Cities should expect to see increases in automobile trips, and resulting consequences, if they ban or limit the use of electric scooters or other micromobility devices, according to new research.
According to research published via open access by the journal Nature Energy, banning the use of micromobility devices (i.e., electric scooters) at night leads to a large increase in automobile trips.
The research generated reports findings of a natural experiment in Atlanta, where the city set geofences on rented scooters to disable their operation at night—“guaranteeing near perfect compliance.”
“Evidence from a natural experiment in [Atlanta] shows increases in travel time of 9–11% for daily commuting and 37% for large events,” according to the study's authors.
As noted in the study's literature review, prior research into micromobility has revealed little about the effects of the mode's adoption on automobile traffic. Findings have focused instead on loss of public transit trips as a result of shared micromobility. Notably, scooters have the opposite effect on mode share when compared to ride-hailing companies, which displace riders from public transit and active modes like biking and walking.
Read the full story: Impacts of micromobility on car displacement with evidence from a natural experiment and geofencing policy
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