Is free transit the future of cities? In Boston, fare-free transit is being piloted on select routes resulting in increased ridership. In Los Angeles, Metro passengers have expressed safety concerns. The agency is responding by bringing more eyes to the system by implementing a transit ambassadors program to deter criminal activities and provide resources to those in need. In carshare news, Uber Pool is starting to reappear, rebranded as Uber X Shared.
Cargo-bikes are getting more popular and are a great option for reducing emissions in the last leg of deliveries. For example, in London, Amazon is launching a fleet of e-cargo bikes and associated distribution hubs to replace thousands of van deliveries.
On the UAM front, the US House passed a bill that provides funding for advanced air mobility infrastructure. This bill aims to provide $25 million in grants over two years to plan and build vertiport infrastructure for eVTOL operations.
Last but not least, USDOT is providing significant funds to tackle the road safety crisis. These funds would facilitate the redesign of the streets in the US, which can put American cities on the path to follow lessons from Canada and the city of Hoboken, where authorities have reduced severe road crashes.
Integrated Mobility
🚍🆓 'Free public transport works': a Q&A with Boston mayor Michelle Wu [The Guardian] The current mayor of Boston is championing free public transportation, and ridership on the first free bus line has soared by 48%. Do you think free public transit is essential for equitable and sustainable mobility?
🏙️ 🏗️ Sprawl in America "is not good for our climate" says Barack Obama [Zeen] Former US president Barack Obama has called on architects and policymakers to tackle urban sprawl and to "create livable density" in American cities. How do integrated mobility services support livable density?
🚘 👪 Uber Restarting Shared Rides In Some Major U.S. Cities [Forbes] Previously known as “Uber Pool,” the service is now branded as “UberX Share.” After shutting down the program two years ago due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Uber is bringing back its carpool service.
❤🚌 Crime is up on buses and trains. Metro has a plan to make you feel safe [LA Times] What can be done to address safety concerns on LA Metro trains & buses? As an alternative to armed police, Metro will start an ambassador program with 300 uniformed workers. Read the whole story of this initiative by the nonprofit ACT-LA.
🚉 🤗 Metrolink system would stop trains during earthquakes [Mass Transit] The rail system announced this week it is equipping some of its trains with a new earthquake warning system that can automatically slow or halt travel during a quake.
🕸️ 🚎 Developing an equitable Mobility-as-a‑Service system: A case study from the Smart Columbus Program [Intelligent Transport] After competing against 77 cities, Columbus won the Smart City Challenge by USDOT in 2016. Now Columbus may implement a Mobility as a Service multimodal policy to reduce single-occupancy vehicles.
♿ ❤️ Ensuring Access for All Persons with Disabilities [ITDP] In this new paper, Access for All: Persons with Disabilities, ITDP explores accessible transit-oriented development and sustainable urban mobility through the lens of people with disabilities and offers a set of recommendations to promote responsive actions.
EV Infrastructure
🚗⚡A Data-Driven Approach to Equitable EV Charging Infrastructure [Replica] As the Federal Government invests billions in electric vehicle technology, how can we ensure that low-income communities access EV charging infrastructure? Read this interesting report by Replica focused on Los Angeles County.
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Volkswagen, Siemens invest $450M into Electrify America in EV charging push [TechCrunch] This $450M investment into the Electrify America initiative by VW is a significant step toward North America's largest ultra-fast EV charging network. So, where would you like to see new ultra-fast charging stations?
☹️ 🏭 California needs to triple historical decarbonization rates to meet 2030 carbon target, report finds [Smart Cities Dive] California is not on track to meet its 2030 economy-wide decarbonization milestones based on its current policy commitments. An analysis estimates the state is on track to produce 307 million metric tons of emissions in 2030 – nearly 20% over target.
Urban Air Mobility
🔮 🛣️ Safe, Autonomous, Airborne: What Will Roads Look Like in 30 Years? [Government Technology] From electrified pavement that can charge vehicles and delivery robots that collect data to flying taxis, transportation experts sound off on what we can expect highways and byways to look like in 2050.
🚁 💰 US House passes bill that provides funding for AAM infrastructure [eVTOL] The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to provide $25 million in grants over two years to plan and build vertiport infrastructure for advanced air mobility (AAM) and future eVTOL operations.
🚁 🛩 Vertical Flight Society’s 16th Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium Returns To Oshkosh 23-24 July 2022 [eVTOL Insights] More than 40 of the world’s leading electric aircraft developers will speak at the 16th Annual Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS), to be held in person and online in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, after two years of virtual-only programing.
🚁 🌴5 Interesting Startup Deals You May Have Missed In June: Air Taxis, And Chicken Is The New Pizza [crunchbase news] Overair, the Santa Ana, California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle startup, closed a $145 million round from Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Aerospace this month as it looks to fly its all-electric experimental prototype Butterfly in the second half of 2023.
Mobility Safety
💰 🚦Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program [USDOT] At the heart of the traffic fatality crisis in our cities is how we design our streets & the Safe Streets and Roads for All program will provide federal $$ to tackle this crisis. These funds show that USDOT is taking significant steps in combating traffic violence.
🍁 🚸 Why Isn’t There a Canadian Traffic Safety Crisis? [Bloomberg] Despite the two nations’ geographic proximity, Canada’s success with traffic safety stands in sharp contrast to the US’s ongoing struggles. Around 118 of every million Americans died in crashes in 2020, two and a half times the Canadian rate of 46.
🚲 🚶Hoboken Hasn’t Had a Traffic Death in Four Years. What’s It Doing Right? [Curbed] This American city of 60,000 hasn’t had a single traffic fatality since 2018. Their secret? Aggressively installing the things proven to make cities safer and more efficient for everyone: bike lanes, curb extensions, bus lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, and raised intersections.
Digitizing Assets & Operations
📸 🚸 Chicago’s speed cameras yield more tickets and fines, but also complaints and controversy [WBEZ Chicago] Last March, Chicago deployed its robo camera system to ticket drivers who sped 6 miles or more above the limit, lowering the threshold from the 10 mph trigger set. The change has angered residents, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot argued that this change would make the streets safer in a city where pedestrians, including children, have been injured and killed by careless drivers.
Goods Movement
📦🚲 A Bicycle Built for Transporting Cargo Takes Off [NYT] Cargo bikes — which can carry everything from passengers to produce — are increasingly being used in place of greenhouse gas-emitting cars, trucks, and vans.
🚚 🚲 Amazon: e-cargo bikes to replace thousands of van deliveries in London [The Guardian] Online retailer opening ‘micromobility’ hub in Hackney as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions.