The Mobility Hub

Your weekly guide to the latest in shared mobility

SUMC News and Announcements

 

Hello Friends,

This week the Mobility Hub is giving research a special focus—sharing reports from ourselves and others that can power decisions, shape plans, and help us move forward.

UN Emissions Gap Report
From the U.N. Environment Programme

The UN’s annual report spotlights the gap between current CO2 emissions and reduction goals. The 2020 edition takes the COVID-19 pandemic into account, finding that despite a slight dip, we are still far below where we need to be.

Where Do We Go From Here? Breaking Down Barriers to Bicycling in the U.S.
From People for Bikes

Principal Investigator Charles T. Brown and his team at Rutgers University review the factors that prevent bicycling inclusivity in BIPOC and low-income communities—and determine what infrastructure and incentives are needed for them to start.

Pedestrian Safety and Social Equity in Oregon
From the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)

Pedestrian crash rates are disproportionately higher in low-income areas and communities of color. This report from ODOT looks at the built environment, travel activity, and social equity in determining where and why this is the case.

Do drivers dream of walking? An investigation of travel mode dissonance from the perspective of affective values
From the Journal of Transport & Health

This report examines how different transportation modes affect travelers’ feelings of well-being, studying the disparity between the actual primary mode of travel and what travelers view as the ideal and providing insights to guide future behavior.

EVgo ribbon cutting in Compton, CA.

Webinars too important to keep to ourselves:

California Climate Investments Funding for Transit Agencies Webinar
March 23 from 1:30 – 2:30 PM PST

This webinar will explain the various funding opportunities available to transit agencies through California Climate Investments. You’ll also hear from a past grant recipient, who will discuss their experience and share tips for applying.

Addressing the Gender Bias in Artificial Intelligence Data
March 29 from 14:00 – 15:00 PM GMT +1/ 8:00 – 9:00 AM DST

If data isn’t representative, the resulting algorithms will be biased. The OECD and the International Transport Forum explore ways to address this in next week’s webinar.

Mobility Justice

Not only did Redlining in the US sever Black and Brown communities and lead to decades of neglect and economic disinvestment—it left many in flood-prone areas, according to data from Seattle-based real-estate company Redfin.

Sidewalk accessibility makes or breaks the effectiveness of transit and paratransit for BIPOC and people with disabilities, so advocates in the state of Washington are calling on officials to halt spending on new highways and focus on accessible infrastructure instead.

Biased urban planning keeps marginalized communities in a state of dilapidation and desperation that can be fixed by restructuring the land-use, architecture, and transportation frameworks around us—Black Urbanists Tamika Butler and Kristen Jeffers show us how.

Ridehailing/Carsharing/Carpooling 

Uber commits to “guaranteed minimum wage, holiday pay and pensions” for its UK drivers, a move that employment experts say is a big step forward for workers’ rights, while some unions criticize that the benefits are only applicable “from the time a trip is accepted to the drop-off.”

At least on one front, Uber and Lyft have partnered to share information on drivers banned from either platform for committing sexual assaults and physical assaults that result in a fatality.

Ridehailing underdog Pickmeup has built a sizable and growing user base of 50,000 people in 10 Nigerian cities—even with the likes of Uber and Bolt on the streets—by offering flexible payout options for drivers and localized support for riders. Get the details on Disrupt Africa.

Bikesharing & Micromobility

After hopping on an e-bike at the pandemic’s start, New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie chats with The War on Cars on how it’s shaped his perspective on density (he lives in Charlottesville, VA) and how it just might be the future of mobility.

More than 25 percent of “Motor City” households don’t have access to a personal vehicle, a fact that Detroit’s bikeshare system, MoGo, is addressing with a plan to connect bikeshare and transit so seamlessly residents have all the transportation they need.

Active transportation is going to see a C$400 million (US$320.71 million) boost in Canada thanks to a new, first-of-its-kind government focus to “make it easier for more people to get around on foot, bikes, scooters, wheelchairs and e-bikes”.

Transit

Thanks to the sweeping $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, transit agencies around the US are able to stave off service cuts that would have left people—especially workers who depend on public transportation—high and dry.

Streetsblog is back with its annual Sorriest Bus Stop in America face-off that calls on readers to vote for the most unappealing stops in America and Canada. The first round pits a bare spot on a high-speed Philly street against a car-dealership-adjacent spot in Quebec.

Attracting new and existing riders back to public transit has been a pain point for agencies since the start of the pandemic, but innovations in fare payment promise to reverse low ridership with convenient, flexible fares.

Technology

Mergers and acquisitions continue to eliminate competitors in the autonomous-car race as General Motors driverless tech subsidiary Cruise acquires four-year old startup Voyage. Get the play-by-play in The Verge.

Your next package may come from an electrified delivery truck. NPR spotlights how companies like FedEX, Rivian, and Amazon are powering the logistics industry more sustainably, one EV at a time.

Social distancing concerns in Santa Monica are being alleviated on public transit as the city’s Big Blue Bus system is working with the Transit app to feature passenger crowding data in the app to to help riders safely plan ahead.

Sustainability

Once a practical tool for hauling equipment and farming supplies, the pickup truck has morphed into a social, environmental, and public health burden fueled by the US’ obsession with bigger-is-better vehicles. Bloomberg CityLab author Angie Schmitt tells us how it got this way.

Companies around the world from medical leader Genentech to IKEA’s holding company to Clif Bar offer sustainable transportation options to employees, making reducing emissions, lowering congestion, and contributing to regional health the ultimate employee perk.

Street, micromobility and curb management data platform Populus raised $5 million from investors— including Precursor, Relay, Ulu, Magna and Storm Ventures—and now begins the task of creating the digital backbone of sustainable, shared city streets.

Project Funding Opportunities

RFP: RTC Community Mobility Project
The Las Vegas Valley Water District
Deadline: April 1, 2021

RFP: Paratransit Mobility Passenger Boarding Systems
State Government of Georgia
Deadline: April 2, 2021

RFP: Operation of Marin Access Services and Programs
Marin Transit
Marin County, CA
Deadline: May 21, 2021

GRANTS: Asphalt Art Initiative
Bloomberg Philanthropies

20 U.S. cities can receive up to $25,000 each for projects that use art and design as “visual interventions” to improve street safety, revitalize public spaces, and engage community residents. Applications are open until April 30, 2021.

SUMC is hiring!

We’re looking for a temporary bookkeeping and administrative assistant with long-term potential.

Learn more & apply

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