Scooting to a new era in active transportation
Date:
March 3, 2022
Source:
Portland State University
Summary:
In recent years, shared electric scooters (e-scooters) have
taken cities by storm. But how are people using this new mode of
transportation? A new study has some interesting data to share on
e-scooter users. Self- reported safety behaviors didn't always
match with observations: the reported use of helmets (13% while
riding) far outweighed researchers' observations in Salt Lake City
(2% of riders) or Tucson (2% of riders).
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In recent years, shared electric scooters (e-scooters) have taken
cities around the world by storm. But how are people using this new
mode of transportation? Seeking to understand the potential impacts
of e-scooters on land use, infrastructure and sustainability goals,
researchers have some new interesting data to share on e-scooter users, exploring the interplay between demographics, behaviors and trip purposes.
========================================================================== Funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC)
and led by Kristina Currans and Nicole Iroz-Elardo of the University of
Arizona and Reid Ewing of the University of Utah, the study combines a
user survey with on- the-ground observations to characterize the use and
safety of e-scooters. The research team also included students Dong-ah
Choi, Brandon Siracuse, and Torrey Lyons of the University of Utah and
Quinton Fitzpatrick and Julian Griffee of the University of Arizona. The
final report offers insights into what drives the behaviors of people
using e-scooters, as well as those walking, biking and driving when
e-scooters are present.
Gathering Data On E-Scooter Users Along with a literature review and
a review of existing agency regulations, the researchers analyzed
results from an online survey, administered through the City of
Tucson in the winter of 2019-2020 (prior to COVID-19 lockdowns
later that spring). The online survey gathered information on stated preferences (e.g. whether people reported riding on the sidewalk, or
at night) and whether e-scooters were substituted for other modes of transportation. Additionally, they looked for information on how crash experiences corresponded with demographics and riding behaviors.
Next came on-the-ground data collection. Researchers and students
observed people riding e-scooters in Tucson in January of 2020; this data collection effort was soon curtailed by COVID-19 related lockdowns. In
Salt Lake City, the team conducted observations in Fall 2020 and
Spring 2021, once e-scooter trips began rebounding. They examined how transportation infrastructure - - specifically bike lanes, the presence
of light rail, and the size of the facility -- relates to observations of non-optimal behaviors for different mode users (e-scooters, bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers), and those behaviors for e-scooter users
included:
* riding on sidewalks, * riding in vehicle travel lanes, * violating
traffic signals, * distracted riding, * riding without a helmet, *
having two or more passengers on one scooter, or * leaving a scooter
parked improperly (for example blocking the sidewalk).
Researchers also recorded the behavior of cyclists, pedestrians and
drivers.
For more details on the observation protocols and the study sites,
see chapter four of the final report.
==========================================================================
How Does Infrastructure Influence Travel Behavior? For both e-scooters
and bicycles, the type of infrastructure can affect how people ride. Based
on observations, a few patterns emerged:
* When bike lanes were available, e-scooter riders generally used the
sidewalks less.
* When light rail tracks were present, sidewalk riding happened
at similar
rates with and without bike lanes.
* On wider roads, e-scooter and bicycle users both significantly
gravitated
towards sidewalks.
Researchers chose their study sites in order to understand how
infrastructure related to behavior for different mode users. They
collected data at 5 different types of intersections in Salt Lake City.
The researchers presented a poster on this at TRB 2022: Effects of
Intersection Design on Non-Optimal Behaviors of E-Scooter and Other
Users. While the presence of multimodal infrastructure does matter,
inadequate separation from larger automobile facilities may outweigh the
use of "appropriate" facilities in the decision making process. This
suggests that more optimal behaviors are likely to occur not where
permitted, but where infrastructure provided is perceived to be safe.
Demographics also play a role: In terms of crash experiences, older
respondents (40-60 years old) were much less likely to have experienced
a crash compared with younger riders (<30 years of age).
========================================================================== Other E-Scooter Behaviors With the advent of a new form of transportation, there are many different behaviors to consider with regards to safety,
how users might combine with other modes, and how to end their trips on
these micromobility devices.
Helmets Helmets are legally required for e-scooter riders. Not
surprisingly perhaps, the reported use of helmets in the survey (21%
at least some of the time and 13% while riding) far outweighs the
researchers' observations in Salt Lake City (2%) or Tucson (2%).
Trip Types A substantial portion of e-scooter riding in Tucson appears to
be supporting more recreational travel. In fact, e-scooter trips appeared
to generate new restaurant activities. This finding is commensurate
with other research which indicates that active transportation travelers
tend to spend more money at convenience stores, drinking establishments
and restaurants.
E-scooter trips that were substituting for transit travel were more
frequent for people with lower incomes or who were older than 30 years
of age, but especially for those older than 60 years of age.
Parking Of the 292 total parked e-scooters observed in Tucson, 76% of all e-scooters were well parked. 17% were improperly parked, and approximately
7% were questionably parked (meaning either there was ambiguity about
the rules or a lack of context in the photo). Each vendor has their
own mechanisms to educate chargers and riders about properly parking
scooters; it is likely that parking might vary by vendor. Parking may
also vary greatly in neighborhoods without designated parking zones.
Implications for Policy and Practice The findings from this study can be
used to inform policy and practice in a myriad of ways. The safety and infrastructure-related findings can help decision-makers to prioritize
and revise regulations and requirements for new micro-mobility options in mid-sized cities. The information on usage behavior can help practitioners advance the integration of new technologies into transportation systems
to improve overall safety and performance. Finally, the insights with
regard to modal substitution may provide evidence to support considering micro-mobility options as a feasible strategy for reducing the greenhouse
gas emissions of short-trip travel.
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Portland_State_University. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
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Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220303191451.htm
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