Posts by Phil Latz
The Stark Politics of Vehicle Choice Revealed
San Diego, California In wealthy western countries, apart from avid cyclists and inner city dwellers of major cities, most residents are virtually compelled by their nation’s planning decisions and resultant built environment, to purchase and drive some sort of vehicle, at least for some of their journeys. We’ve seen interesting studies before about personality characteristics of typical purchasers of certain…
First Data Shows Scooter Share in Canberra is Booming
Canberra, ACT Take a quick visit to the centre of Canberra on any sunny day and you’ll immediately notice e-scooters being ridden in every direction. The purple Beam and orange Neuron scooter-share schemes were launched in September 2020 as we previously reported. Each company was given permission to deploy up to 750 scooters in Canberra. On 9th April 2021 ACT Minister for…
Another Bike Share Scheme Launches in New York City
New York City, New York, USA In New York City, the dominant micromobility option is Citi Bike, the official bike-sharing system of the city. Other transit alternatives aren’t as easy to come by, thanks to complex permit processes for companies looking to station vehicles in public spaces. E-scooter companies Bird, Lime, and Veo, for instance, will launch…
Shimano Launches First e-Cargo Specific Drive Units
Osaka, Japan On 27 April Shimano announced the launch of two new e-Cargo drive unit models, advancing its position in the e-Bike market. The EP8 and E6100 cargo-specific drive units come with built-in features designed for powering heavy loads. The two models, which previously existed for other bicycle types, will now come in specific cargo variations known as…
Rail Trail Benefits Shine Through in New Video
Tumbarumba, NSW Bicycle NSW, Rail Trails Australia and Rail Trails for NSW have collaborated to produce an excellent five minute video that gives a compelling argument for the benefits of new rail trails. A wide range of local business owners and council members give their first-hand experience of the impacts upon their businesses and community since the Tumbarumba…
China’s Largest Bike Share Files for USA Float
China Hello, China’s largest bike-share provider, recently filed information in preparation for its U.S. IPO (initial public offering). After three consecutive years of losses, the Ant-backed micromobility giant plans to raise as much as US$1 billion (A$1.3 billion) through its public offering. As of the end of 2020, Hello had 10 million two-wheelers across 400 cities with approximately 100m active users in China. In 2020 it facilitated 5.1 billion bike trips, generating an average of US$0.17 (A$0.22) per ride –…
New York City and London Commence Scooter Trials
New York City, New York, USA and London, UK New York City’s days as one of the last remaining holdouts in the dockless electric scooter boom is finally at an end. The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the selection of Bird, Lime, and VeoRide as the participants in its inaugural e-scooter pilot. The companies are expected to…
Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway Options Kept Secret
Sydney, NSW As of April 2021, plans for Sydney Harbour Bridge’s long-awaited northern cycleway are being deliberately withheld from the general public partly because the state government can’t cope with the volume of expected feedback. Despite remaining largely silent on their plans, three years since community opposition sidelined the project, transport bureaucrats say releasing a range of…
Latest Data Documents Massive Cycling Growth in UK
London, UK Pedal cycles travelled five billion miles (8 billion kilometres) on Great Britain’s roads in 2020, 45.7% further than in the previous year, according to statistics from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT). This is the highest level of cycling on public roads since the 1960s, the DfT said. Pedal cycle traffic saw its highest monthly levels in 2020 during April and May,…
Beam Gets Proactive Ahead of Melbourne Scooter Decision
Melbourne, Victoria In late April, the Victorian Government announced it will undertake a trial to understand how e-scooters can be safely incorporated into the transport network. It will commence later this year and run for up to a year in three council areas chosen through a targeted expression of interest process, regulated by the Department…