Welcome to the Shared-Use Mobility Center’s weekly guide to the most impactful news, thought-provoking articles and innovative technologies that are shaping our transportation future. We believe in sharing information, just like sharing cars, bikes, and scooters, so if there’s anything additional you’d like to see, just drop us a line.
Announcements
Register today before we sell out!
National Shared Mobility Summit
March 17 – 19, 2020 | Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago
View the full program and start planning your days.
Catch Sharon Feigon, our Executive Director, on Talking Headways.
We’re big fans of Overhead Wire’s Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast, and last Monday was no exception. Jeff Wood spoke to CityLab’s Laura Bliss and Shared-Use Mobility Center Executive Director Sharon Fegion, who gave a few exciting announcements about our very upcoming Shared Mobility Summit.
Ridehailing/Carsharing/Carpooling
Drivers of Tesla’s upcoming and not-yet-autonomous ridehail platform will be able to use the automaker’s in-house driver insurance, though only in California.
Multimodality is becoming a reality in Southeast Asia where countries and companies have surged ahead to offer a plethora of carsharing, dockless scooter, bikeshare, and MaaS options.
Indian ridehail giant Ola is officially launching its services in the London area on February 10, giving UK residents another option to hitch a ride.
One-way carsharing could make its way back into Calgary as city officials evaluate new parking regulations and fees for gas-powered and electric carshare vehicles.
Partnerships and Programs
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has unveiled a new, 5-year, $760 billion infrastructure plan that includes provisions for developing an electric vehicle charging network and boosting public transit funding—with an eye on clean energy buses to lower emissions.
The Orange County Transportation Authority now has the largest transit-operated hydrogen fueling station in the US because of a new partnership with the California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Center for Transportation and the Environment.
The New York MTA’s new OMNY transit fare system is expanding in the city to 37 more subway stations around the Bronx by the end of the month.
Sacramento’s Green Means Go initiative has a few goals: to revitalize underdeveloped corridors with affordable housing and to make it easier for residents to access public transit and cycling options.
Bikesharing and Micromobility
Governor Cuomo has released his plan on the legalization of e-bikes and EV scooters in New York. Let’s hope this one passes as a victory for micromobility!
Scooter company Bird has acquired European micromobility startup Circ with operations in 43 cities in 12 countries, which could help Bird scale across Europe and the Middle East.
A new report from the European Environment Agency highlights how first/last mile modes such as bikes and dockless scooters affect sustainability due to the vehicles’ lifespan and how they are recharged.
What can cities to do mitigate sidewalk-blocking clutter from shared scooters? One great solution: set up charging docks to corral them and keep the pedestrian right of way accessible.
Transit
It’s #BlackHistoryMonth, and several transit agencies are celebrating it by highlighting historic figures with visual signs, using onboard information to teach children about African-American heritage, and leaving one seat open for the late Rosa Parks to commemorate her contribution to transportation rights.
As the transportation landscape changes in urban areas and underserved communities, cities like LA and Sacramento are experimenting with microtransit services to meet first/last-mile needs while meeting the efficiency of fixed-route transit.
Gamifying green mobility is on its way to Austria. Vienna is piloting a new program that wants to give people credits for art, theatre, and concert events by making car-free trips.
DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute has a new report that dives into the intercity bus industry in the US, which includes public systems and private operators such as Greyhound, Megabus, and FlixBus.
Technology
Miami-Dade County residents are about to get an upgrade in accurate, real-time transit information as part of a new partnership between the Transit app and public transportation data platform Swiftly.
Great news for clean transportation infrastructure in the US! Ohio’s Smart Columbus initiative already has 826 out of 1,000 EV and hybrid charging stations installed around the seven-county region.
Alphabet’s self-driving tech arm Waymo is teaming up with UPS for a pilot program to test autonomous vehicle package pickup in the Phoenix area.
Uber’s move to get on board the self-driving car hype doesn’t mean it wants to be a complete fleet manager. Rather, they’re looking to shake up the business model with fleet investment trusts instead.
Urban Sustainability
American infrastructure is broken and unusable if it can’t service the people who need it the most: people with disabilities or mobility impairments. Read about one person’s struggle with accessibility on US streets and public spaces on The Nation.
Car-free spaces are not a new concept but applying pedestrian-and-bike-friendly practices to US cities, while also boosting multimodal options for everyone, could help Americans break up with their cars for good.
A group of architects is planning a new community near the Dutch city of Utrecht called Merwede that will be designed for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit while offering fleets of carshare and bikeshare vehicles. Ahhh.
Carmel, Indiana which was recently named one of the most bike-friendly cities by the League of American Bicyclists, has another standout feature that’s brought the traffic fatality rate to a level 83% lower than the national average: roundabouts. 120 to be exact!
Requests for Proposals, Inquiries, and Information
Bedford Park RFQ is a first/last mile solution to a unique problem
The Village of Bedford Park, outside of Chicago, is an industrial suburb where jobs outnumber residents by more than 50 to 1. With the support of Cook County, the Village has been studying ways to improve workers’ commutes around the clock. A new pilot, Connect2Work, aims to increase transit connections and job access with shared mobility services. SUMC, along with team members Antero Group and the Active Transportation Alliance, is providing technical assistance for the project and encourages transportation and technology providers to apply.
View the RFQ below.
RFQ: Connect2Work
The Village of Bedford Park, Illinois
Bedford Park, Illinois
Deadline: February 14, 2020
RFP: Accelerating Clean Transportation Now (ACTNow)
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Boston, MA
Deadline: March 3, 2020
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