Micromobility
Stories about personal mobility devices driven by individual users, including electric scooters (e-scooters) and bicycles (e-bikes). Includes coverage of micromobility policies, particularly around user data collection and use, and how these devices work to complement transit systems and contribute to the vitality of communities.
Newly released research points to the need to both electrify the transportation sector and make cities less car dependent if there’s any hope of curtailing the worst effects of climate change.
At a recent Urbanism Next panel discussion, city officials from Boston and Minneapolis discussed mobility hub pilot projects, underscoring how hub locations can also serve as crucial community gathering spots.
After pulling shared e-scooters from Miami streets, the city commission decided during a special meeting to continue the pilot program through early next year, this time with more oversight and regulations.
A new report by StreetLight Data shows the shifting trends in biking travel across major metro areas. In some cities, biking activity has surged about 50 percent, while others have seen declines for one reason or another.
Even smaller transit systems like Valley Regional Transit in Boise, Idaho, are turning to account-based fare payment systems in a push to modernize the transit experience and integrate it with other mobility options.
The Privacy Principles for Mobility Data include seven guiding ideas for the public and private sectors as micromobility options like bikes and scooters become more ubiquitous across U.S. cities.
Plus, facial recognition helps nab a criminal after 15 years on the run, NASA tests 3D printing with moon dust at the International Space Station and Periscope Holdings is acquired for more than $200 million.
Salem, Mass., officials are considering whether to allow electric bikes, noting that a state law forbidding the vehicles was written for license-requiring mopeds years ago rather than the new bikes with small motors.
Pittsburgh has proposed an ordinance to change the city’s traffic rules for those who opt to utilize electric scooters. The rules include an age limit for riding as well as parking restrictions.
The Mobility Data Collaborative, in partnership with the Future of Privacy Forum, has created an assessment tool to help cities and other organizations protect the data collected within the transportation sector.
