Micromobility in Cities: a History and Policy Overview
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NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES Micromobility in Cities A HISTORY AND POLICY OVERVIEW NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES About the National League of Cities About the National League of Cities: The National League of Cities (NLC) is the nation’s leading advocacy organization devoted to strengthening and promoting cities as centers of opportunity, leadership and governance. Through its membership and partnerships with state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource and advocate for more than 19,000 cities and towns and more than 218 million Americans. NLC’s Center for City Solutions provides research and analysis on key topics and trends important to cities and creative solutions to improve the quality of life in communities. About the Authors Nicole DuPuis is manager of the Urban Innovation program, Jason Griess is the Heinz Urban Innovation Fellow and Connor Klein is a former research assistant in NLC’s Center for City Solutions. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Laura Cofsky who edited the report, and Paris Williams who designed the report. Table of Contents 4 Foreword 5 Introduction 8 Different Types of Micromobility 14 Mergers, Partnerships and Evolution 15 Challenges and Opportunities for Cities 18 City Examples 25 Recommendations 28 Appendix Micromobility in Cities: A History and Policy Overview 3 Foreword Since the first Model T rolled onto the At the same time, many communities still streets of Detroit in 1908, the automobile have vast surface transportation needs has reigned as the predominant mode of which must be addressed for micromobility transportation in America. Cars quickly to take shape. As federal leaders debate became a cornerstone of the American how to fund America’s transportation identity – and influenced the way America’s future, the National League of Cities (NLC) cities, towns and villages took shape. will continue to advocate for federal investments that support the wide variety of More than a century after the Model T’s local projects that connect communities and first trip, the smartphone has opened the grow their economies. door for a new wave of transportation options. Now, app-based mobility services To provide local leaders with a present local leaders with an opportunity to comprehensive view of micomobility and reimagine the mobility environment. the experience of different communities, NLC is proud to release Micromobility The past year, in particular, has been marked in Cities: A History and Policy Overview. by a race toward micromobility, where The report provides officials with bikes and electric scooters provide a new background information, case studies and way for residents to move throughout recommendations to help them make the their communities. While there is a great right decisions for their communities. deal of promise with these innovations, the emergence of micromobility comes with its Together with our federal and state own set of challenges and considerations partners, local leaders will chart the next for planners, residents and local 100 years of transportation in America. This decisionmakers. report will help them do just that. Onward, Clarence E. Anthony CEO and Executive Director National League of Cities 4 Micromobility in Cities: A History and Policy Overview Introduction hared electric scooters have taken cities head-on. We conclude with a set of Sby storm, and by now, everyone has recommendations cities can consider as either seen or heard about this new way to they work to regulate these new mobility get around. This old mode of transportation technologies. — the kick scooter — has been made new with an electric motor and the ability to be Seven recommendations are explored in imminently shareable through app-based depth within the report including: technology. • Get out in front of surprise deployments. While scooters are the newest hot topic in • Utilize pilot programs to consider right of micromobility, they are by no means the way policy, cost structure, sustainability only form, with shared bicycle usage still and opportunities to work with different the most common way to get around. This companies. class of mobility option has truly taken off. • Consider safety. First in docked form and now increasingly dockless, shared bicycles have truly taken • Develop a plan and agreement for trip off, reflected in growing usage rates in cities data. nationwide. • Reevaluate bike infrastructure. The emergence of micromobility, along with • Focus on equity. shifts in preferences for alternative modes of • Be proactive about learning from other transportation, and wholesale monumental cities. changes impacting transportation over the last few decades, have pressed us to ask Ultimately, these systems are an increasingly several questions about how and why we important part of city transit and mobility design our cities. We need to consider the systems, as they help people move around management of street and curb space, what cities more seamlessly and efficiently. The a complete trip and street looks like, and value is apparent and big questions, if they who we are serving when we design our do arise, center around how these new thoroughfares. systems — which are typically run by private operators — interact with existing laws and With this white paper, we hope to explore regulations. The regulatory system in many the rapidly changing and disruptive nature cities surrounding these new modes is not of micromobility, and provide city officials yet settled. The model of entering a city useful information to deploy micromobility first and asking forgiveness later is alive options in a safe, profitable and equitable and well, as companies seek to create new way. We begin by defining micromobility laws that allow them to operate unhindered. and exploring the recent history of docked Many places have figured out the interplay and dockless bikes and e-scooters. We then between the operators and the regulators, explore the challenges and opportunities but there are still quite a few cities working facing cities, and illustrate a few examples through these questions. of cities that are addressing these issues 5 What is Micromobility? be owned and maintained privately, like the The term “micromobility” has become Chinese bikeshare provider Ofo, or owned a catch-all term for several modes of and maintained publicly, like Capital Bikeshare transportation, namely docked and dockless in Washington, D.C. New York City’s CitiBike is bikeshare systems, electric bikes and electric a hybrid model in that it is publicly owned but scooters. Many of these modes share some privately maintained by the company Motivate. distinct features. The first commonality is the increased flexibility in routes and access These emerging micromobility services, in spurred by the advent of connected devices. most cases, offer both flexible scheduling and Many of these transportation services can be flexible pickup and drop-off sites, which allow accessed and purchased with the use of a users to go exactly where they need to go smartphone or other connected device. The when they need to go there. Some providers second factor is scale, as these vehicles serve are even experimenting with on-demand individual users. vehicle delivery in less dense environments.1 Even cities with expansive public transit Another key feature of some micromobility systems have mobility deserts, in which systems is a model of shared usage. For portions of the population are underserved example, some bikeshare services use by transit or face barriers to access. docking stations for drop-off and pickup, Micromobility options offer cities another while others use smartphone apps to tool in fighting mobility deserts, by closing provide a dockless option. In both cases, "first and last mile" gaps for transit systems, each individual bike is used by many opening access to underserved populations different riders, multiple times a day. There and significantly broadening the pedestrian are several models for how these systems shed.2 More generally, they also add more are managed. The fleet of vehicles might options to multi-modal mobility systems. MICROMOBILITY VERSUS MICROTRANSIT? The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) defines microtransit as “a privately owned and operated shared transportation system that can offer fixed routes and schedules, as well as flexible routes and on-demand scheduling. The vehicles generally include vans and buses.” In addition to vans and buses, the past few years have seen the emergence of new modes that fit into this category, such as shared cars and low-speed autonomous shuttles. Occasionally, bikeshare systems are also classified as a form of microtransit. 6 Micromobility in Cities: A History and Policy Overview What Does It Mean for Cities? This buildout of alternative infrastructure puts city planners in a delicate spot. While The emergence of micromobility options many are optimistic and excited about new has inspired many cities to rethink the ways directions, others are experiencing the very in which their transportation infrastructure real tension between early-adopters and might accommodate alternative modes. the large contingent of commuters in cars, The expansion of bicycle infrastructure that who see this as a new, temporary trend accompanied the first wave of micromobility that could further clog the already busy unlocked opportunities for the current wave streets and rights of way in central business of dockless bikes and scooters to thrive. districts. City leaders and policy makers