Riding a bicycle is a fun, healthy, and inexpensive way to get to and around Los Angeles. In partnership with Los Angeles County, Metro (one of the largest transportation services in the country) offers a unique biking program for efficient affordable biking trips across the city. On an average week day, Meto transports over 1.5 million passengers through accessible services such as biking, trains, and buses. The Metro Bike Share Program in particular, offers citizens access to a variety of bikes 24/7 on a daily basis. Popular locations include Downtown LA, Hollywood,and Santa Monica. The program allows riders to conveniently commute around the city at affordable prices. It is also one of Metro’s most environmentally friendly public transportation options for Angelenos and visitors to get around.
Biking has become a popular commuting method in large metropolitan areas in the United States. Metro’s bike share program plays a critical role in metropolitan transportation. City officials and corporations are increasingly adopting By offering sustainable transportation, citizens are able to navigate around the city safely at affordable rates. On the state level, California has one of the bicycling rates and Los Angeles alone tops as one of the cities with the highest bicycle commuters. The bike share program is a reflection of the landscape transformation of public transportation and evolution of technology. Metro corporation has reshaped the urban planning infrastructure of Los Angeles and no doubt fostered a bike sharing culture.
Active transportation policies such as the Bike Share Program are becoming more popular as a way to improve physical activity and implement environmentally friendly transportation, but little is known about public views on the program. The first Bike Share program originated in Netherlands Europe in 1965, which ignited the bike share movement Bike Share systems are popular in Europe whereas in the United States, implementations of the service are low in numbers. However, the number of public bike sharing programs has significantly risen across the United States since their beginning in 2010. A survey on users and non users of the program revealed that low-income and minority communities faced major impediments to bike sharing. Evidently, the study revealed low income areas in Los Angeles had low usage rates as compared to white populations. Our research aims to inform and identify the best practices and operation tactics that LA Metro might use to build a bike share program that is equitable and convenient for users.The goal of our map room is to spread public awareness of the Metro Bike Share program, support bicycling infrastructure investments in Los Angeles County, and highlight user statistics of the program based on the bike trip data.
The Bike Share Program is a non motorized transportation service with a network of shared bicycles. Metro utilizes smart bike technology that allows users to start and return bikes at any Metro bike service station at any time. Bikes are available 24 hours a day for short and long distance trips. Users can access our interactive map to view station locations, bike availability, and vacancies for returns (also available on the Metro Bike website/app). The system also charges users by hour increments and by passholder type.
There are over more than 50+ Metro Bike stations and hundreds of bikes available across Downtown, UCLA, Hollywood, Culver City etc. Station locations are based on transit hotspots, space availability, and sunniness due to stations being solar powered.
To Use: Users must use the Metro Bike Share pass or purchase a single walk-up ride at the station kiosk for non-pass holders. If using a pass, riders simply need to scan their card to lock and unlock the bike at the station dock. If purchasing a walk-up ride, riders must use their credit card at the kiosk and answer security questions before usage.
Photo Credit: Metro Bike Share
| 1 Ride | 24-Hour Access | 30-Day Pass | 365-Day Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1.75/30 Minutes | $5 to Start | $17/month | $150/year |
| All rides are $1.75 every 30 minutes | All rides 30 minutes or less are free. $1.75 per 30 minutes thereafter. |
All rides 30 minutes or less are free. $1.75 per 30 minutes thereafter. |
All rides 30 minutes or less are free. $1.75 per 30 minutes thereafter. |
| Go Electric (Electric Metro Bikes) |
|---|
| Additonal $1 ($2.75/30 Minutes) |
| Additonal $1 unlocking fee is waived for 30-Day and 365-Day passholders. |
For our analysis, we used Metro Bike share trip data of Los Angeles that is available on the Metro official website. We aim to critically map bike sharing services to users real time and distinguish the program’s usage. We take into consideration the availability of bikes based on the area, trip duration, and demographics. In addition the Bike Share data helps critique the spatial and technological access of bikes across the city.
Our data was organized and thoroughly cleaned through Breve, a data cleaning software. Since our data consists of numeric information, we wanted to construct a clean data set for the purpose of our visualizations. This process included editing missing numeric data and outliers. With a clean data set, each bike trip is organized by real-time locations, bike routes, and durations.
Through the humanistic perspective, we aim to identify and critique the program’s performance. Our map room highlights relevant bike trip data and transit services enables users to understand the city's transportation infrastructure. No doubt, the usage and popularity of bike sharing has drastically shifted over time due to technology and improved urban planning by LA County officials. Over time, we have witnessed the emergence of safe bike lanes around the city, especially in downtown Los Angeles. Our work pinpoints the expansion of safe commuting options based on the network of bike sharing services and how biking is not only just a form of transportation, it is a step forward toward sustainable options. As a society, it is important to recognize the power of biking in terms of our health and the environment. Major transit corporations such as Metro have the power to enhance our commuting experiences and educate us on cycling safety. Our unique analysis of bike trip data captivates the shifting development of public mobility.
| 1. | How efficient was the program contribute to the benefit of the community? |
|---|---|
| 2. | What are the ways Metro can do to increase trip duration, pass sales, and improve the program in general? |
| 3. | How popular is the Metro bike sharing program and which areas? |
| 4. | How can Metro improve the ride sharing services in neighborhoods with the least bike friendly roads? |
Our findings provide insights into the performance levels of the Metro Bike Share Program and the biking culture of Los Angeles. Our map pinpoints popular biking usage on the West Side Locations, specifically Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and Downtown Los Angeles. There are hundreds of stations scattered throughout beach areas and the heart of the city. Evidently, these areas have a high concentration of bike trips throughout the four quarters as shown on our map bubbles. Interestingly, there is no usage of the bike share program in certain areas of the city such as Watts, Crenshaw, and South LA because there are virtually no stations although there are bike lanes. Our unique map showcases live availability of these bikes which majority of the time are always available in the highly concentrated areas of downtown and west LA. This pattern remains consistent throughout each quarter, especially Venice Beach, the Metro Bike Share hotspot.
It is evident that the program has become an evolutionary commutable service in our community. Users are indeed using the passes for the services and conducting one-way trips throughout the city. Thousands of passengers are able to successfully access the bikes and conveniently return at any station. We must also take into consideration how bike lanes also play a critical role in the program’s performance levels and efficiency. These lanes enable all bicyclists to ride at their speed without facing dangerous traffic conditions. However, the bike program is not available in all areas regardless of bike lanes. Evidently, areas with little to no bike lanes have no access to the service compared to popular beach towns with flexible bike lanes. To give proper service, the program must look into equitable inventory in neglected areas,pass holder affordability, customer satisfaction, and servicing of the bike.
1.Bicycle Infrastructure and Equity
To encourage more cycling in all areas, bicycle infrastructure such as bike lanes and safer roads should be implemented. Metro’s plan for future expansions of the program should prioritize helping build safer lanes to increase bike activity, especially in low income areas. Users may not feel safe using the service where bike lanes are not available.
2.General Safety
In order to ensure safe rides, Metro should provide educational tips and guidance on road safety to prevent accidents. There is little to no instructions on the site on how to safely navigate the city with standard/electric bikes.
3.Outreach
Currently, the program is mainly used by walk-ups and monthly passholders. In order to attract more users, Metro should focus on promoting the service to more communities such as university students. UCLA and USC have a moderate amount of available bikes, however the company can increase usage if the program is promoted at a greater extent that can improve the transportation experience for all.
4.Pricing
To increase ridership, LA Metro should reevaluate prices. Evidently, annual passholder prices are the most expensive and least popular. Walk-ups are the most popular given the affordability; but trip durations are very short.
5.Payment Method
Credit/debit cards are currently the only form of payment for the program. Flexible payment options such as Apple Pay and TAP (Transit Assistance Program) Card balances may attract more users in the future.