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Mobility Monitoring – Bicycle/Pedestrian – Bicycle Parking at MBTA Stations
OVERVIEW • REGIONAL TRENDS • ROADWAYS • INTERSECTIONS • TRANSIT
BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN • HOV LANES • TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT • PARK-AND-RIDE
Overview • Crosswalks at MBTA Stations • Bicycle Parking at MBTA Stations
Providing bicycle racks is one significant way to encourage riders to access transit stations by bicycle. Adequate bicycle parking facilities may contribute to increased transit ridership, especially since conventional bicycles are not allowed on MBTA trains during peak travel periods (bicycles are allowed on all commuter boat trips, and some buses are equipped with bicycle racks).

Staff inventoried MBTA and city/town bicycle racks at 123 rapid transit stations, 124 commuter rail stations, 4 commuter boat terminals, and 3 major bus stops in the fall of 2005 and summer/fall of 2006.
General Findings
Overall, the number of bicycle parking spaces at MBTA facilities has increased by 79% since the preceding 1999-2000/2002 inventory. Twenty-five MBTA stations that did not have bicycle parking during the preceding inventory now have bicycle racks.

Bicycles were parked in locations other than at bicycle racks at 31 rapid transit stations, 29 commuter rail stations, and one major bus stop. Most of those stations have bicycle racks with utilization of 50 percent or less. Bicycles parked in areas other than at bicycle racks can be an indication that bicycle racks are not fully serving their intended purpose—to provide a safe and convenient place to park a bicycle. Recommendations for improving bicycle parking conditions at these stations were made and are documented in a memorandum, which can be downloaded at right. Data tables on the supply and utilization of bicycle parking at MBTA stations, as well as the availability of bicycle amenities, are also available for download.
Rapid Transit
The total number of bicycle parking spaces on the rapid transit lines increased by 56 percent between the 1999–2000/2002 and 2005–2006 inventories, during which time there was an 11 percent increase in the number of bicycles parked at rapid transit stations. This led to a decrease in the bicycle parking space utilization rate, from 48 percent in the 1999-2000/2002 inventory to 34 percent in the 2005–2006 inventory. Seventeen percent of rapid transit stations do not have bicycle racks.
Commuter Rail
The total number of bicycle parking spaces in the commuter rail system increased by 130 percent between the 1999–2000/2002 and 2005–2006 inventories. The bicycle parking space utilization rate was 17 percent in the 2005–2006 inventory (bicycle rack utilization was not recorded in the 1999–2000/2002 inventory, so the change in utilization between the two inventory periods could not be calculated). Twenty-two percent of commuter rail stations do not have bicycle racks.
Bus
The utilization of bicycle racks at major bus stops increased from 0 percent during the 1999–2000/2002 inventory to 43 percent in the 2005–2006 inventory.
Commuter Boat
Commuter boat terminals were not monitored during the 1999–2000/2002 inventory, but had a bicycle rack utilization rate of 20 percent in the 2005–2006 inventory (Hingham was the only location with bicycle racks and bikes parked, however).