At the beginning of 2017, few people in the United States could have predicted the quick rise to prominence of dockless bike share companies. Even fewer could have predicted what would happen next.
At first, the signs of the electric scooter revolution were apparent in a few progressive-leaning corners of the country. It might be hard at this point to recall, despite the relatively recent history of the events described here, but electric scooters followed shortly after a wave of dockless bike share expansion. Just a few months earlier, dockless bike share seemed like an alien concept. The first reports from China told massive piles of misused dockless bikes, a blight that had once been for rent.
Once the electric scooters started showing up on streets all over the country, however, the dockless revolution finally had teeth in the United States. Now, finally, electric scooters have taken a bite of their forebears. Katie Pyzyk reports that dockless bike share companies are quietly ditching the bikes in favor of scooters. No one could have predicted such a conclusion for this particularly story. The swift pace of these sea changing events are enough to make one wonder if more change is sure to follow, and soon.
Here's the latest from the world of electric scooters. If you're looking for more on how this shocking tale of alternative transportation market disruption played out, see the Planetizen archive of electric scooter media briefs dating back to mid-2018.
National Commentary
- The Hot New Thing in Dockless Electric Scooters: Docks (CityLab, March 13)
- Op-Ed: Save Commuters From More Delays with Smart Rules for Scooters (Streetsblog USA, March 20)
- The scooter wars are actually a century old (Fast Company, March 23)
- States seek to curb chaos unleashed by electric scooter boom (The Washington Post, March 27)
National News
- UK's review of mobility rules could clear the way for scooters (Smart Cities Dive, March 20)
- Bye-bye, bikes? Many mobility companies quietly shift their focus to scooters (Smart Cities Dive, April 8)
Local News
- Electric scooters will come to Brookline this spring (The Boston Globe, March 13)
- Who Charges All Those Electric Scooters? Follow A Nocturnal 'Juicer' (KUOW, March 13)
- How many are riding e-scooters in Cincinnati and what’s next for them? (Cincinnati Business Courier)
- E-scooters may return April 26, Portland says, with new regulations geared to curb sidewalk riding (The Oregonian, March 25)
- Here’s how to report scooters that block LA sidewalks (Curbed LA, March 25)
- Who wants more scooters in Dallas? Lyft does, and here's why it's joining a congested market (The Dallas Morning News, March 28)
- With an uneven start, Brookline launches an electric scooter pilot program (The Boston Globe, April 1)
- After another serious scooter crash in Austin, should scooter riders be required to wear helmets? (KVUE, April 2)
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Transit app releases data on e-scooter use in DC (Smart Cities Dive, April 5)
Local Commentary
- Where are the scooters? Let’s learn from Brookline pilot and get a move on them (The Boston Globe, March 22)
- In effort to regulate electric scooters, lawmakers are so far dockless (SaportaReport, March 25)
The State of the Micromobility Industry
The North American Bikeshare Association released the first-ever state of the industry report for active forms of micromobility—i.e., bike share and electric scooter rental companies.
NACTO Releases Updated Guidelines for Shared Micromobility
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) is providing guidance for cities struggling to reckon with the sudden evolution of transportation modes in urban areas.
Lyft Pulls Micromobility From Los Angeles Area
The company will no longer provide shared bikes and scooters in the L.A. region, citing a ‘lack of longterm commitment’ from cities.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
Knoxville Dedicates $1M to New Greenway
The proposed greenway would run along North Broadway and connect to 125 miles of existing trails.
Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot
The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.
NYC Delivery ‘Microhubs’ Aim to Cut Down on Truck Pollution
The hubs are designed to provide parking for large delivery trucks, which can pass on their cargo to bikes or other zero-emission vehicles.
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