Written by Katie Lidington
On 20th April 2021, over 40 members of Women in Transport gathered for a panel discussion on micromobility. The much-debated concept of micromobility and its subsequent use could change how people and goods move around cities, particularly for first and last mile journeys. Our four experts each shared a short presentation before the audience got a chance to ask questions.
What is micromobility and why does it matter?
Micromobility refers to small and light weight vehicles operating at speeds below 15mph. But how accessible are e-bikes, e-scooters and cargo bikes? And is this concept of micromobility a revolution or a distraction?
Micromobility types
With a UK population over 66 million, it’s fair to say that each of our travel behaviours are very different. Rachel Drapper, Fulbright Scholar and MBA Student at Harvard Business School shared that factors such as where you live, your age, gender and socio-economic background all play a big role in determining how you travel. And with 50% of car trips being less than 3 miles and 80% of car trips being less than 10 miles, private ownership of cars is not quite fit for purpose anymore.
Shared transport is here to stay and as an industry we need to understand why and what journeys are being made to provide an alternative solution to communities. From this, we can then determine what mode of transport we should be promoting.
A 2020 study by Javaid, Creutzig and Bamberg has shown that how we choose to travel is determined by three factors; our individual needs, how it is viewed socially and whether the infrastructure we need to travel is available to use. Generally, the biggest determining factor is how easily we can access the infrastructure.
Barriers to accessing micromobility… and benefits of encouraging its use
Lorna Stevenson, Active Travel Academy PhD student at the University of Westminster discussed how generally it is not a lack of micromobility options that deter people from using them. It’s usually because we buy transport to accommodate our biggest trip i.e., that one trip a year when we need a car with a huge boot to go on our family camping trip.
The car is still the world’s first mode of transport choice and for many, a car is still necessary to our daily lives. Micromobility can play a vital role in changing how people travel. So, how can we encourage a greater modal shift to other micromobility uses?
One reason is the obvious environmental benefits of alternative transport modes. Nathan Ashley, Senior Public Policy Manager at Voi Technology highlighted the benefits of e-scooters in helping to reduced traffic congestions, noise, CO2 emissions and improve air quality across our towns and cities in the infographic below.
The environmental and social cost of car-centric cities
And what about its potential to transport goods as well as people?
Grace Packard, Principal Consultant at Momentum Transport Consultancy discussed how cargo bikes are currently being used in our cities which has seen an increase in popularity perhaps due to wider public knowledge of the environmental benefits and the growing climate emergency. With increased battery technology and a growing understanding of city logistics these cargo bikes are now being used for multiple uses include, parcel services, construction, supermarket deliveries and so much more. The map below shows a study of the potential for cargo-bike delivery trips in London.
Potential cargo-bike delivery trips in London
Is infrastructure the missing piece of the jigsaw?
It was mentioned at the start of this blog that access to infrastructure was the biggest determining factor for how we choose to travel. The greatest barrier to using micromobility is the lack of dedicated infrastructure.
When creating new spaces, we need to think about how we use infrastructure changes to reflect peoples travel needs and design an inclusive environment which makes it easier for people to use a variety of transport modes for induvial and business purposes. This cannot be micromobility alone. The role public transport plays in mass transit is essential to a functioning community. Space is scarce so we need to create space for buses and trains to carry large volumes of people around a city. However, with better planning and design, there is certainly a role for shared micromobility as a crucial part of connecting with other transport networks to meet the broader transport needs of the community. Ultimately taking cars off the road. This is where micromobility can really add value.
So, is micromobility a revolution or a distraction?
Our panelists agreed that the concept of micromobility was not a revolution in itself. Bikes, for example have been around since the 1800s, they have just been improved by technology. Again, there was agreement that micromobility was not a distraction as they provide a flexible mobility solution to business and families and allow people to make the most convenient and equitable solutions for themselves.
For Grace Packard, “…the revolution is the personal move away from cars to other sustainable modes of transport. Education on sustainability has been a big factor in supporting this revolution”.
Has the above convinced you of the benefits of micromobility? If micromobility transport was more accessible and cost effective, would this be enough to change your travel behaviours? What do you believe are the barriers to using this technology where you live?
And as I am writing this for Women in Transport, what can we do as a profession to make micromobility more accessible for all?
We will be discussing these questions and many more at our next live networking session on Wednesday 12th May 2021.
If you are a Women in Transport member and missed the webinar – or you enjoyed it so much you want to listen again – a copy of the recording will be available in the May newsletter so keep your eyes peeled.
Annual membership of Women in Transport is £60 per year providing access to professional development and networking opportunities. We very much welcome guest blogs from our members - a great way to share the incredible diversity of opportunity in transport, raise your profile and connect with our community.
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