Locating bike sharing stations to maximise scheme usage

Abstract

Facility location problems are common planning challenges frequently faced by local authorities. Such problems are particularly pertinent in relation to optimising the location of transport hubs in multi-modal urban transport systems. The topic of locating docking stations in a bike sharing scheme provided a sufficiently narrow focus to conduct a feasibility study for a facility location problem. The topic of bike sharing schemes is an interesting one, given their increasing popularity worldwide, providing a valuable link between existing public transportation stops and desired destinations. My research question involved discerning whether stations in an existing bike sharing scheme had been distributed to maximise scheme usage and whether GIS was a useful decision support tool. The goal of my research was to contribute to ongoing policy discourse about which tools are best suited to the developing, configuring and planning of a bike sharing scheme. Oxford was selected as the case study given my experiences completing an IARU Sustainability Internship at the Oxford University in 2015. Methodology involved the locations of existing bike sharing stations being compared to an optimal distribution. The optimal distribution was obtained through a location-allocation analysis, incorporating demand variables such as educational facilities, residential and commercial activity and tourist attractions. Results indicated the optimal distribution of stations was remarkably different to the existing distribution. A literature review highlighted the range of approaches which have been employed to investigate this problem, with the usefulness of a GIS approach likely to be highly context dependent.