Tag Archive: road legal

  1. Bloomberg Philanthropies provides $100,000 grants for art-focused street redesign projects

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    Source: Zag Daily

    Bloomberg Philanthropies is expanding its Asphalt Art Initiative grants, increasing funding fourfold to support projects focused on traffic safety and public spaces that protect cyclists and pedestrians through asphalt art interventions.

    Asphalt art involves visually striking designs on roadways and pedestrian areas, using vibrant colours to enhance visibility and reduce collisions.

    Originally launched in 2019 for cities across North America and Europe, the initiative offered $25,000 grants. Now, Bloomberg Philanthropies, based in New York City, will provide grants of up to $100,000 to 10 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. for arts-driven street redesign projects.

    Incorporating art into street safety improvements affirms that city streets are used not only by drivers, but by pedestrians and cyclists too, and should be designed to accommodate all users safely,” said David Andersson, a member of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts Team, in an interview with Zag Daily.

    Based on the success of the initiative’s past projects, we have increased the grant size to $100,000 to invite even larger and more ambitious traffic safety and public space projects with the potential for catalytic impact.

    We want to support interventions that transform signature streets, create dynamic new pedestrian plazas, or enact other similarly transformative roadway redesigns.”

    To date, Bloomberg Philanthropies has backed 90 projects across North America and Europe, including the pedestrianisation of Times Square during Michael Bloomberg’s tenure as mayor. This project closed sections of Broadway to vehicular traffic, opened them to pedestrians, and transformed 2.5 acres of asphalt with vibrant murals, leading to a 35% drop in pedestrian injuries, a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and Times Square being named a top 10 global retail destination.

    A 2022 Bloomberg Philanthropies Safety Study of 22 asphalt art projects in the U.S. found a 50% reduction in crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists and a 27% increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians. These findings contributed to the inclusion of asphalt art in U.S. street design guidelines for the first time.

    All cities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. with populations of at least 50,000 are eligible to apply for the grant. Project teams must include a city agency or department as the lead applicant. Selected cities will receive technical support from Bloomberg Associates in collaboration with tactical urbanism firm Street Plans Collaborative and evaluation assistance from transportation firm Sam Schwartz.

    The selection criteria for applicants includes a project’s potential impact, viability, and quality and visual interest. Projects should be ambitious arts-driven street redesigns that address a meaningful and specific safety challenge, engage community members, and include metrics to measure success.

  2. Swifty Releases First and Only UK Road-Legal E-Scooter

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    Swifty Scooters, a leading British scooter manufacturer, is proud to announce the launch of a groundbreaking product that marks a significant milestone in British transportation history. Introducing the Swifty GO GT500, a revolutionary e-scooter that has received official approval for road use in the UK, setting a new standard in urban mobility.

    Unlike traditional e-scooters, the Swifty GO GT500 has achieved certification as a Stand-On Moped within the L1e category by the DVSA, underscoring its compliance with stringent safety and regulatory standards. This distinction positions the Swifty GO GT500 as a pioneering force in the e-scooter industry, demonstrating a commitment to both innovation and safety.

    With transport being the largest contributor to harmful emissions, and two-thirds of car journeys being less than 5 miles long, Swifty’s vehicles offer a clean, accessible and fun solution for urban and suburban travel.

    “If we’re going to convince people to swap car journeys for micromobility, vehicles need to be safe to ride, have cargo capacity, safe battery technology and be able to be easily serviced and repaired. The GT500 is easy to ride and extremely low-cost to run. It delivers on all points.” Co-founder Camilla Iftakhar

    Leading the way in battery safety

    The Swifty GO is the only e-scooter to be powered by Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) a technology that recently won the company ‘Best Start-Up 2023’ at the influential Micromobility Industries Summit in the USA. LFP, the battery chemistry also used by Tesla, not only contains no harmful heavy metals like Nickel and Cobalt, but importantly, LFP is not prone to thermal runaway, making the Swifty GO battery one of the safest on the market.

    The 15Ah LFP battery powers a 500W motor, can be fast-charged, and provides 25 miles of range. This makes the Swifty GO GT500 probably the cheapest mode of transport at only £0.006 per mile.

    “The introduction of the SwiftyGO GT500 signifies a pivotal moment in British transportation history. We take great pride in being the first company to manufacture a road-legal e-scooter in the UK. We are confident that this milestone of innovation will influence the future of sustainable transportation, both in the UK and beyond.” Co-founder Jason Iftakhar

    What’s the current legal status of e-scooters in the UK?

    Privately owned e-scooters are not legal to ride on UK roads. The GT500 is the first and only Stand-On Moped available in the UK (L1e category) and is available to pre-order now for summer delivery.

    Swifty GO GT500, price and key features 

    ●      RRP £3499

    ●      Max Speed: 24 mph / 38kph

    ●      Range: 25 miles / 40 km per charge

    ●      Motor: 500W rear hub motor

    ●      Battery: 36V LFP battery, 15Ah, 540Wh

    ●      Throttle: Grip twist

    ●      Fast charge

    ●      Weight including battery: 34kg

    ●      Max Load: 120kgs

    ●      Pannier racks included

    ●      Adjustable and foldable handlebars

    ●      Dual suspension

    ●      Wheel size: 16” (305mm) x 2.125” pneumatic tyres

    ●      Running costs: £0.006 per mile (16p per charge)

    Customers will need a CBT or motorcycle licence, motor insurance and a motorcycle helmet to ride the Swifty GO GT500 legally on UK roads.

    About Swifty Scooters

    Swifty is a leading British scooter manufacturer and has built a legacy of innovation in the adult scooter market since 2010. Swifty is on a mission to provide clean, inclusive and joyful vehicles which have an immediate impact on reducing road transport emissions. Founded by design entrepreneurs Camilla and Jason Iftakhar, Swifty Scooters export their products to 56 countries. The Swifty GO series is manufactured in the UK. 

    The Swifty GO project received grant funding from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), via the Advanced Propulsion Centre, supported by Innovate UK, facilitated by the Niche Vehicle Network.

    Motor Insurance  

    Details of the insurance offering with our chosen partner, eavi.uk are being finalised. They are a specialist provider of electric vehicle and micro mobility insurance. We’re told to expect premiums that will be in a similar pricing bracket to an annual e-moped policy.

    Voltse Mobility Limited

    Swifty Scooters worked in collaboration with micro mobility engineering consultancy Voltse Mobility Limited (VML) to bring the GO GT500 to market as UK’s first road-legal privately owned e-scooter. Through intensive research VML developed detailed knowledge of the build specifications required for e-scooters to achieve DVSA certification.

    Swifty Live Keynote will be broadcast on Thursday 28th March 7pm GMT via Youtube, for a a live Q and A. SwiftyScooters YouTube Link

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