Part of the ideation process included experimenting with the distances between subway stops in commuter-heavy neighbourhoods like Leslieville, Bloor West Village and Etobicoke and finding a way to place LAB bike stations at intervals that maximize convenience to users. Initially stations were placed at the end of each subway/LRT line, and an additional bath was created along the waterfront. This waterfront trail would serve as both an access point for commuters who are not on a subway line, as well as an outlet for casual riders who may want to ride a bike along the waterfront. The idea of a casual bike ride was extended to the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal (with Hanlan’s Point & Ward’s Island as a destination) in order to amalgamate existing programs for casual riders on the Toronto Islands who are forced to pay a premium for a similar service on the island.
Modified major transit route map reflecting the proposed RocketLAB bike service stations and their initial locations based on "hotspots" found in research that are under-serviced by other major transit but would still connected to the overall transit network if bicycles were provided.
In addition to providing Affordance through the amalgamation of transit systems, RocketLAB seeks to afford year-round bike use through the implementation of heated bike shelters and snow-removal plans as seen in effect in the Hamilton Bike Share system. As seen in the mock-up design below, a low-impact shelter can keep falling precipitation off of the bicycles and the ticket stations compared to the current Bixi model seen on the right, which provides no such benefits. If implemented in congruency with snow removal for bike paths and sidewalks, year-round bike share service can become a reality.
Mock-up of service station for RocketLAB proposed bike system with pay terminal, shelter cover and bike docking stations.
