Vote M.D.U. for 2013 Cycling Visionaries Awards.(Science, Research and Development)

English Resume: This is a research project about the recent bike-parking facility near Tlahuac subway station. Mi Diario Urbano has submitted this for the 2013 Cycling Visionaries Awards. Vote Here

Resumen en Español: A continuación, un proyecto de investigación sobre la reciente instalación de bici-estacionamientos cerca del Metro Tláhuac. Mi Diario Urbano ha presentado esto para los Cycling Visionaries Awards. Vota aquí

Bike-n-Ride is a popular way of getting to work and school among Tláhuac bike commuters. This is mainly because cyclists in Tláhuac district share their bike trip with the recent 12th Subway Line, where 400 public bike-parking spaces outside Tláhuac station are used to secure the bike and finally take the subway to reach its destiny.

http://velo-city2013.com/?page_id=2337&project_id=140

The 12th Subway Line has a length of 24km and 23 stations. Built to move more than 300,000 users in the south-west to the east of Mexico City, this urban project is considered an innovator urban infrastructure because of its high levels of accessibility for pedestrians, disabled people and cyclists.

Lately 12th Subway Line in Mexico City has been placed in the focus of the cycling community and the press not only for his recent opening in 2012 but for the new bike-parking facility, installed outside the Tláhuac station; which for policy makers and transport authorities was justified after the low non-motorized urban policies. With approximately 400 bike-racks, these bike-parking facility cover the daily demand of bike commuters and travelers around the Tláhuac district where there are 4,976 daily bike trips for work and school purpose.

While bike-parking infrastructure was considered from the beginning in all stations of the 12th Subway Line, the current number of cyclist ridership has increased and sometimes bike-racks aren´t enough; causing different street furniture to be used for this purpose, especially in Tláhuac terminal station, where cyclists after securing and leaving his bike, take the subway to reach its work, school or final destination. Of all 4,976 bike trips made in Tláhuac, 3.9% of them are bike shared trips with another transport system. In international context when bike trips are shared with another transport system is known as Bike-n-ride urban mobility.

http://velo-city2013.com/?page_id=2337&project_id=140

Bike-n-ride is a common practice among cyclist who cannot ride long distances or who prefer to use more than one means of transportation. Bike-N-Ride takes advantage of the bicycle travel-related infrastructure in one place (bike paths, bike-parking facilities, shower areas) and a second transport system to reach its final destination. Thus, bike-parking facility and Bike-n-ride in México City has become a healthy and efficient traveling mode which can be applied in other massive transport systems. Also, this outcome can be compare to international bike experiences and international non-motorized policy standards.

Cheaper, comfortable, healthy, fast and efficient are characteristics of bike commuters which use the bike-parking facility in Tláhuac terminal station of the 12th Subway Line. The bike-parking facility outside this subway station is considered not only for the pedestrians and cyclists as a success case but a good urban policy for making cities more bikeable. Although there are particular characteristics and positive comments, among bike-parking users there´re some upgrades to be made in this bike parking-facility like security, surveillance and more bike-racks. 

Since the opening of the 12th Subway Line there has been 6 bikes stolen from the bike-parking facility with no suspects or official report cases; mainly because the time spent on reporting a bike stolen in México City. Aside from this, the opportunity of bike-n-ride urban phenomenon with a near bike-parking facility location can be applied in other transport systems and subway stations to encourage urban cycling among residents.

This research project contributes to urban cycling as one of many cycling cases around the world. Tláhuac wasn´t considered a bikeable place before the bike-parking facility; also this couldn´t be possible without the recent build 12th Subway Line and its bike-travel related infrastructure. Taking advantage of those residents how share their bike trips with a missive transport; like the subway can lead to an urban scenario with more non-motorized urban policies that encourage the bicycle not only as a recreational but a mean of transport in México City.