Veo’s Post

I am beyond excited to have helped secure over a quarter million in funding with André Lightsey-Walker and Quincy Brown for The Street Trust's new ebike program, which picked up great coverage over the weekend. #Ride2Own will provide 90 #Portland metro area residents free #ebikes as well as bike education and encouragement opportunities. The knowledge we gain over the next year will inform similar efforts across the country, and provide a glimpse into the future of American cities where car ownership is not required to experience the #freedom of #mobility. There are so many reasons to get pumped about ebikes, ranging from how they can help us battle #climate change to how they can improve the lives of our most vulnerable residents, but since I just got to ride the Lectric eBikes used for our program I feel compelled to share why ebikes are so amazing from a user perspective: - Wow, these things could take me anywhere. I could zip more than 100 blocks without breaking a sweat, and there is no hill I could not climb with an ebike. - Dang, these things are so much cheaper than a car. If my household ever needed a second vehicle to run errands or get to school or pick up groceries, an ebike would save me a boatload in gas and maintenance costs. - Man, I can't believe how much safer I feel than I expected. I have an uninterrupted field of vision. I can stop in a blink of an eye and, unlike a regular bike, I can get going just as fast. While nothing beats the safety of a street without cars, an ebike makes me feel much more comfortable on two wheels. Ask anyone who has ever ridden an ebike and they will tell you: you just can't know the feeling until you experience it for yourself. That feeling - of mobility, affordability, and safety coming together - is what the #Ride2Own program is bringing to the folks who stand to benefit the most.

There is news from Bundaberg and Bargara that the Neuron Mobility e-scooter program will be extended for another 12 months. While this is seen as a win-win for the region's sustainability and travel accessibility goals I would like to see a bit more consideration for my community. Last year, Neuron's rider survey found that their e-scooters were increasing mobility around the city. Approximately 11% of riders had a disability or mobility impairment, and around 40% of the trips were replacing a car ride. Hmm interesting. I would like to see the raw data from this survey, as having a mobility impairment precludes me from being able to use e-scooters, and I know from many of my disabled friends that there are more concerns about how they are used on busy streets, with where they are parked and where they are ridden. I think the jury is still out on e-scooters #Mobility #DisabilityAccessibility #DisabilitySafety Visual depiction: A man and a woman riding orange e-scooters next to each other at a park.

LIME WINS IN SEATTLE! As last man standing tall, but will Seattle win too? Doug Trumm give's a good write up of the history of shared micro mobility in Seattle, now that Wheels, Link, Veo and soon may be Bird leaves Seattle. But sadly the author accepts the bright shiny "hall pass" that the scooter PR and government affairs staff dish out: the safety is all good as long as no one dies AND that cars are the only threat on our roads. "Despite earlier concerns raised by former Mayor Jenny Durkan and other skeptics that scooters would be hazardous, there’s been no indication scooters are more deadly than any other transportation mode. Bumps, bruises, and broken bones have resulted from users, particularly inexperienced ones, having run-ins with motorists or obstacles in their path. But no increase in road deaths has been linked to the program." - Trumm SDoT's 2021 e-scooter pilot period data there were 17 reported major injury events (police reported) for 1: 82,353 rides* (1:82k) at best. [And at worst the 2.3% self reported medical treatment events in the SDoT survey - not reported to police - would lower ratio to 1:34k.] In 2021 Bird (1:50k) and Lime (1:65k) shared 'public' self reported data for their programs as a whole BUT no where near as good as docked bike share in most cases. As an example, in Honolulu the ratio is ~1:500k. Should not local agencies - when contracting shared micromobility permits - have a minimum injury threshold KPI for SMM a lot higher than the scooter companies propose? Perhaps 1:250k?  #lime #bird #veo #helbiz #link #seattle #sdot #trafficsafety #kpi #nabsa #mutcd #dot #boom #sharedmicromobility #bikeshare https://lnkd.in/gQ_TSkQP

"If you build it, they will come." It was true for Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, and strangely enough, it's apparently true for transportation infrastructure. While it may be counterintuitive, expanding roadways for cars does not reduce traffic congrstion. It actually increases the number of cars that use that road. By expanding roadways, cities are increasing traffic congestion and all the health harms and inconveniences associated with sitting in cars on crowded roadways. Our cities have been built for cars. What if we started building cities for people? What if your work was a short bike ride away? What if kids could safely ride and walk to school? What if you could do a quick grocery stop on your bike? What if you could spend a Saturday morning riding along tree-lined green corridors, perhaps stop and have a coffee with a friend, or maybe you and your kids could meet up with friends at a nearby park for a playdate? Incorporating safe walking and bicycling infrastructure means building our cities for people, making them safe to walk and bike. There are so many pluses for doing this: reduced vehicle miles traveled, reduced sedentary time, improved air quality, increased exercise, increased social opportunities, decreased risk for diseases associated with sedentary lifestyle (obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, certain cancers, etc.), improved mental health, and of course, we can reduce our heat-trapping, health-harming greenhouse gas pollution. Per Project Drawdown, it's a great climate solution: https://lnkd.in/gqDPpQhE The goal of bicycle infrastructure is to make bike riders safe. Again, it's the same idea: if you build it, they will come. Here are two articles with tips for making our cities more people-friendly. The benefits are huge. https://lnkd.in/gkm9RsYu Here is another resource for how to make bikers safe: https://lnkd.in/gtCnxezp Have you spent time in a bike-friendly community? What was that like? Would you like your community to be safer for kids? I've shared about bike buses before and I love this for kids: https://lnkd.in/gHBHdRDU #protectchildren #climateleadership #climatesolution #biking #bicycle #infrastructure #cleanairmatters

The case for the restriction of car movement through #Dublin city centre couldn't be clearer. Imagine if instead of tolling the M50 we tolled the city centre? Imagine what a difference it could make to the liveability of the city centre if we removed two thirds of the cars? - Less congestion for those who need to access the city by motor vehicle including public transport, delivery vehicles, people with disabilities. - More space for walking and cycling. - Better air quality. - Less noise pollution. - Safer roads. - And a more attractive and pleasant place to live, to work and to play. https://lnkd.in/eWReGr49 IrishCycle.com #CyclingInDublin #ActiveTravel #SustainableTransport #M50 #RoadSafety #RoadPricing #LiveableCities

🚲🌇Rethinking urban mobility: the power of shared mobility🌟 As cities evolve, so does our approach to transportation. Shared mobility isn’t just getting from one place to another—it’s about fostering connections, promoting sustainability, and inclusive spaces where everyone can thrive. 🚴 “To go a few blocks or a quarter mile, you can walk. If it’s longer than that, or you’re a little tired or you’re a little older, but you can still balance, then you can use bikes and scooters. Or, for an even longer trip you can use public transportation. All of those options should be available rather than assuming a full-time vehicle is useful for everything.” says Benjamin De La Peña, CEO of the Shared Use Mobility Center. By embracing initiatives like shared streets and bike lanes, we can: Create an environment that encourages active transportation and reduces congestion🛣️📉 Transform streets into inclusive spaces where pedestrians, cyclists, motorists coexist🚸🚴🚗 Check out this insightful article from Next City shedding light on the importance of sharing the road and creating spaces that accommodate all modes of transportation: https://lnkd.in/ed6NEe3W #bikeshare #bikesharing #micromobility

Parking your bicycle in #Bogotacycling . It's full of mixed feelings... We have yet to convince government that having hooks may be space-efficient but it's the most cumbersome way of getting people to park their bikes. Small (or weak) people will have a hard time lifting their bicycles, and that doesn't even count heavy bicycles or those with equipment which sometimes include lawnmowers. The city has, however, created a vast network of free bicycle parking at Transmilenio stations (pictured here is Americas Portal, which houses 785 bicycles) that now exceed 7 thousand spaces throughout the city. The private sector has also chipped in. That's more difficult to count, but the government has created a "quality seal" for bicycle parking: a gold seal is given to a parking lot that has at least 1 bicycle parking space for each 10 car spaces, very low charge (10 pesos per minute, which is roughly 15 US cents per hour), good information, the lot being responsible in case of theft (!) and good quality facilities. Lastly, public space has begun to see more and more "inverted-U" bicycle parking designs, some of which are installed by the shared bicycle system operator in locations where the system is not available. Lots of stuff, definitely much better than 20 years ago, but lots to improve still... We can improve a lot

Six miles. That’s the average daily trip in the Portland Metro Area, 80% of which are in a car, according to the Oregon Household Activities Survey. The transportation sector in Multnomah County makes up 44% of carbon emissions. It’s clear that reducing the use of fossil fuel car trips is essential to achieving Portland’s net-zero goal. So, how do we do that? The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund is developing Strategic Program 6: Comprehensive E-Bike Access and Support (SP 6), providing incentives to low- and medium-income Portlanders to purchase an e-bike. E-bikes are a greener transportation option for people to commute to work, run errands, and get to services in their communities. Using e-bikes provides other benefits, as well. Women and BIPOC community members have stated through surveys that they feel less vulnerable on e-bikes than on pedal-only bicycles. With different styles of e-bikes on the market – including cargo and adaptive mobility versions – there are options for most people’s needs. More e-bikes also means more technicians to service the community. SP 6 will provide job opportunities at Portland bike retailers. Today, Portland City Council unanimously approved SP 6. Together with our biking community, we’re rolling forward. With 16 strategic programs and over $180 million in Community Responsive Grants in the Climate Investment Plan, we’re moving toward a more climate-resilient Portland. Learn more about SP 6: https://lnkd.in/gEcbg7bR Follow our progress. Bookmark: https://lnkd.in/gD-SVESn Read more PCEF stories: https://lnkd.in/gw3UpGUe

From Jalopnik Well, the comments section on this one should be fun: #Cyclists are more interested in the common good than drivers are, a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found. The study used four factors to define the common good — #political participation, #social participation, #neighborhood solidarity and neighborly helpfulness. And as it turns out, drivers are less interested in all four of those things. “Cycling rather than driving was positively associated with orientation towards the common good in all models,” the study found. “Cycling was the only variable that was a significant positive predictor for all four facets of orientation towards the #commongood after controlling for possibly confounding variables (#homeownership, personal income, education, sex).” Essentially, #pedestrians and cyclists directly interact with their #environment, while drivers are almost entirely isolated from it: Because of the design of cars, the interactions car passengers have with their direct environment are significantly reduced. Sheller and Urry (2000) emphasize that no interaction with the spatial environment can take place from inside a passenger car because acoustic backdrops and smells of the city are not captured and distinctive buildings or urban artifacts are reduced to two dimensions by a perception from inside through the windshield of the car. Te Brömmelstroet et al. (2017) add that interaction with the spatial environment beyond visual channels occurs mainly at the point of origin and destination, and that there are few opportunities for interaction between the driver and the environment while en route, such as when stopping at a traffic light or standing in a traffic jam..... ...Of course, since this is America, there are plenty of people who will read the results of this study and draw the opposite conclusion. They’ll argue we’ve got to stop the #bikelanes because caring about the common good isn’t ruggedly individualist enough and turns people into Godless Communists. We would argue, however, that if you see political participation, social participation, neighborhood solidarity and neighborly helpfulness as bad things, you might just be a bad person. Maybe going for a bike ride will help..... Mark Kabbash believes more bicycle commuters save and extend life for both those who ride and those who drive. #airqualitymatters #ESG is good for all. #vidat it.

Conversation on e-scooters. The extract below mirrors findings from the US. "Across Europe cities with limited cycling infrastructure have seen the largest increase in e-scooter accidents. Cities with lots of bike lanes showed no significant effect."" "The path to safer e-scootering might lie in the development of more friendly infrastructure. As the ridership grows, safety investments should follow, and that can make the future of e-scootering less risky for everyone." https://lnkd.in/g6Qc25Wh