[BoulderCouncilHotline] The Future of Transporation

[Grano, Jill]

Dear Council and Hotline Followers,


Over the past two weeks, I have had the incredible opportunity to attend two outstanding conferences: LA CoMotion on Future Mobility (https://www.lacomotion.com/) and Meeting of the Minds Summit (https://meetingoftheminds.org<https://meetingoftheminds.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqJTn8-X63gIVUB-tBh2OeA-dEAAYASAAEgITg_D_BwE>). I am writing to report to the community what I learned.


Given that 100% of CoMotion was focused on mobility and 7 of the panels or speakers at MOTM were on mobility, this email will focus on future mobility.  I will send a second email with additional insights into other topics at a later date.


First, a few disclaimers:


  1.  There are many different opinions on all topics presented.  I have tried for convey information that leaders have broad agreement on.
  2.  Please do not interpret this email as me advocating that the City of Boulder should immediately take all of these steps or adopt all of this technology at once. This is simply the information I have learned ... for mobility geeks, much of this won't come as a surprise.
  3.  As a mother of two children, I drive quite a bit. I know how difficult it is to break the habit of driving, however, I have come away from these conferences with an incredible conviction around driving and a firm belief that we all need to move away from driving as often - and quickly - as possible.  That said, I have purchased an electric bike with a kid carrier and an electric scooter which I plan to use as frequently as possible.  (Prior to this I had purchased an electric golf cart and used it around town, until I realized that Boulder does not - in fact - have very tolerant laws for alternative modes of transportation (http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_31963281/boulders-regs-put-brakes-many-golf-carts) P.S. This will be something we need to address quickly, according to the experts.  Golf Carts 2.0 are coming soon to a city near you!)


With that, let's begin!


FUTURE MOBILITY (The Future of Transportation)


WIDELY AGREED UPON IDEAS & PREDICTIONS


Electric (EVs) and Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) vehicles will replace gas vehicles (VERY soon).  Additionally, Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) will replace driver vehicles (sooner than we may think ... they are already on the road in many places in the US).  EVs and HFCs will be great for addressing carbon emissions, and AVs will dramatically reduce vehicle related deaths and will improve efficiency.  That said, if EVs, HFCs, and AVs all remain Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOVs), or even family vehicles, then this will do NOTHING to reduce traffic. The population in the United States will continue to rise - from 325 million presently to 438 million in 2050 - and therefore traffic will continue to get worse (stopping growth in cities isn’t an option because sprawl has devastating effects on the environment and anti-growth measure contribute heavily to the affordable housing crisis). City policy CANNOT solely focus on encouraging alternative fuel vehicles.  City policy MUST be focused on: 1. getting people out of their cars, 2. mass transit for all, 3. more robust and accessible car share programs, 4. regulations that encourage first and last mile + alternative electric modes of transportation (there's a war over what these modes will be called, "Micro-Mobility" and "Light Electric Vehicle" are strong contenders, but for the sake of this email, I will call them an already known term: Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs)... these include electric bikes, scooters, personal mobility pods (golf carts 2.0), one wheels, etc.  These modes typical travel up to about 20 miles per hour).


Historically, streets were built for everyone.  Take a stroll down Market Street in San Fran in 1906<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q5Nur642BU> - walkers, horse-and-buggy, cars, street cars, and cyclists all shared the road (Pearl Street was much like Market Street).  As we all know, our streets look very different today.  Since the 1930s or so, car drivers have thought of streets as being exclusively for them.  City leaders must work to break this paradigm.  Streets are a public good, meant to serve the entire public... children, adults, elderly, the disabled, etc... All modes should have room on the road: mass transit, jitneys, walkers, bikers, scooters, wheelchairs, golf-carters, one-wheelers, personal mobility poders, and more.  Anyone moving sustainably and in a way that does not harm nor unduly inhibit others: that's who our streets are for! Cities must once again reclaim their streets (one of their most valuable public resources) for the public good. (This means "right-sizing," as we call it in Boulder, but on steroids! Sorry everyone that hates right-sizing, this isn't just my opinion... this is where every single industry leader says we are headed sooner or later).


Finally - and this genuinely not meant as a threat, but rather a reality:  if cities and individuals fail to adopt two dimensional mass transit and alternative modes like NEVs, and therefore traffic continues to proliferate, then consumers will look to three dimensional transit.  Autonomous Aerial Vehicles (AAVs) are a reality.  They are already deployed (highly selectively) in Dubai ... check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbImqlqdozk.) With geofencing, streets in the sky can - and many say will - be created.


Everyone seems to agree that there's a "chicken and egg" problem with future mobility. Should cities build the infrastructure and services first (before public/political will or consumer demand is there), or should cities wait until things get really bad and then public/political will and consumer demand will change out of necessity?  Many believe that a hybrid approach - a sort-of ratcheting up - should be taken.  Cities should make a change (in infrastructure, services, and policy), then allow people to adjust.  Then make another change, allow people to adjust, etc...  An oft repeated mantra was" "Think Big, Start Small."


Everyone recognizes the intrinsic interconnectedness between housing and mobility. There is broad agreement - at least among the people at these conferences - that parcels along major transit corridors should be up-zoned  (many cities are already doing this), and that parking minimums should be abolished and instead we should move to parking maximums, plus requirements for free mass transit passes for all residents on-site, on-site car shares, and on-site NEV shares (electric bikes, scooters, personal mobility pods, etc).


Finally, there is a lot of emphasis on fun, play, sharing, and community connection.  The phrase "Put Play Everywhere" was used often. How can we make transit more enjoyable, more playful, more equitable, more connected to each other?  This emphasis was echoed through almost every category discussed.  More neighborhood gardens, more civic areas that include games and unique features that people want to gather around, more housing developments that encourage communal living and interaction with each other, more enjoyable ways to move around, etc.  Among almost everyone who spoke or that I spoke with, there was a move away from "me and mine" to "ours." There was also a move from "don't try anything odd or different" to "let's try everything that's odd or different."


p.s. Companies like Toyota are already reinventing themselves as "Mobility Companies" rather than "Car Companies."


Here are some current happenings, future expectations, and recommended steps for community leaders (some of which we are already doing).


Mass Transit

  *   Cities should work to make mass transit faster than car travel. This means dedicating lanes solely for mass transit, using technology to enhance user interaction with mass transport, and intentionally making driving more costly and slow (take away lanes for drives, charge tolls on roads, increase registration fees, etc.)
  *   Cities should convert all of their mass transit to EV (or HFC). LA plans to have all busses be electric by 2030.
  *   Some cities are working to make all of their mass transit free. The entire country of Estonia, for example, has free mass transit.
  *   AVs fit very naturally into mass transit because they can be easily programed to follow certain routes. They link well with apps that can show real time location as well.  Lincoln, Nebraska is experimenting with AVs for public transit (https://lincoln.ne.gov/city/pworks/shuttle/)
  *   There was a lot of talk about cities using smaller, more frequent vehicles for mass transit. Check out the video on the Lincoln website that I linked above. Many leaders predict that this smaller size will be more popular than large busses, especially on downtown routes.  (I had a chance to ride in that exact AV at the CoMotion conference.)
  *   NEV hubs - or "Mobility Hubs" - should be located close to mass transit hubs and popular stops (including business and shopping centers)
  *   The benefits of getting the public to use mass transit, coupled with NEVs are: lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduced traffic, quieter neighborhood streets, few traffic deaths, increased equality (among income groups, disabled, and elderly), economic opportunity, more community connection, and more.



 NEVs (or whatever name ends up winning)

  *   Policy and infrastructure (safe, dedicated street space) that encourages NEVs is necessary if we want people to get out of their cars
  *   Cities should use funds that are charged to cars (tolls, registration, etc) to help subsidize individual purchases of NEVs, on a sliding income scale (of course).
  *   All NEVs that stay below a certain MPH (often 20-25) should be embraced. To embrace only "active NEVs" - like bikes - is discriminatory against a number of different user groups who find it difficult or impossible to use active NEVs.  This is where are laws around golf carts come in.  Whether golf carts or personal mobility pods, or whatever else the future holds, they should be able to share the road with electric bikes, provided they are electric and do not go over a certain MPH
  *   Electric Scooters: Companies that dumped electric scooters into cities have really changed their tune and have dialed in their product and services.  Cities can now use geo-fencing to dictate where scooters can and cannot go.  If a scooter goes into a geo-fenced area, it will stop or dramatically slow down and beep.  It is now possible to have electric scooter hubs that uses must return scooters to or else they will continue being charged. Finally, electric scooters now have built-in GPS that track the route and distance of each ride. Cities can require companies to share this user information with them and can glean valuable data from user patterns that emerge
  *   Developments - whether commercial or residential - should prioritize parking spaces for NEVs and Car Share just behind priority spaces for handicap parking. Electric car parking priority should be behind NEV and Car Share priority.
  *   NEV hubs should be prioritized around town


Car Share

  *   Yes, use it, do more of it, make them electric!
  *   Tons of companies popping up in this arena because car share is an important way to wean us all from our car addiction
  *   Require more businesses (office space), and residential developments to have on-site car share.  Couple this with parking reductions.


Parking

  *   Unbundle!
  *   There's a high cost to free parking! Make parking more expensive. This is not regressive IF public transport is as fast, accessible, and reliable as driving
  *   As stated above, de-couple parking requirements from housing units
  *   As stated above, prioritize parking for NEVs, car shares, then electric cars.


Freight

  *   Off-hour freight transport/delivery was discussed often
  *   AVs being used for freight was discussed often


Additional Thoughts

  *   It was often repeated that civic leaders should not be afraid to "fail forward" and that civic leaders should empower their staff to make mistakes and then stand behind staff.
  *   We should begin to think about zoning for the future.  For example, gas stations will likely become fewer and farther between. How will those lots be zoned?
  *   Parking garages will be used less frequently. How will those be zoned?
  *   AVs will require their own garages that are utilitarian and can be located out of prime downtown areas. Where will those be?
  *   Cities should bring private partners into conversation. Almost anything is possible right now. Cities must define their goals and then bring in the private sector to help fulfill them.


I am probably missing so much here (most notably links to all of the cool companies and services out there), but as for the information download, that seems to cover my notes and memory for now. Please ask questions! I am so excited to discuss this with anyone who wants to.  I came into these conferences admittedly knowing little about future mobility and now it is something I am passionate about.  I plan to continue diving in.  Let's dive together!


Warmly,


Jill


[https://www.bing.com/th?id=OVP.-UXSUZb8oOVS3h7NZ5pY9gEsDh&pid=Api]<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbImqlqdozk>

Flying Cars in Dubai<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbImqlqdozk>
www.youtube.com
#Dubai to operate the first Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) capable of carrying a human this July. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with the Chinese EHANG Company, announced that it had carried out the first test run of an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) capable of carrying a human, branded as EHANG184 in Dubai skies ...





[http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site21/2018/0622/20180622__23dcagolw~1.jpg]<http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_31963281/boulders-regs-put-brakes-many-golf-carts>

Boulder regulations put brakes on many golf carts on city streets - Boulder Daily Camera<http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_31963281/boulders-regs-put-brakes-many-golf-carts>
www.dailycamera.com
University of Colorado junior Coral Verkaik walks past a parked golf cart in front of The Sink on Thursday on University Hill in Boulder. (Jeremy Papasso / Staff Photographer)



[https://www.lacomotion.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Website-Thumbnail-3-19.png]<https://www.lacomotion.com/>

Home - LA CoMotion<https://www.lacomotion.com/>
www.lacomotion.com
LA CoMotion Mobility Festival Nov. 17, 2018 LA CoMotion Mobility Festival is an immersive event open for the general public to watch and experience the most exciting new mobility technologies in the world. Find out More




Jill Adler Grano

Boulder City Council

granoj at bouldercolorado.gov

303-917-6810


"The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There's no innocence. Either way, you're accountable."
-Arundhati Roy

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