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Within the last couple of years, electric scooters have become more and more popular. Electric scooters are now a common sight and can be seen on just about every pavement or street from the popular cities in Paris to Bangkok to even Lima. When combined with bike hire companies, they’re the fastest-growing option for transportation.
Hence, they are now the most environmentally friendly alternative form of transportation. However, these are used on a self-serve basis and they are used for most short-term transit. As of July 4th 2020, several cities in the UK have been able to use hire services for electric scooters with it still being illegal for persons to use them privately. In Ireland, electric scooters are on the way to fully becoming legal – a game changer for micro transport in the nation.
The masses in support of electric scooters voice their concerns stating that it will reduce the number of cars on the roadways. In essence, this ensures that cities are quieter, cleaner, and even safer. However, many others state that electric scooters actually pose a serious health and safety hazard especially when they’re used in a dock less hire system. In 2025, it is expected that the global market is expected to peak to over £20bn.
How Will Electric Scooters Help Cities?
More and more megacities around the globe are facing a constant and increasing crisis of pollution and congestion. All of this is since high urbanization rates are causing a rapid increase in gridlock issues which add to the already burdened public transportation system. Research has indicated that up to 46% of traffic within the US is caused by vehicles that travel less than three miles.
However, implementing micro-mobility solutions could significantly alter the gridlock issue. As such, INRIX data indicates that the average citizen spent roughly 42 hours in congestion as of 2014.
Do Cities Really Want Micro-Mobility Solutions?
Simply put, the answer to this all depends on the city that you’re asking. Most tend to agree with the solution of micro-mobility as a means of reducing the traffic congestion at prime time and they’re beyond thrilled. However, the main concern that they have is the safety of electric scooters, and whether or not cities are ready to support an overload of these vehicles.
One of the most common concerns that keep coming up is parking in unwanted areas. However, authorities are questioning if a modification to the bike lanes is enough to keep electric scooter riders safe while leaving the sidewalk open to pedestrians. As such, micro-mobility companies are working hand in hand with cities around the globe to combat these issues with the inclusion of electronic geo-zones.
These zones are geared at protecting riders from riding and parking in unwanted zones around the city. This also aims to prevent riders from riding on the sidewalks. With that said, e-scooter manufacturers are ensuring that riders be over 18 years and they are required to have a valid permit before they can ride.
Municipal companies such as Remix and Swiftly are planning to aid cities with bus plans so that vehicles can be tracked in real-time. This promotes the development of transportation dashboards that allow authorities to properly track and even monitor all micro-mobility vehicles. This even allows them to determine where these vehicles are at all times.
While it may take some time for this system to come on stream, most cities strongly believe that the addition of micro-mobility companies will do more good than harm. With the cooperation, data analytics, and intelligent regulations cities will more than be accepting of these solutions.
In conclusion, no matter what everyone’s point of view is, significant data suggests that society is in dire need of a last-mile solution. This solution should be geared towards reducing congestion and pollution among large and growing cities. Time alone will tell if the use of e-scooters, dockless bikes, and other new and crafty modes of transportation will be a success!
