Pilot programs can offer useful insight to decisionmakers, but they need to be done for the right reasons and with clear goals and plans.

Kristin Musulin reports on a recent policy brief about developing and executing mobility pilot programs as local governments look new technologies such as autonomous shuttles, dockless scooters, and ride sharing services.
Musulin talked to David Zipper, the author of the brief, about how pilot programs can be designed to best help officials and policymakers assessing the landscape of emerging mobility options.
Zipper says local governments need to identify clear goals for the projects, foster transparency that then builds credibility, and accept the outcomes. "If the hypothesis is not confirmed — if microtransit doesn't save money, or if scooters don't reduce car trips — I think it's terrific if the city can come out and say look, we ran the pilot, we collected the data, our hypothesis didn’t work out the way we thought. So now we’re going to make the appropriate decision."
Local governments also need to collect the right data and have the capacity to analyze it within their organizations or through partnerships, says Zipper. Pilot programs done for the right reasons can be extremely beneficial for a city as well as other cities considering similar programs and technologies.
"I would suggest that many times, the reasons that pilots happen have to do with what I would call FOMO [fear of missing out]. You have a city leader who wants to throw a technology on the street before peers do. I think it's a really bad habit and it can lead to wasted resources, dashed expectations and, in an absolutely worse case scenario, really unsafe technologies on the streets that can cause real damage," says Zipper.
FULL STORY: An urbanist's guide to creating effective mobility pilots

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie