Barriers to better bicycle parking for promoting intermodal journeys: An inter-organisational collaboration perspective

Abstract

Organisational structures in the transport sector are often complex and fragmented, with different authorities responsible for different stages of a traveller's journey. In such circumstances, collaboration across organisational boundaries is required to facilitate intermodal journeys. This paper aims to provide empirically grounded insights into collaboration in transport planning, extending the literature to include cycling as an access and egress mode. This is done by examining the challenge of improving bicycle parking facilities at railway stations in Copenhagen, Denmark. Interviews with key actors involved in public transport and cycling planning reveal three main inter-organisational barriers to improving station bicycle parking in Copenhagen. First, station bicycle parking falls between the responsibilities of different organisations and levels of governance. Second, the absence of an established funding formula contributes to negotiation-oriented rather than collaborative interactions among the stakeholders. Third, the tension between cyclist satisfaction and rail passenger growth targets hinders collective action. In summary, despite Copenhagen's strong cycling identity and the prioritisation of this transportation mode in the city's political decision-making and transport planning, the issue of station bicycle parking highlights the complexity of multi-actor governance of intermodal journeys.