How to Turbo-Charge Your Public Transit

Why build bike lanes - shouldn’t we focus on public transit instead? There’s a criticism we’ve seen that bicycle urbanism is a niche obsession and that urbanists’ attention should instead be on public transit as a more robust, reliable, and realistic alternative to driving.
Keep Urbanity rolling:
Join our Patreon for early releases: / ohtheurbanity
Subscribe: / @ohtheurbanity
Join us on Twitter: / ohurbanity

[@stephensmith1509]

Everyone else on the internet is going for outrage and Oh the Urbanity is just like "what if we offered a concise, clear, explanation of a good idea and backed it up with a bunch of research? With a little dry wit as a treat?" Love you guys.

[@barryrobbins7694]

Yes, people are just trying to get to a destination. The more options or combination of options the better. We know which forms are the most sustainable and affordable. There are many factors that determine which one(s) we use. 1. Walk = short distance 2. Bicycle = moderate/longer distance 3. Buss/Tram/Subway = longer distance 4. High Speed Train = up to 600mls (1000km) 5. Airplane = over 600mls (1000km) (consider a train) 6. Car = only when needed and preferably electric (consider renting) Boats/ferries may also be an option (or necessary)

[@neckenwiler]

Completely agree. This is my favorite urbanist channel, by a good measure. (CityNerd is also good, but a bit more wonky, which is less my style.)

[@MarioFanGamer659]

@@barryrobbins7694 Though since 3h is the generally estimated threashhold to take HSR, 1000km is quite far and it's much more typical to have a max threashhold of 500 to 800 km (depending on the existing services and infrastructure). That being said, sleeping trains can fill in the nieche of longer routes (especially of more conventional rail).

[@barryrobbins7694]

@@MarioFanGamer659 Yes, it is a matter of individual time sensitivity. A lot of different factors are involved. I would encourage the very upper limit.

[@j.s.7335]

@@barryrobbins7694 Train is more environmental than car, but I would say consider a car instead of a plane if multiple people are traveling, for environmental and cost reasons.

[@gamarad]

You need about 4 times as much road space for cars to drive to a station and about 10 times as much parking compared to bikes which goes to show why bikes- and-trains urbanism scales better than cars-and-trains urbanism.

[@jasonriddell]

will SAY car style park and ride is ONLY good out at the END of line station to "capture" the NON local commuters in the country / next town over ETC any "urban area" should NOT be park and ride focused

[@alex2143]

If you use efficient ways of parking bikes (double stacked bike parking), I'm willing to bet that you can fit way more than 10x as many bikes in the same areas as cars. Especially if you use a parking garage with multiple levels, which coincidentally can be built a lot cheaper since it only has to hold the weight of bikes and not cars.

[@allanjmcpherson]

Not to mention the fact that you can't take your car on transit. So you only get the range extension from cars on one end, whereas bikes can give you range extension on both ends.

[@mindstalk]

@@alex2143 True. Bike parking varies. Cambridge and Somerville MA had bike racks they would put in some curbside car parking spaces in the summer. Cambridge figured 14 bikes could be parked in one, though they end up being very cosy bikes and conflicting if they have baskets. 7 bikes would be pretty easy -- 7 things to chain a bike to, maybe a couple more to the outer frame. OTOH secure bike cages take more space; I don't know how much, though I would guess still at least 4 bikes per parking space.

[@alex2143]

@@allanjmcpherson definitely. Also, it's pretty easy to create a bike share or bike rental program so you have access to bikes at every station. Try doing that for cars. Sounds cost effective to have a train station with several thousand cars just waiting for a train commuter to hop in. That's even before taking into account that a lot of people can't drive.

[@littlekirby6]

The maps with walking and biking distance radius was a great touch, love when you put in effort like that

[@Zraknul]

Yeah the visual for commuter level station coverage is interesting.

[@user-pm8nj3mb6q]

In a way, it does. But it also stresses how poorly designed a lot of cities are, with strings of pearls as zones is wide cloth of unreachable.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Even Pyongyang has bike infrastructure to complement the Pyongyang Metro, trolleybuses, and trams. Bikes were banned in Pyongyang for decades until the ban was lifted in 1992. In 2017, a bike share program was introduced called Ryomyong/려명 or Dawn. The system is overseen by the Pyongyang Bicycle Rental Office, with bicycles manufactured domestically by a DPRK/Chinese joint venture, Phyongjin Bicycle Cooperative Company, located in Sosong district. Reservations may be made for 50 won per minute with a stored-value card at one of five locations on Kwangbok Street in the city's scenic Mangyongdae district. If a city like Pyongyang can have a bikeshare program, a trolleybus system with over 35 miles in length, a tram system with 33 miles in length, AND two subway lines, then other cities have zero excuses not to take these steps for the greater good.

[@steemlenn8797]

BUT THAT IS COMMUNISM!!!!!! 👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿 Sometimes I think if the car had been invented by a communist, the USA would have the best public transport system in the world.

[@adorabell4253]

I did not expect to see you here.

[@steemlenn8797]

@@adorabell4253 The Great Leader is everywhere, especially in our hearts!

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

@@steemlenn8797 Watch Yeonmi Park. Many people live in terrible conditions in NK. Why do you watch Oh the Urbanity complaining about the government if you're ok with bad government in NK?

[@DevanK-rg3td]

Fact check: True!

[@beepbot]

good job for putting captions, it is crazy that some channels with millions of subscribers don't have captions.

[@nuntius1]

It makes the video understandable by most ppl on the planet hence more people will watch it, so it's a win-win for everyone even small channels.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Hear hear! (I guess that’s kind of ironic to say, actually)

[@MrPatpaty]

I feel like some of the multipliers say less about the efficiency of biking and more about the failed land use around stations. Regardless, we need more bikes+transit. Great video!

[@simonkemfors]

Isn't that only if you do transit oriented development in the Canadian way of condo towers around the stations surrounded by normal North American suburbia though? If the city was planned for bike+transit, and the higher density development (maybe not condo towers, but at least "medium" or "upper medium" density) extended as far as it was practical to bike, there would be significantly more people living the "practical to bike" area than the "practical to walk" area, just because of how much larger it is

[@boosterh1113]

Not really. Shoebox apartments are not appropriate for everyone, and if every family with 2+ children or self employed worker who needs a workshop in their home is forced into using cars because there is little to no low-medium density housing within reach of transit station, then you are back to a having a large (and generally well off) segment of the population being car dependant, and demanding that politicians and business owners make the services they need car-accessible. If transit-centric urbanism is going to succeed it needs to be able to accommodate those people. Second, remember, every starting point is also a destination. That shopping centre near Panama Station in the video is probably a significant pull factor for a number of people who travel to Panama Station. Get rid of it, and you may well have less usage of the station (and definitely less balanced usage of the station).

[@MrPatpaty]

@@simonkemfors agreed, but I’m our current cities, high density on top of the station and tapering off density to the edge of the zone would give the best mix of density without overhauling all neighbourhoods. Maybe within a few decades we can get more infill!

[@MrPatpaty]

@@boosterh1113 IMO we must build diverse housing types. 3 bed condos and townhomes for families, small bachelor units for starting properties, and of course mixing in significant commercial vendors. That way you house more ppl without losing the draw factor.

[@chefnyc]

Actually if land use wasn’t messed the multiplier would be 11.11 if we use the 750m/2.5km radius as the walkable/bikable ratio from the video

[@zartex6458]

I believe that e-scooters are great (despite how much they get demonized). They are just as fast as cycling yet u don’t have to do anything manual with them due to the motors, and because of msot being easily foldable, they can be accomodated on a lot of transit modes. They offer great last mile transit and are pretty great tools for urbanism imo

[@davethibault6734]

I had considered taking my bike onto the REM. But the problem is that Bonaventure, the only current station on the Island of Montreal is only accessible through Place Bonaventure, and there's a big "No bikes" sign right at the entrance to the complex. The website suggested parking your bike outside on one of two bike racks. But this is the middle of downtown. I would NOT be ok leaving my bike there.

[@m.e.3862]

I saw a couple of guys coming into Montreal with bikes getting off the REM in central station. I didn't see where they exited tho.

[@QemeH]

I'm not a canadian, but does this help? rem.info/sites/default/files/Stations_du_reseau/Gare_Centrale/Gare_Centrale-Cartes_acces/EN/Fiche_Carte_Gare_Centrale_WEB_EN.pdf

[@alexseguin5245]

In Québec, you can always bend the rules as long as you say "J'ai l'doua" while doing it. Pretty sure you can enter by the entrance on De la Gauchetière street.

[@noseboop4354]

Get a foldable bike that you can carry like luggage.

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

Maybe you could lobby for a lockable inside bike storage

[@DuncanAdkins]

A great thing that cities with bike share systems, like Bixi, can do is to integrate the bikeshare fares with the transit fare system - for example, in Philadelphia the IndeGo system has really good coverage and exists at basically every major SEPTA station, but it isn't included in the system at all. It would be amazing if it was included in the day passes that are offered on SEPTA, but instead it's $15 a day, or $20 for a monthly pass!

[@AMPProf]

I'd rather Have a low jack sevice.. But I love my bike soo you know

[@jasonriddell]

I think a "one card" system for ALL mobility solutions would be great it be Metro OR a bike share

[@alankingchiu]

Good point! Should be able to tap the transit card to unlock a bike. But bike sharing docks are often full at destinations, and empty at starting locations.

[@Ubeogesh]

In Warsaw first 20 minutes of bike sharing is free. And up to 1 hour from there it costs 1zł which is about 1/4 usd.

[@GreySlick]

In Montréal, if you link your Opus card to your Bixi account, then you can use an electronic bus ticket to unlock a Bixi for a ride. Also, I am pretty sure that when buying the yearly Bixi membership at the start of the season, that I've seen discounts for having train or bus/metro passes.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Encouraging more people to cycle on top of riding transit is the way to go! By prioritizing bicycles, transit, and pedestrian infrastructure, cities can create more livable and vibrant communities! Investing in bike infrastructure further promotes sustainability by reducing carbon emissions with one less car on the road and not to mention improve your health! It further promotes more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure as well. On top of the convenience of bikes that you mentioned, investing in bikes also makes sense for the littler streets where running a bus or train doesn't make sense. The more options there are, the better! One should be able to take a bike from their home and park it at the station with ease to take the train the rest of the way whether it's for work, errands, or an event. When it comes to bike sharing, NYC has the Citi Bike bikeshare system to promote bike infrastructure, and it's not just in NYC but across the Hudson River in Hoboken and Jersey City as well, thus expanding the reach of the program and providing an alternative for more people. Even Suffolk County on Long Island has a bikeshare program! Suffolk County is still very much suburbia, but it's a step in the right direction nonetheless.

[@PeterSdrolias]

What to do with my bike at the train station would be a serious issue for me. Too expensive to leave there all day. Secure bike parking is the key, but for this to happen there needs to be a high demand.

[@dwc1964]

One of the numerous things I love about the new BART cars vs the old (mid-20th century!) ones is, they've got dedicated space for bicycles in every car. I don't use 'em myself, I'm just glad they're there for those who do, so we can be out of each other's way.

[@faliyo3053]

Place Panama is already in the works as a transit oriented development area by Prével and TGTA! In those parking lots we see in some clips. Also, with the current under study future transitway (REM or Tram) on Taschereau boulevard, we will see more TOD close to Panama. Thanks for the lovely video.

[@m.e.3862]

There’s luxury condos on the corner of taschereau and Rome going up and I expect more will be developed especially in the dead strip malls between Rome and Matte. The only thing is the price. I’d love to buy a condo in a TOD like Du Quartier but it’s $$$$! Great for those who can afford it I guess 😊

[@tomreingold4024]

In NYC, the most popular reason people commute by bike is that travel time is extremely predictable. Weather and traffic barely affect travel time.

[@skitlus335]

Bikes take me so many places that public transport just couldn't reasonably do without a lot of transfers because the direct route would never make sense.

[@Chomp-Rock]

In the UK, parking your bike in a train station is a good way to get parts of it, or all of it, stolen.

[@convextlc9767]

Such a great little vid showing how biking and transit go hand in hand. If we can get cities to do this it would be great to help densify and create more homes near these areas for people to live, and businesses to start and thrive as well. I wish cities would start making true attempts to do just that such as in my hell home of Ottawa 😭

[@jacqueswang3722]

Ottawa is where dreams go to die

[@guzferreira]

Love the drone footage

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Thank you!

[@coryascott]

Skateboards and rollerblades are such underrated forms of micromobility At least as transportation and not just for fun Skateboards are my favorite to mix with transit

[@BenvanBroekhuijsen]

In the Netherlands the trainstations usually have a lot of bike parking spots, the bigger ones even guarded ones. A lot of people have two bikes, one to commute from home to the station, and one from the station to destination. Often you can have a year pass for storing your bike in a safe guarded place, and it is a much better solution than everyone taking a bike in the train.

[@brn12113]

A small nuance to those suburban bike lanes with the grass divider: they don't interfere with established snow removal methods on the main road, and can be cheaply plowed themselves with the usual sidewalk plow.

[@gumbyshrimp2606]

4:48 Football field says “Montreal Carbrains”

[@cellavb447]

Hey! That's my local REM station! I'm actually leading a citizen-petition right now to increase the local bus frequencies which run circuits through the surrounding neighbourhood and connect to the REM

[@ishathakor]

also doing little trips like to the cornerstore or to the coffee shop etc on a bike is more convenient and quicker than doing the same trips on foot (when there is proper bike infrastructure in place). like there's a cornerstore about an 8 minute walk from my house and i don't really want to spend that much time walking on some days (hotter days) but if i had a bike and assurance that i wouldn't be hit by a car that would be like a 2 minute bike ride

[@hansolo2121]

Two of the biggest advantages of cycling compared to public transport are: 1) You don't have to wait for your transportation to arrive or take into account any fixed departure times. When cycling is your transportation you can literally go and get moving at any moment you want to. There is no waiting needed! 2) Cycling is literally "door to door". Most of us don't have a bus or metro that stops right in front of our house. Or literally AT our destination. But I can get on my bike at my house without having to wait a second and then I can cycle all the way to my exact destination and then park my bike right in front of it. It is pure efficiency.

[@PokerStaples]

You both never miss. Good vid :)

[@52_Pickup]

This is yet another video where I am strongly urging a Minneapolis-St Paul visit and/or video. A lot of these shots around Montreal just remind me uncannily of our own bike infrastructure in Minnesota, and there's so many different ways we utilize bike infrastructure in conjunction with bus and rail transit. Every vehicle is equipped with bike racks and storage, from the Light Rail to the BRT and local buses. Pretty much every rapid transit station has bike storage of some kind, with an emphasis of using bikes as a suburban and urban last mile transportation option in particular. Bike infrastructure and public transit are not mutually exclusive, they are mutually beneficial to building safer and better cities that don't rely on cars. Yet another excellent video and great tackling of this argument!

[@firiel2366]

As an inhabitant of almost-Twin Cities (Stillwater, MN) I second this! I'm just beginning to explore my state from a transit-bike-pedestrian point of view, and I'd love more new urbanist perspectives!

[@hunterheyman8791]

One thing for me about having a good bike network that was just touched on at the beginning of the video but I think is really important is the resiliency of having multiple options. For example in New York trains can be delayed due to someone jumping in front of the train or a power outage, this would mean a 30 minute walk or an often even longer bus, but with an electric Citi bike it’s barely even an inconvenience as I get to my location at the same time almost.

[@carolineorton3469]

I live in Greenfield Park (part of Longueuil on the other side of the Rem to Brossard) and the bike infrastructure here is terrible sadly, but I still bike to the Rem daily now and will until the snow flies. I just wish Longueuil would put in a few bike routes to the Rem from my neighbourhood!

[@kb_100]

I don't understand how RTL hasn't set up multiple feeder bus routes to the REM yet. Also if you're willing to use studded tires and install pogies on your handlebars. Winter cycling is very doable except for during heavy snowstorms. I tried it last year and it wasn't so bad.

[@m.e.3862]

Because rtl sucks. Their idea of frequency is once an hour on weekends.😛

[@aerob1033]

For riding a bike to a transit station, I like the idea of having a designated "beater bike" to lock up there that is cheap, heavy, and ugly, so it's unlikely to get stolen, and if it is, you aren't out much money.

[@m.e.3862]

I had one and the lock was actually more expensive than the bike 😊

[@TimeLemon]

I was literally just thinking about this on the weekend (had fun at a specific meet and greet event) when walking 35 minutes to and from my hotel to Panama Station from Hôtel Brossard.

[@federicomarintuc]

I live a little more than a mile away from my shop. I have a direct bus route with a headway of 4-5 minutes on business hours. It's still faster to do it by bike, not to mention cheaper and healthier, even without bike lanes. If you build a comprehensive infrastructure and good public transport, bikes are the fastest way to move around 9 out of 10 times, and the tenth time you use transit instead of owning a car

[@j.s.7335]

I like that you aren't so harsh on transit station parking. In some cases, though not generally speaking, car is a valuable way to access stations. Basically, dense development and any other mode are preferable where possible, but station car parking has its place where people live far from stations where buses can't practicably serve, and there isn't demand for density. Also, I love how you pronounce Panama. Grinds my gears when people say Panam-aw.

[@adorabell4253]

An extensive bike share program is the best partner for transit. Many people don’t want to worry about their bike being left for hours outside and bike shares solve this admirably. And many of them have pedal assist e-bikes making that ride even more comfortable.

[@Lily-ni5po]

I am one of those people that cannot bike because of a handicap. My brain doesn't perceive whether I am balanced or not, so I cannot do anything that requires me to stay upright and balance myself on things like bikes or roller blades. I still want more bike infrastructures. It doesn't help me reach any subway stations, but it reduces the number of cars on the road which allows even non bikers like me to walk safely where we need to go. Plus, less cars mean empty roads and faster buses.

[@MrCyclist]

This year I am using our Toronto GO trains and subway to get out and return to the city (70km) to ride 70 km rides, No need to use the car as in previous years. So relaxing when I get home.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Brossard and other Montreal suburbs are showing us how to build bike infrastructure on a stroad... just make the stroad into a road at least on one side and there'll be room enough for a bicycle path on one side.

[@imperatorantonius222]

We've got cities in the Netherlands that aren't great public transport-wise but are still good places to live thanks to the amazing bike network. Even small towns with only bus routes are well connected thanks to bike lanes and people cycle regularly between them.

[@FriendlyFireYT]

I agree with the premise that in a perfectly designed city you wouldn't even need a bike. But in reality, there aren't many places like that on the planet (much less in the US). And bike infrastructure is much cheaper and faster to build than a light rail system with dense coverage. Bikes and especially new PEVs can do a lot to solve our current problems way faster/cheaper.

[@AntonWongVideo]

also, transfers. when you're somewhere with decent frequencies, it's less of an issue. but if you're not, then bikes or micromobility are a great way to avoid waiting for the next bus at a transfer

[@user-pq4by2rq9y]

Just to add a few points.: - A 15 minute ride for ebikes is roughly 8km* (assuming 20~28mph/30~45kph); - Bike parking safety needs to improve if we are going to have these expensive bikes coming around. - Perhaps we should design trains around bikes, it really solves that last mile problem in a better way than buses. My city metro has a car reserved to bikes. obs.: at that point you being to question if you even need a train at all. ps.: here is an insane idea for you, what if we mounted ebike superchargers on a railcars?

[@m.e.3862]

I used to bike to Panama station all the time when I used the 45. My advice is to get a used bare bones bike. I had a old beat up bike that worked well enough to get me to and from the station and didn’t care if it got stolen or not. Leave the nice bike at home.

[@kylerwk]

Bikes also turbo charge car sharing. I often take Bixi’s to pick up slightly distant communauto from the next neighbourhood over, and I don’t have to pick up my own bike at the end of the day.

[@geoff5623]

I've done the same in Vancouver, since Evos are strangely unavailable in my neighbourhood half the time I'm looking for one. 5 minutes walking and 5 minutes on a Mobi instead of a 15 to 20 minute walk to the closest Evo. Or when I've wanted a particular car from Modo, I have a lot more options available within a reasonable biking distance.

[@ThreeRunHomer]

Sarasota Florida has some of those multi-use paths separated from traffic on high speed roads. It’s a useful design for suburbia. 👍🏼

[@Pscribbled]

When I lived in metro montreal with a metro station 1 block away from me on the blue line, I had no need for a bike. I could go anywhere I wanted to on the metro in metro montreal faster and more conveniently than on a bike

[@nicolasblume1046]

1:52 the maps are a great addition! But you could make them more accurate, there are several tools that let you see the actual coverage, taking the street network into account

[@OhTheUrbanity]

What are the tools and do they work in R?

[@Jarecian]

You need all of it. Pedestrian ways, biking facilities, tiered public transit, and (in moderate Quantities), Infrastructure for cars. The more alternatives there are, the better, so that one System doesn't get clogged up, and different people can choose according to their preferences.

[@bengt_axle]

I can tell right now that covered and indoor bike parking will be a huge success. Bixi could be in South Shore urban neighbourhoods near public mailboxes, apartments, condos and schools, or at park entrances where there is space. I can even see a system where you have a guaranteed docking space reserved because the bike is encoded to dock at a given number of stations. For example, a given number of bikes are available in the condos along the water's edge in Ile des soeurs, but only these bikes (identified by electronic bike number) will lock in these docks at the Ile des soeurs REM station. It could cut travel time by not having to wait for the bus, and could probably operate 8 months of the year, right now, with our mild winters. So the point is, you need both bike and public transport infrastructure, because time savings is a huge factor in convenience. If you have people drive to the REM station, you have just created more congestion.

[@erickbeaudry]

Great video, am formerly from Longueuil and studied and worked in Montreal. The opposition between transit and bike lanes often comes from politicians who do not want to subsidize transit, the more people bike, fewer would take transit, less revenue. And as you mentioned in inclement weather cyclists will switch to transit so the system might get crowded. Another reason I prefer to properly fund transit and have no fares so we don’t get these types of issues.

[@tehsiewdai]

fantastic video, as always! 🔥

[@GraemeMacDermid]

Brilliant, thoughtful piece. You guys! 🎉

[@reneolthof6811]

Your basic message is the core idea of Dutch mobility. Transit without bikes is almost as useless as cars without parking possibilities. That’s why almost everywhere in The Netherlands parking facilities for cars near transit stations are reduced or even eliminated in favour of bikes and the like. There simply is no space for parking big number of cars.

[@katherandefy]

Keep on doing these videos. Helps a lot.

[@achim8239]

The aerial photograph at 1:39 absolutely upsets Europeans. Hey guys, you forgot the sidewalks!!! Unthinkable here in Germany unless you find yourself in some backwater in the outskirts of a city or a tiny rural settlement with just a handful of houses.

[@noahkidd3359]

Excellent video guys!

[@lizziesmusicmaking]

My city has no trains :( But bus and walking work well together. A kickscooter is also useful and fun in good weather.

[@nacoran]

I wonder if you could work out a way to have buses pick up public ebikes to keep them distributed throughout the city... (either the ebike could self-attach or the bus could have a grabber, kind of like a garbage truck does with garbage cans, or just having people use them as a drop off.) I know it would take a while to get the technology down, but there actually could be a virtue to the bus carrying a couple extra bikes. Imagine you take the bus somewhere, and as you are getting off you see some lights by the door showing you that the bus has a bike (maybe 1-4) available, so you swipe your card and it unlocks one of the bikes. By having the bus carry around some spare bikes you would be able to have bikes available at more remote stops.

[@georgeg7840]

I am a bipede, from a young age I realised my legs would always be a major part of my transportation, I have been walking and cycling regularly most of my life, I have never considered an e-scooter but they seem practical. Living near monk bridge puts atwater market and carrefour angrignon within 10 to 15 minutes by bicycle 8-9 months a year.

[@alankingchiu]

Montreal is becoming a good urbanism city, while my city of Toronto is lagging behind.

[@korcommander]

Simple, concise, and convincing. What can I say? I know a good video when I see one.

[@inesalag]

in the Netherlands, it's called the train cyclist (bicycle-rain travellers).. Or something like that. Read: Roland Krager, Lucas Harms.

[@saranbhatia8809]

Good content!

[@r.williams8349]

Great data maps very cool

[@RKreflex]

amazing video as always

[@nukeout]

Transit 🤝 Bicycles + great video 📸 subscribed!

[@jiffyb333]

This was so helpful to better understanding the value of bike infrastructure!

[@LoneHowler]

Calgary is doing a pilot project with ride share bikes being placed at trains with a geofenced free zone. They're also a pilot project with bikes being allowed on the trains with only one bike per person at designated train doors, and only if there's room after others have boarded

[@evanchartrand6663]

Last summer in ottawa I biked to the otrain took it to the end of the line and then biked to work. My commute took 35mins. Without my bike it would have taken 60-80mins

[@atn_holdings]

In my opinion skateboards are great for this. Can just take them along anywhere, cuts walking time at least in half

[@karikling6751]

But skateboards aren't good in hilly areas.

[@atn_holdings]

@@karikling6751 ehhh yeah i guess it's not always good but where it works it's pretty nice

[@MrBirdnose]

I'm 45, people would die laughing if they saw me on a skateboard. ;) it's also illegal in many areas where I live.

[@b33thr33kay]

Impressive production quality for such a small channel. The drone shots are beautiful, and the graphics are very carefully made. Great job.

[@tongzhang7642]

I do agree that by combining the 2 (transit and cycling), it "turbe-charges" the effect. However, biking in colder climate (with snow) is not practical. I think that it will turbo-charge just for 3 seasons minus some raining days. A car/bus back-up is needed. Maybe a seasonal shuttle for winter (to replace bike)? Like the seasonal ferry near Boucherville for summer?

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Why isn’t it practical to bike when it’s cold out and the bike path has been cleared of snow?

[@MarioFanGamer659]

You do understand that OTU made multiple videos about winter cycling?

[@tongzhang7642]

@@MarioFanGamer659 No I don't understand

[@tongzhang7642]

​@@OhTheUrbanity Well that is a bif assumption (bike path cleared of snow). A lot of bike bath are closed during November-March and snow just pills up there during winter. Also while is it snowing, if you have to commute, there is no waiting around for snow removal even "if" is quick. Additionally, for suburbs like Brossard, bike path only brings you to the "last" mile, you will have to use the street/roads. In winter, with the slippery conditions (for the cyclist and for the car), the risk is significantly higher compared to summer/spring/fall. Also, since it is dark at 4PM, it is not great visibility (to see and to be seen). With that being said, I have biked to go to school during winter, I know people who bikes during winter, but based on the additional risks and inconvenience (cold), I don't think it is a 4 season option that most people would chose.

[@tongzhang7642]

@@OhTheUrbanity I rewatched you top 3 winter biking vieos. I agree that bike infrastructure (separated bike path and orderly cleaned) for winter is necessary. In of your videos, you said that driving in the winter is pretty dangereous (for cars) during bad weather condition. Indeed, without separated bike lanes, the risk is significantly inacceptable. You said that it is dangerous for all not just for the cyclist, therfore the argument doen't stand. However, if you look at the severity of the accident, for cars (with all the airbags) it will be some bruises at low speed, some fractures at high speed. For pedestrian, they are on sidewalks (separated). For bikes, whether it is a slip and fall or being hit by a car, it can be fatal. For suburbs , they do not "yet" have developed bike infrastructure and driver awareness to cyclist. When I see a cyclist on the road in the winter, I hope he doesn't slip and got hit. Sadly, suburbs are often underfunded, do not have even side walks, let alone separated bike lanes.

[@paullarsen8407]

One feature that we have on BART are bike lockers. We can rent thse for pennies per hour.

[@ripHalo0002]

Thanks, I was just taking to my co-workers about why I use bike and Bart!

[@rogertull8888]

IN PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA MOST STATIONS HAVE BIKE CAGES ACCESSED BY YOUR TRANSIT CARD, YOU TAP TO OPEN THE DOOR, STORE YOUR BIKE, THEN TAP ONTO THE TRAIN OR BUSES. WHEN YOU RETURN YOU TAP YOUR CARD TO OPEN THE BIKE CAGE TO RETRIEVE YOUR BIKE

[@MrBirdnose]

That's pretty cool. There are places I've lived in the US that have bike lockers but you usually have to rent them on a monthly basis.

[@bananadane]

Ooooh I know that Bart station! About to go over to the Berkeley flea market in that Bart's parking lot

[@benbailey7772]

Thanks!

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Thank you!!

[@jonatanwestholm]

If you're European, welcome to another episode of "you've been doing this thing your whole life, and apparently it has a name"

[@AnotherDuck]

Well, here in Stockholm, we don't have that great integration between bikes and other transport (although with intercity rail it's different). But I think that's largely due to how the bus network covers pretty much the entire city, which means you can always take the bus if the metro isn't enough, so you don't really need bikes as much. On the other hand, the city isn't that large (counting the city of Stockholm, rather than the county), so if you want to use a bike, you can most of the time head directly to your destination, which increases the acceptable range by quite a lot since there are no transfers.

[@Eggmancan]

I live in Seoul, which has some of the best public transit in the world, but which has virtually no bike infrastructure. There are a lot of trips in that 1-2 mile range that I would make a lot more often if biking were safe and convenient. Biking and public transit are absolutely complementary modes of transportation, and both should be available.

[@Kirbychu1]

7:50 That sign just makes me sad. It has the unfortunate implication that these guys don't even see people that live in apartments as real members of the community.

[@Deepz0ne01]

Some people just dont like the look of giant steel and glass blocks (8:03) .

[@MarioFanGamer659]

Another thing to note is that street redesigns are a good excuse to improve cycling and PT infrastructure (be it adding bus lanes, placing tram tracks, building elevated guideways or burying tracks underground) at the same time. This is the least situation where an either-or view should be held.

[@erins9271]

If I were within 1.5km of the train stations where I am I would take the local bike share. I'm more than 5km away so want to take my own road bike. However, bikes are prohibited on trains during rush hour heading to Union Station, even if you exit before Union. So that leaves the City bus, non of which actually go to the station so you are still left walking 10min or connecting to another infrequent city bus. And thus, the station sits mostly empty and unused. 😢

[@Alina_Schmidt]

If I prefer a bike or transit for cargo depends on occasion, amount and luggage. Groceries fit very well in a bike basket and I can park close to the entrance. If I travel (for holiday or something) I use transit: The luggage doesn‘t fit in a bike basket, but quite well in a rollable suitcase. And that fits a bus or streetcar when I can roll it behind me.

[@NAUM1]

My hierarchy for transportation is as follows: 1. Walking 2. Train Transit 3. Bus 4. Cycling 5. Cars We should work on more of the top 4.

[@Hello-bg8hv]

6:58 fam that map should be way bigger, Cal Train helps a tone with commuters on the WBay

[@pjrt_tv]

I'm curious how biking would affect transit in NYC. I know NYC is an outlier among outliers in NA when it comes to transit, but we do have an issue here in that many sections of the city are called "transit deserts" because they don't have subway access (they have buses, but we don't count those since they aren't prioritized).

[@davuto0043]

For me personally i drive to the REM station by car and i leave it in there free parking, and i find it fine. Though i would like the Rem to go deeper in the south shore.

[@VersatileFunDesigns]

You should change voices more often, like every 20 seconds or so! 😂 Nice to see you at the Canadian Civil Alive last night! ✨

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Yeah, thanks for coming, it was nice to meet!

[@benibf]

Great video and great arguments as always! I do, however, have a particular theory about those folks who claim "bike lanes are a waste of money, let's build transit instead". On the surface, this might not seem entirely unreasonable. Except that the vast majority of cycling advocates also advocate for more transit, and the vast majority of transit advocates also advocate for more cycling. Instead, I believe that folks who make this particular argument are drivers who don't necessarily object to transit - or at least grade separated systems such as the REM - since it doesn't get in the way of their cars. On the other hand, for bicycle infrastructure to be installed, space needs to be taken away from drivers. I have a feeling that those are the folks who would say "let's not build this BRT here, we need a metro line instead!", not necessarily because they think a BRT is inferior, but rather because it takes away space from their car.

[@polendri4812]

As controversial as micromobility vehicles are right now (in terms of where they're allowed to go, how fast, etc), I think they have huge potential for this. Bikes are optimized for longer trips, being efficient to pedal but cumbersome to take on a bus/train and limiting to leave behind (not to mention rampant unsolved bike theft in Canada/USA). A scooter on the other hand isn't as good as a bike for long trips, but for popping over to the bus/train it's way more convenient for many people. I hope the laws are sorted out to allow slow vehicles on sidewalks, fast ones in bike lanes, and perhaps both if the vehicle has a "sidewalk mode" button to opt in to a lower limit.

[@BrasilPopular]

Even before that, we should actually focus in the shape of cities. Circular cities are more efficient for urban transportation. Building new cities from scratch is the most efficient path forward.

[@anddickson]

I love your channel, and I while I agree most of the points you raise I think sometimes there’s far too much emphasis on bike infrastructure than others such as subway, buses etc I live Amsterdam, I have two bikes and car but most of my daily commute is a combination of walking (mostly walking), bus, ferry, tram and occasionally train. I think a good public is the one that offers choice and variety of transport options not just bikes. Heck it shouldn’t be acceptable to have to bike 10 min the closest metro station or wait 30 to an hour for a bus as illustrated your video.

[@electricerger]

Did you guys get to meet Reece and Jason when they came to see the REM?

[@craigsauve]

#TeamMultimodal - Great piece friends!

[@krob9145]

I'm all for the bike and train solution. I prefer to take my bike with me which is why mine folds. It allows me to travel from London to Paris from my front door to Paris without needing to drive or be driven. I get to take a nap on the train or read a book if I wish as well.

[@davidbalcon8726]

I’ve E noticed secure bike lockers at some GO stations.

[@travisfinucane]

1:12 Does that station reach graphic also include destinations' distances from the station? Or does "number of people" refer to housing only? Also, I know suburban commuter rail gets a lot of hate, but lots of people drive their bike or e-scooter to park-n-ride lots, put their scooter on the train, then scoot to their destination.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

The combination of cycling infrastructure & trains is fantastic. It's how I try to get around where I live in the suburbs of D.C. I'm very lucky where I live, because cycling to the nearest Metro station to me (about 3 miles) isn't an awful experience. But generally, this area doesn't do a great job of creating connectivity for cyclists & pedestrians when it comes to Metro. It just builds a sea of parking around most above-ground stops.

[@shaanalam3872]

DC and the DC metro is pretty good compared to other American cities like Houston, but the massive parking lots next to stations and the lack of pedestrian and bike accessibility needs to be improved.

[@yuriydee]

This is exactly what I do! Biking to train station for me is about 8 mins and its FREE to park. Walking is arond 25 mins though. Driving to next station over with a garage is also about 10 mins BUT it $10 a day. Before covid when I commuted to NYC i would always bike (for about 10 months of the year). Only worry about biking is leaving it locked up and worrying about someone stealing it....

[@dudestir127]

I wondered something with "catchment area" for a transit station. Is there any data to show if the radius is actually larger or smaller based on what's in the area? I know I'm definitely more willing to walk or bike longer to a transit stop through a nice Main Street than I would be across a freeway or stroad. But that's just my feelings, I wonder if there's any actual data.

[@123benny4]

I just road my bike over the Champlain Bridge. Saw and heard the REM go by at least 10 times, so, good they are frequent, BUT, the trains make a lot of noise. I thought they'd be quieter. ;-) Not smooth at all.