Can We Get There from Here? First and Last Miles AICP CM 1.5 Pasadena, Charlotte and Boulder have all gotten creative to connect their first and last miles. Learn how as we explore what's often the last piece of the transportation puzzle. See how bicycle and pedestrian improvements can provide access to busy corridors and enable everyone to start and complete their trips. First and last miles can take many forms: Investigate a range of solutions here. Moderator: Dylan Jones, Architect, Gensler, Los Angeles, California Carlos Hernandez, AICP, Principal, Fox Tuttle Transportation Group, Boulder, Colorado Dan Gallagher, AICP, Transportation Planning Manager, Charlotte Department of Transportation, Charlotte, North Carolina Whitney Pitkanen, Senior Project Manager, CALSTART, Pasadena, California Genevieve Hutchison, Senior Transportation Planner/Bicycle Program Coordinator, Denver, Colorado

1. Regional Transportation District Denver:
First and Final Mile
Challenges and Opportunities
Genevieve Hutchison –RTD Senior Transportation
Planner/Bicycle Program Coordinator
RailVolution – September 22, 2014
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2. Denver Regional Transportation District
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• Regional taxing district
operating transit in eight
counties/40 municipalities
• 2,340 sq. mile service area
• 102 million annual boardings
• Funded by 1% sales tax
• 15-member elected Board
• 132 fixed route bus services;
48 miles of light rail

3. FasTracks Program
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• In 2004, Denver region
voters passed a 0.4% tax
increase to fund regional
transit expansion
– 93 miles of commuter rail
– 28 miles light rail
– 18 miles of bus rapid
transit
– Denver Union Station
– About 50 new stations
with 21,000 new parking
spaces

4. US 36 Corridor: Denver-Boulder
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• Bus Rapid Transit corridor
set to open in 2016
• 18 miles between Denver
Union Station in
downtown Denver to
Table Mesa Park-n-Ride
in Boulder
• Six stations

5. Customer Bike Access
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• Customers accessing transit
via bike:
– Light rail: 1.7%
– All bus services: 3.0%
• Of patrons parking cars at
Park-n-Rides:
– Over 50% live or work within
three miles of a transit stop
or facility
– About 16% live within two
miles of a Park-n-Ride

6. US 36 Corridor: Denver-Boulder
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• Bike-to-bus access in the
US 36 corridor is higher
than the region-wide 3%
average
– Boulder Local bus service:
4.7%
– Boulder Regional bus
service: 7.7%
• In this corridor about 20%
live within two miles of a
Park-n-Ride

7. • System-wide counts
show weekday bike-on-bus
boardings are
increasing
– In 2013, about 4,500
summer weekday bike-on-
bus boardings
–136% increase between
2000 and 2013
• Bus routes serving
Boulder seeing biggest
increases
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Bikes on Bus : Capacity vs. Demand

8. Bike Parking and Accessibility Plan
• Define strategies to increase the number of transit
patrons bicycling to and parking at RTD transit
facilities
– Facility Visits: Assess existing RTD-provided bike parking
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and bicycle connectivity at transit facilities
– Customer Survey: Discover customer preferences for
and satisfaction with RTD bike parking
– Research: Best practices in bike parking around the US

9. 1 mile buffer access map
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10. Customer Survey Outcomes
Need for secure bike parking
(most important factor in deciding to ride to RTD stop or
station)
Need for bike lanes or trails
(#2 and #4 most important factors in deciding to ride to RTD
stop or station)
Need to have bike to complete commute or take trips during
day
(84% bring bike on bus for commute, 67% for other trips)
Need for secure bike parking
(59% bring bike on bus because concerned about theft)
No lockers or racks available at facility
Perceived as not secure enough
Racks too crowded
Unsure of how locker system works
(top reasons given as to why cyclists are dissatisfied with racks
and lockers)
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Barriers to
Riding to RTD
Stop or Station
Barriers to
Leaving Bike
Behind
Barriers to
Using
Racks/Lockers

11. US 36 Corridor Cyclists Ride More
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Significant differences among cyclists with origins or
destinations at one of the US 36 Park-N-Rides include:
Bike More Often US-36 Cyclists Other Cyclists
Ride every day 21% 12%
Ride every day in each season Spring – 34%
Summer – 48%
Fall – 32%
Winter – 12%
Spring – 23%
Summer – 32%
Fall – 23%
Winter – 6%
Ride to or from school ever day 8% 3%
Ride several times a week – commute 39% 32%
Ride several times a week – social/entertainment 32% 24%
Ride several times a week – personal business 37% 24%
Ride several times a week – shopping/eating out 33% 22%
Bike with bus behaviors
Use own bike to access RTD several times a week 33% 26%
Bring bike on bus or train every day 11% 6%
Lock to bike rack when parking at RTD 77% 68%
Neutral feeling about bus-bike shelter 15% 11%

12. Types of Bike Parking RTD Provides
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• Racks
– Inverted “U”
– Circle
– Wave
– Art
• Lockers
– Standard lockers
– Vertical lockers
• Bike Trees

13. Secure Bike Parking Opportunity
•Bus-then-Bike Shelters
•Secure, swipe-card entry
•Free to use
•Currently owned and
administered by Boulder
County
•Three shelters in
operations all at transit
stops/facilities in Boulder 13

14. Secure Bike Parking Opportunity
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15. Secure Bike Parking Along US 36
•RTD working with corridor TMO to site Bus-then-
Bike shelters at each of six future BRT stations
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8’ connection to
US 36 Bikeway
and setback for
door swing
Broomfield Lane and Arista Place Bike Lanes

16. Questions
Genevieve Hutchison
303-299-2054
Genevieve.Hutchison@RTD-Denver.com
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