Micromobility

Autonomous vehicles, sidewalk robots and other technologies in the urban landscape are scooping up new caches of data. Cities, in turn, are using this information in novel ways.

A new measure could establish a regulatory framework for electric bicycles, motorcycles and scooters, responding to the growing popularity of the devices and the safety concerns they have raised.

Bergen and Monmouth county residents will be the first in the state to try the new, two-year MicroLink service, which can carry them from their neighborhoods to agency park-and-ride bus stops.

Lime scooters in Seattle will soon be equipped with cameras watching where the scooter is heading, as well as AI software to detect sidewalk riding and emit audible alerts telling people to get off them.

For this week’s 16th annual Doing Democracy Day in Colorado, high school students were invited to attend and talk to city councilmembers, business people, police officers and other area leaders.

Streets’ many users, their large amount of potential data and the complexity of standing up digital curb systems can pose challenges. A digital map or street inventory can be a first step for local government.

The first violation fine for unsafe usage of an electric bicycle is part of an update to the city’s bicycle ordinance. It provides, generally, clearer standards for riders and follows an educational campaign.

City Council members are mulling policy for the devices that lines up with neighboring local governments and state law, too. The goal, the police chief said, is to ensure their safe, responsible use.

California electric utilities plan to launch a program to help pay for electric vehicle charging, for income-qualified households that do not have charging at home. Other initiatives are already underway.

With the popularity of electric bicycles and scooters on the rise, here’s what state and local laws say about their use in Fort Worth, Colleyville, Texas Christian University and elsewhere.

A bill submitted by state Rep. Katie Stuart would amend the state vehicle code to limit speeds on bike paths and trails. Currently, the closest equivalent is a 15 mile per hour speed limit in alleys.

INRIX’s latest Global Traffic Scorecard finds U.S. traffic at a historic level so far this year. Autonomous vehicles and shared mobility could, however, be a counterbalance against private car use.

Naperville is joining other Chicago suburbs in cracking down on e-bikes and e-scooters, with the city council considering setting an age limit at 16 and a maximum speed limit of 15 mph on multiuse paths.

City officials sought to clarify where the devices and others can and cannot be used. A city official said in September there had been a “rise in complaints from residents” about electric bikes on sidewalks.

Communities in the Denver suburbs are part of a pilot that uses highly accurate geo-fencing technology to track electric scooters and prompt users to deposit them in the correct parking locations.

In the face of an increasing number and severity of e-bike accidents this summer, the Virginia Beach City Council wants a task force to devise enforcement methods to keep riders and pedestrians safe.

Greenwich school leaders are notifying families, particularly of middle school students, that a new law went into effect in Connecticut this week requiring an operator's license to ride e-bikes and e-scooters.

The City Council gave first reading to an ordinance that would ban electric scooters on sidewalks and roads with speed limits over 30 miles per hour. The devices would also be limited to speeds of 20 miles per hour.