As our transportation mode choices expand and the infrastructure is being improved and upgraded for complete streets; bus rapid transit, modern streetcars, or light rail; bicycle commuting; bike and/or car sharing; and walkability, coordinating all these expanded choices into a logical transportation network becomes an issue to consider. Hence, my proposal of creating “share-ports.”
Bike sharing station Source: utk.edu
In a nutshell, a “share-port” would be a multi-modal transportation facility specifically designed, located, and constructed to emphasize active, alternative, and non-motorized transportation options at convenient and easily accessible locations. For too many decades, transportation infrastructure has overempahsized the personal car and righting this wrong is long past due. The “share-port” is meant to provide both visible and tangible evidence that active transportation options are here to stay and to create the applicable infrastructure necessary to support it in a coordinated fashion that clusters all these options at nodal locations.
A “share-port” can be located in the heart of the city, on a college campus, in a major shopping or entertainment district, at a park and ride facility, a major employer, a medical center, or just about anywhere that is convenient and accessible to as many people as possible. Whenever possible and practical, a share-port should include all of the following features:
- A sheltered transit stop
- Bicycle parking racks (preferably sheltered)
- Bicycle storage lockers
- A bicycle sharing station
- A Zipcar style automobile sharing station
- Sheltered and outdoor seating
- Bicycle service station (see example photograph below)
- Dedicated vanpool/carpool loading/unloading space
- Direct communications access to area taxi services
- Wi-fi services
- If the site is large enough, some park and ride facilities with EV charging stations.
Bicycle service station at MSU Bikes
The closest example to a share-port that I have personally seen is a facility at a AATA park and ride in Ann Arbor, Michigan at US 23 and Plymouth Road. At the northwest corner of the park and ride are a sheltered transit stop, bicycle parking racks, and bicycle storage lockers.
Zipcar station on the MSU campus
Using Greater Lansing as an example, share-ports could be situated at a number of locations throughout the city, such as, but not limited to:
- Downtown (south) at the CATA Transportation Center
- Downtown (north) at Lansing Community College
- Downtown (east) at the Stadium District
- Downtown (west) at the Michigan Historical Museum/State Library
- Old Town
- REO Town
- Downtown East Lansing
- Michigan State University (two locations)
- East Lansing AMTRAK station
- Capital Region International Airport
- Sparrow Hospital
- McLaren/Ingham Regional Hospital
- St. Lawrence Hospital
- Eastwood Town Center
- Meridian Mall
- Lansing Mall
- Frandor
- Major area park and ride lots such as I-96 and Okemos Road
problogic
Panethos 
Great idea, this would make transit hubs much more versitile. The closest example I can think of in Minneapolis is the Seward Food Co-op, which has a bus stop, a Nice Ride bicycle share station, an HourCar car share spot, and ample bike racks.
LikeLike
Thank you, Zack. The Seward Food Co-op sounds very much like what I imagined.
LikeLike
I think this model is slowly becoming reality, from a couple of directions.
First, universities are getting more sophisticated on both the bike and transit fronts, with Zipcar and bike tools becoming something commonly available.
Next, I think companies are thinking about how to bundle these things into one location. We’re working with a couple of companies in California to try to make something like this reality for them – juries out on exactly what combination will work, but it would be Zip+electric car charging+bike tools+bike pump+shuttle stop.
LikeLike
Cool! That is great, Kurt. Kudos for working on bringing this to fruition.
LikeLike