in lower density
suburbs, by using an institution as
the main hub. This makes it possible
to replicate in other institutions,
community centres, and office
parks. This can significantly
decrease reliance on cars in
places where the land use is not
conducive to frequent transit
service, by providing a low cost
and active alternative.
CogniCycle is community
driven: it relies on partnership
with the communities it serves in
order to provide a context sensitive
solution to easing congestion. By
direct partnership with the
community, the bike-share option
can be customized and delivered
at a scale that can make it
profitable in lower density suburbs.
CogniCycle by 80949
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CogniCycle is financially
and environmentally
sustainable: Bike-shares provide
an active and sustainable
alternative to driving. By adapting
the traditional bike share to fit
different land uses and densities
present in Ontario cities,
CogniCycle provides a financially
viable opportunity for expanding
bike-share systems outside of
downtown cores. This not only
provides more transportation
options for suburbanites; it
contributes to decreasing emissions
from cars in cities.
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
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CogniCycle by 80949
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References
1.
2.
3.
4.
Government of Ontario, 2015.
http://www.bikesharephiladelphia.org/philastudy/completebusinessplan.pdf
http://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2013/08/22/torontos_saddest_park.html
Neighbourhood Improvement Areas, 2014.
http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=e0bc186e20ee0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
5. http://www.vox.com/2014/10/29/7087331/low-income-bicycle-share
6. Dilawar Alvi, Principal of West Humber Collegiate Institute.
7. Dilawar Alvi, Principal of West Humber Collegiate Institute.
8. http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/
9. Dilawar Alvi, Principal of West Humber Collegiate Institute.
10. http://www.bikesharephiladelphia.org/philastudy/completebusinessplan.pdf
11. http://www.bikesharephiladelphia.org/philastudy/completebusinessplan.pdf
12. http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/programs/bsg.pdf
13. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/may/07/cycling-safety-york-calderdale
Figures
Cover page: photo credit – Vivien Yip
Page i & ii: photo credit – http://www.sustrans.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/main_image/public/mainimage/adc062.jpg?itok=5QUhVvN_
Page iv:
photo credit – Vivien Yip
Page 1:
photo credit – Vivien Yip
Page 2:
photo credit – Google Aug 2014
Bike-share map – City of Toronto, Cycling (www .toronto.ca/cycling)
Page 3:
graph source – Toronto Cycling Think & Do Tank
(http://www.torontocycling.org/uploads/1/3/1/3/13138411/mapping_cycling_behaviour_in_toronto_final_23_may_printer_tl.
pdf)
Page 4:
NIA map – City of Toronto, Social Policy Analysis & Research (http://www1.toronto.ca/City Of Toronto/Social Development,
Finance & Administration/Shared Content/Strong Neighbourhoods/PDFs/TSNS 2020 NIAs_v2.pdf)
Immigrant map – Torontoist (http://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Map3-640x494.png)
Page 5:
photo credit – Vivien Yip
Page 7:
photo credit – Monika Nasterska, map source – Google 2015
Page 8:
photo credit – Monika Nasterska
Page 10:
photo credit – Right Bike Ottawa (https://rightbike.org/learning/)
photo credit – Cycling Week (http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/bike-hawk-hidden-gps-tracker-bike-video154701)
Page 12:
photo credit – Vivien Yip
Page 15:
photo credit – Monika Nasterska, Right Bike Ottawa
Page 16:
photo credit – Monika Nasterska, Right Bike Ottawa
Page 17:
photo credit – Monika Nasterska
Page 18:
photo credit – Monika Nasterska
Page 19:
photo credit – http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000KHqKg1YdjwI/s/750/750/RM-Bikes-Cycling-Family-Path-Vitrollesen-Luberon-PPL418.jpg
Cities of Tomorrow. A Student Ideas Competition
21
Appendix A – Potential Eligible Schools in the GTA
School
CW Jeffries Collegiate Institute
North Albion Collegiate Institute
Thistletown Collegiate Institute
St Basil-the-Great College School
Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute
Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute
Emily Carr Secondary School
Alexander Mackenzie High School
Northview Heights Secondary School
Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute
Maplewood High School
Nelson A Boylen Collegiate Institute
Judith Nyman Secondary School
CogniCycle by 80949
Appendix B – Estimated Capital and Operation Costs
CogniCycle
$ indicates price range of factor (low $ to high $$$)
Cost Factor
Administration
Bicycles
Stations
(bike shelters/storage at schools)
Maintenance
(Facilities, Parts, Tools, Staff)
Software/Management System
(System administration, keycards,
readers etc.)
Capital Cost
$
$$
$
Operating Cost
$
$$
$
$$$
Capital Cost
$
$$
$$$
$$
Operating Cost
$ - $$
Traditional Bike-share12
Cost Factor
Administration
Bicycles
Stations
Bicycle maintenance
(Facilities, Parts, Tools, Staff)
Software/Management System
(System administration, keycards,
readers etc.)
Station Maintenance
Marketing
Bicycle Redistribution
(vehicles and staff)
$ - $$$
$$$
$$$
$$
$$
$
$$$
23
$
u r b a n
d y n a m i c s
josephine macharia
monika nasterska
vivien yip
CogniCycle by 80949