Shifting Gears: Framing Bike-sharing Trends in Sun Belt Cities

Date
2015
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Kinder Institute for Urban Research
Abstract

While bike-sharing is typically framed as a means of transportation for weekday commuters, a new analysis of the programs in Austin, Denver, Fort Worth, and Houston indicates that users frequently turn to bike-sharing for recreational purposes in these cities. This finding is critical to our understanding of bike-share programs, which are poised to proliferate and expand in the Sun Belt and elsewhere in the coming years. As planners, policymakers, and program operators throughout the country develop bike-share systems, they can benefit from a richer understanding of how people use bike-share programs in lower-density, automobile-oriented urban environments. However, despite the rise of bike-sharing systems, comparative studies of bike-sharing activity are lacking, particularly for cities in the southern and western United States. To shed light on the role that bike-share systems inhabit in these areas, this study examines bike-sharing trips in Austin, Denver, Fort Worth, and Houston, comparing and visualizing the type and volume of trips in the four cities.

Description
As planners, policymakers and program operators throughout the country develop bike-share systems, they can benefit from a richer understanding of how people use bike-share programs in lower-density, automobile-oriented urban environments. However, despite the rise of bike-sharing systems, comparative studies of bike-sharing activity are lacking, particularly for cities in the southern and western United States. To shed light on the role that bike-share systems inhabit in these areas, this study examines bike-sharing trips in Austin, Denver, Fort Worth and Houston, comparing and visualizing the type and volume of trips in the four cities.
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Walker, Kelsey and Shelton, Kyle. "Shifting Gears: Framing Bike-sharing Trends in Sun Belt Cities." (2015) Rice University and Kinder Institute for Urban Research: https://doi.org/10.25611/rpfb-et6r.

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