Months after ending a program to help cities fund transportation infrastructure improvements, a company official says city governments were misusing the funds.
"Micromobility firm Bird quietly phased out a program to help cities pay for protected bike lanes and improve infrastructure earlier this year over concerns about how the money was being spent," reports Jason Plautz.
Maurice Henderson, the company’s director of government partnerships, confirmed the news at the Colorado Smart Cities Symposium, held in Denver in August.
"The program had been established to set aside $1 per scooter per day to pay for bike lane maintenance," according to Plautz.
Angie Schmitt broke the news of the program's demise in January.
"Henderson said during a panel discussion that the company found 'most cities were taking the dollars they were getting out of the program and plugging budget holes as opposed to plugging potholes.'"
FULL STORY: Bird shutters bike lane program due to misuse of funds
Scooter-Share Company Tosses Financial Reports
Bird was counting money in customers’ digital “wallets” as revenue, and has admitted that financial statements from 2020 and 2021 “should no longer be relied upon.”
Micromobility Growing in Smaller Cities
Shared mobility services are proliferating in small towns and cities, despite the regulatory hiccups operators have been experiencing in larger markets.
E-Scooters Are Coming to New York City
Major micromobility comapnies and lesser known competitors are stating their interest to take part in a New York City e-scooter pilot program slated for Spring 2021.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)