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
August 1, 2019 | 5 – 7 PM
The Connectory, Chicago
Join SUMC and the Chicago Connectory at CONNEXION MOBILITY
August 8, 2019 | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Central)
Chicago Connectory
222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza #570, Chicago, IL 60654
Interested in a full day of discussions, networking, exhibitions and more centered on the mobility industry? Register for Connexion Mobility, located in the same innovation space as SUMC. Listen to thought-provoking presentations by SUMC Executive Director Sharon Feigon and SUMC Policy and Strategy Director Ellen Partridge. Explore topics including urban mobility, data sharing, rideshare, electric & autonomous vehicles, mobility for all, and a look at active projects in the US. Refreshments provided.
Register here.
MOD Learning Center Feature:
Increasing Mobility Options for Individuals with Disabilities
Imagine having to always book your ridehailing trips a day or two ahead of time. Not as convenient, right? For individuals with disabilities, this has often been the case. Today, pilots such as the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada’s paratransit partnership with Lyft are helping to change this by giving riders the opportunity to book on-demand rides through a TNC. Read the MOD Learning Center Case Study and see how it worked, what challenges and lessons arose, and future plans.
Ridehailing/Carsharing/Carpooling
Uber is testing out an all-in-one subscription service in Chicago and San Francisco which includes fixed-price ridehailing trips, food delivery, and free trips on Jump bikes and scooters.
The Central Ohio Transit Authority and Grove City have a new pilot program with Via to fill first/last-mile gaps in fixed-route transit with an on-demand shuttle service.
BMW’s mobility off-shoot ReachNow shut down its carsharing service in Portland and Seattle in light of the company’s joint venture with Daimler citing “realignment” as the culprit.
Partnerships and Programs
Soon kids in California will be getting a CO2-free ride to class. The California Energy Commission is giving $70 million to state schools to swap over 200 diesel school buses with all-electric vehicles.
Ten years ago a bike lane was built on Vancouver’s Burrard Bridge that critics said was doomed to fail. Today it carries 1.3-million people on bikes every year and is the busiest bike lane in North America.
Travis County, TX has approved a long-term Transportation Blueprint to forecast and plan for the next 25 years of growth—with provisions for increasing pedestrian and bike infrastructure, transit spending, and awareness of alternatives to cars.
The Oregon Transportation Commission has awarded $19 million in funds to 37 community transit providers to build on and improve existing transit networks statewide.
Bikesharing and Micromobility
Planning your bikeshare trip just got easier, courtesy of Google Maps. Now the service lets you see how many bikes and open spaces are available at stations in 24 cities across 16 countries.
Seven out of the ten scooter companies who were in the Chicago pilot have been fined for issues ranging from operating outside of zones to failure to respond to concerns. Let’s hope this was just growing pains.
Stay up to date on the wild west of US dockless mobility with Smart Cities Dive’s updated interactive map and news round up.
Lufthansa Innovation Hub takes a look at the data behind the dockless scooter market in Germany and how the startups Tier, Lime, Circ, and Voi are doing in the cut-throat landscape thus far.
Transit
Representatives from the House are calling out the Trump administration for delaying crucial funding for public transportation projects to the tune of $2.4 billion. The FTA says they are simply doing due diligence.
Transit affordability in the Southside may get better if Cook County and Metra rail decide to lower fares for 2 lines to $2.50, equal to the CTA. We’re on board with that.
Austin wants to incentivize people to use more transit in the area—and are tossing around ideas like free transit passes, transit-use rewards program, “nudge” incentives, gamification strategies, and unbundling parking from home costs citywide.
King County Metro would like drivers to pay for their parking spot at ten Metro park-and-rides. The Sightline Institute applauds this new shift in reducing free parking at transit stops as a way to stop bleeding transit agencies dry.
Technology
Autonomous tech startup May Mobility is working directly with communities in Ohio on a wheelchair-accessible prototype for its self-driving vehicles to address accessibility issues in new transportation technology.
Want the option to hail a ride, hop on a scooter, or plan your next transit trip all in one app? Lyft is making that easier in New York by adding subway and bus directions. No word on purchasing your ticket though.
Tesla wants to activate “full self-driving” capabilities in a substantial proportion of its cars through an over-the-air update this year. Regulators and industry heads are worried this could lead to an influx of injuries and major accidents.
Learn how the Mobility Data Specification for micromobility data was started by 15 cities and how the newly-formed Open Mobility Foundation wants to give cities and organizations alike the power to use the open-source standard for smarter urban mobility.
Urban Sustainability
Houston is giving less priority to cars by expanding a pilot that removes parking minimums for neighborhoods in the East End and parts of Midtown.
Will electric cars fix most of our emissions problem in the US? Well, Bike Snob wants to (re)introduce you to the e-bike! Pedal-assist, electric, and a congestion killer. The problem? They aren’t as subsidized as EV cars.
Check out this fun infographic by transportation tech company Geotab that shows the square footage devoted to roads, green space, and buildings in 15 US cities.
Climate change has devastating effects on the environment and cities, pushing our infrastructure and resources to the brink of shut down, but there are ways we can rebuild, redesign, and reshape our cities to keep them cool and resilient.
Requests for Proposals, Qualifications, or Information
RFP: City: One Indianapolis Challenge
Indianapolis, Indiana
Deadline: August 6, 2019
RFP: Proposals for Paratransit Services
Hampton Roads Transit, Virginia
Deadline: August 8, 2019
RFP: Mobile Fare Payment & Trip Planning
Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority
Tulsa, Oklahoma
August 09, 2019
RFP: Silver Line Transit Oriented Development and Multi-Modal Planning Study
Interurban Transit Partnership – The Rapid
Grand Rapids, Michigan
August 12, 2019
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