ITS Monday: Edition 34, 2023

Cyclists and pedestrian deaths rise on Australian roads

The stats for August are in, and they tell a sad tale. Across the country fatalities are up 8% set against last year, with things in NSW and SA particularly bad with a 20% rise. For cyclists and pedestrians the numbers are far worse.

Related iMOVE project: Safer cycling and street design: A guide for policymakers

Related iMOVE project outcome: Smart bike lights, data, and improved cyclist safety

‘Moto-normativity’: why cycling professor wants Australians to rethink how we use our roads

A couple of weeks ago Professor Marco te Brommelstroet took issue with the liveability of Melbourne roads as pertaining to cycling, this week he’s broadened out the call about the health of Australian roads in general. “te Brömmelstroet wants Australians to arrive at the realisation themselves: that redesigning our streets for more bikes, pedestrians and non-car uses are logical answers to stubborn societal problems such as poor physical and mental health, road safety, traffic and even loneliness.”

Related iMOVE content: Active Transport

Augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, and Activity Pub for access and mobility

The latest from David Levinson‘s Transportist blog, looking at all of the new technologies in the article title that start with the letter A. “These emerging technologies present a promising future where everyone, irrespective of their physical abilities or geographical location, can navigate the world with greater ease and efficiency. While challenges regarding infrastructure, technology adoption, and data privacy still need to be addressed, the potential benefits these technologies bring to transport accessibility and mobility are undeniable.”

Stirling to test Australia’s first trackless tram

Last week I was involved in a somewhat robust online discussion about the aptness of the name trackless tram. I think the nomenclature is the least important aspect of this, and it’s good to see that the WA city of Stirling has progressed to the stage of testing this new form of transport. The city s trialling a trackless tram along Scarborough Beach Road. The trial will commence in a few weeks, and will run through the month of November.

On demand transport to hit Toowoomba

This new service began on 25 September, operating in seven key locations in Toowoomba including shopping, employment, and healthcare centres. “Key locations will have fixed pick up and drop off points, other pickup points across the roam zone may vary as they will not be restricted to using fixed bus stops or signage. This flexible approach is aimed at enhancing convenience and choice for customers.”

Crowdshipping for sustainable urban logistics: A systematic review of the literature

A new paper, co-authored by Seyed Sina Mohri , Hadi Ghaderi, Neema Nassir, and Russell G. Thompson. “Crowd-Shipping (CS)solutions have been gaining popularity in industry and academia. Despite numerous CS platforms having been introduced in the real world, only a limited number of them have managed to remain viable. Academics have explored many challenges facing CS platforms and recommended appropriate solution measures. While the growing literature sporadically indicates “economic”, “environmental” or even “societal” benefits of CS initiatives, there is a lack of systematic and conclusive understanding of CS initiatives from these essential “sustainability perspectives”.”

Second phase of London e-scooter trial goes live

“Over the past two years, Transport for London and London Councils have worked with participating London boroughs and operators to improve the use of geofencing technology and increase the number of parking bays, with more than 600 parking bays now available across the trial area. This effort to improve the customer experience for rental e-scooter users will continue throughout this next phase. The trial currently runs in 10 London boroughs who have chosen to take part. The next phase with Dott, Lime and Voi will see an expansion in coverage, including to the south of Lambeth with around 190 new parking bays later in 2023.”

Related iMOVE content: Micromobility

Many e-scooters and e-bikes ‘treated just like bikes’ under new Irish law

Staying with e-scooters, Ireland has hatched a plan to deal with the misuse of this new transport mode. “According to Mr Faughnan, this new legislation around the speed and power of electric scooters and bikes follows a trend in most European countries. “Everybody agrees they can use cycle tracks,” he said. “Everybody agrees they cannot use pavements. “Nobody on the globe is demanding that they have registration plates and license nonsense.” 

The MaaS Alliance and Google establish a new partnership

A press release from the MaaS Alliance. “Driven by the organisations’  shared intentions, the partnership will explore possibilities to help more people make more sustainable choices when getting from A to B by increasing visibility and enhancing the user experience for a variety of sustainable transport modes; for example public transport, walking and shared bikes among other efforts. The MaaS Alliance actively engages with like-minded stakeholders who share our vision of fostering sustainable transportation to help tackle the pressing global climate crisis.”

Related iMOVE content: Mobility as a Service in Australia