Trial of new technologies to simplify access to secure bike parking

Overview

Action 1.24: Deliver improved access to secure bicycle parking to help people easily transition from their bike to Queensland Rail network.

Lead agency: Queensland Rail

Status: Complete

Achievements

We identified bluetooth as a technology with the potential to streamline access to bike parking enclosures on the Queensland Rail network. The possible benefits included:

• simple registration and activation
• higher use
• eliminating the need for deposits
• greater flexibility and cost reduction. 

To test the technology, obtain customer feedback and analyse the impact on the use of secure bike parking, we trialled LockVue bluetooth technology for customers to access the bike enclosure at Ferny Grove station from late 2019 to early 2020.

We invited 40 enclosure customers and 111 locker customers to participate in the trial. The trial identified that: 

• the technology worked for participants and they were able to download the app and access the enclosure, however a proportion found the technology more difficult to use than the fob
• customers using Android devices were unable to disable the location services resulting in privacy concerns
• given the small opt-in rate for participation in the trial, there was only a low increase in utilisation, with the highest utilisation of the enclosure being 15% (or 6 of the 40 available bike spaces used).

Based on the trial findings, we determined the integration of the LockVue system with our current bike booking system or future systems was not viable. 

Next steps

We will continue to audit bike enclosure and locker bookings and usage rates across the network to identify future opportunities to improve customer access.