Micromobility

The city has made more than 50 electric bicycles and scooters available for residents to rent, on a trial basis. The program, which runs through December 2025, will test whether the initiative makes sense long term.

At the midpoint of smart curb projects, city transportation leaders across the country are reflecting on the broader impacts this work can have — and how they might unlock progress in the future.

A new measure before the Honolulu City Council would place more regulations on e-bikes in Oahu. A council resolution urges the state Legislature to “update and clarify” laws related to “electric bicycles and electric dirt bike motorcycles.”

Cities around the nation are taking on projects to gather and analyze vast amounts of digital data points related to curb usage. This can enable new forms of delivery and dynamic parking prices.

Two recent cycling deaths in the western part of the state have prompted police to focus on educating riders, drivers and pedestrians on laws governing electric bicycles. Advocates say safety precautions are everyone’s responsibility.

The new 2023 Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report finds slightly more people made use of it in the U.S. last year — even as the number of devices in service fell by more than 3.5 percent.

The Texas capital received a nearly $48 million federal grant, to help develop programs to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. Encouraging sustainable transportation choices during major highway builds may be a side benefit.

A new report on micromobility ridership in 2023 from the National Association of City Transportation Officials examines trends in the use of shared bikes and scooters, in the U.S. and Canada.

Acadia National Park had no electric bicycles on its carriage roads as recently as five years ago. Today, that’s a different story. Fully half of the bicycles rolling along its scenic roads today are e-bikes, officials said.

The Atlanta Department of Transportation has found that the city had more than 2.1 million shared micro-mobility rides in 2023 — the highest ridership levels for shared bikes and scooters since the pandemic.

Last week’s park rules changes by the Metropolitan King County Council allowed electric bikes and scooters on its trail network. The new rules are something of a standardization with the state, Seattle, and other counties.

The two cities submitted the winning applications for the 2024 Mobility Insights Competition, organized by Lime and the League of American Bicyclists. The municipalities can now use Lime’s data to address mobility issues.

The city’s Department of Transportation has opened its application portal for companies to submit bids on providing electric scooters, electric bikes or other dockless vehicles for public use.

The city will work with technology company Populus and an urban design firm to digitize its streetscape. It’s part of a project known as The Curb Reimagined, which will create a real-time, digital city map.

The state may use a lottery system to connect electric bicycle riders with purchasing incentives. Nearly 80 people received free e-bikes last year from a state program that awarded nearly 470 vouchers, covering all or part of the expense.

A $30 million project to modernize bus shelters in Los Angeles considers them as mobility hubs that could house modern amenities like digital screens, e-bike and e-scooter docking, dimmable lights and movable shade structures.

The Capitol Region Council of Governments is looking for a vendor to bring rentable scooters and bikes to Hartford and New Haven, Conn. The move is about six months after the shuttering of electric scooter provider Supermobility.

Urban technologists at the recent 2024 Bipartisan Tech Policy Conference discussed the various ways emerging tech like autonomous vehicles have evolved.