Tag Archive: traffic

  1. Irish e-scooter legislation changes welcomed

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    Source: Zag Daily

    An important new step in the legal recognition of e-scooters in Ireland has been welcomed by shared-micromobility companies. Signed by Irish President Michael Higgins, The Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 includes “powered personal transporters”, a category representative of e-scooters. More details on the requirements for private and shared e-scooters on Irish roads will follow.

    CEO and Founder of shared-mobility data solutions provider Anadue, Mike Manchip, commented to Zag Daily, “It has been a long time coming, and it’s a very positive move for Ireland”, further mentioning, “There is a need for local authorities and shared e-scooter companies to coordinate how to deploy shared e-scooter services that are sustainable.”

    Operators

    Head of Public Policy for Bolt Ireland, Aisling Dunne, welcomed the news of the legislation being signed into law. “We are now waiting for the publication of the regulations, which will contain greater details on the vehicle standards and user behaviour,” said Dunne. “We will continue to work with local councils and look forward to shared schemes launching before the end of the year.”

    Lime, a relative newcomer to the Irish market with a Castlebar-based scheme, also recognised the legislation. Senior Public Affairs Manager, Hal Stevenson, commented, “We look forward to working with Irish cities and transport partners to build on our existing successful operations here.”

    Also in support was Jessica Hall, Tier’s Head of Public Policy for the UK and Ireland. Tier initially launched its first full scale e-bike scheme in 2022 in Fingal, Ireland, while an e-scooter trial has been in operation on private land at DCU for the past two years. Commenting to Zag Daily, Hall had confidence that the legislation offered a sustainable alternative to the car, “With proper legislation the public can feel secure in the knowledge that the vehicles they ride are legal and law enforcement can focus on anti-social behaviour and illegal vehicles.”

    Hall went on to say, “We are well placed to ensure these new vehicles are introduced safely. We are excited to be able to offer e-scooters alongside our existing docked push bikes and e-bikes and dockless e-bikes and e-cargo bikes, to cater to the unique transport needs each town or city presents.”

    Also commenting to Zag was Irish firm Zeus’s CEO, Damien Young: “As Ireland’s largest and only homegrown scooter company, we have worked closely with local councils for several years. This legislation represents a significant step towards embracing sustainable mobility solutions, and Zeus is committed to playing a role in this positive transition.”

    Regulation

    Ireland’s Road Traffic and Roads Bill currently allows “powered personal transporters” on roads, which must adhere to limits of 25 km/h and 0.5 kilowatts of maximum continuous rated power. A second piece of legislation will deliver more details.

  2. Harmful noise pollution impacts 60 million Europeans at home

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    Source: Mayor.eu, Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov

    The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) releases figures obtained from the study of 749 continental cities, projecting potential health detriment.

    ISGlobal recently shared its noise pollution findings via the Environment International Journal, highlighting that 60 million people across Europe are negatively impacted by noise pollution. View the full breakdown of observed cities here.

    The main cause of environmental noise in urban areas is road traffic, with previous research linking high levels of sustained environmental noise to a range of health impacts. Such impacts include a sustained stress response, in which stress hormones increase heart rate, blood pressure, and vasoconstriction. With time, such reactions may lead to chronic illnesses including depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular diseases. Even with this in mind, it is still surprising to learn of a further conclusion in the study: if cities committed to complying with World Health Organisation (WHO) noise-level guidelines, 3,600 ischaemic heart disease deaths could be prevented annually.

    Of the 123 million adults that partook in the study, 48% were exposed to levels of environmental noise that averaged above 53 decibels in any given 24 hour period, exceeding guidelines by the WHO. Furthermore, 11 million adults admitted to being highly annoyed by road traffic noise, heightening associated stress levels.

    It should be noted that results are not fully comprehensive and standardized as varying methodologies and datasets were utilized in the study. However, there can be no doubt that this extensive noise pollution study provides insight into a worrying traffic trend.

  3. Taito aims to improve e-scooter safety with new design elements

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    Source: Bike EU

    Belgian start-up Taito aims to combat the safety issues of e-scooter use in city traffic, developing a three-wheel e-scooter with floating deck and propriety suspension.

    As the popularity of e-scooters has risen, so have the associated injury and accident statistics. The Belgium Institute for Road Safety has determined the main causes of such incidents to be instability and uneven roads. Alongside providing a comfortable and fun ride, LEVA-EU member Taito aims to tackle these safety issues directly.

    Taito co-founder François Desmet shares, “We started with a three-wheeled design to increase stability. Then we developed a suspension system that allows users to tilt and turn the front wheels while also dampening road vibrations. The wooden deck is isolated from the frame with rubber studs which gives it a floating appearance. To further improve safety at night we integrated indicator lights and a rider light, which illuminates the back of the rider in bright red, to be visible from all angles.”

    Finally, by partnering with Accelerated Systems Inc. (ASI) as a motor controller supplier, Taito can precisely program their scooters using the BACDoor Engineering Software. This allows for an extra smooth ride and unique rider profiles.

  4. Newly published: Road safety in cities – International Transport Forum

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    The new booklet covers street design and traffic management solutions

    Source: International Transport Forum

    The booklet presents methods that could transform urban areas in regard to safety, covering key areas including city street design, traffic engineering, speed management, and improved mobility options. The booklet reflects policy makers’ new focus on converting typically motor-vehicle focused areas into liveable and safe spaces for residents.

    9 measures are presented, each having proven to reduce traffic related deaths or serious injury. Case studies within each measure explore both the cost and the effectiveness of each method, allowing consideration for their application in comparable roads and cities. The booklet offers a truly global perspective into city road safety, and acts as a valuable new resource for transportation policy makers in urban areas.

    Read the full text here.

  5. E-bikes have potential to reduce UK car and taxi trips by 100 million in city regions

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    Source: The Urban Transport Group, the UK’s network of city region transport authorities.

    Over 100 million car and taxi trips made in city regions each year could instead be on e-bikes if the Government is able to deliver its target for mode shift to cycling, according to a new report by consultants Steer for the Urban Transport Group (UTG).

    The report – Fully charged: Powering up the potential of e-bikes in the city regions – looks at how the use of e-bikes can be increased, the wide-ranging benefits they can bring and their potential to shift journeys which would otherwise be made by cars and taxis.

    Sales of e-bikes have rocketed across Europe in the past 18 months, fuelled in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many European countries seeing growth of between 30 and 40% (compared to single-digit growth in car sales). In Germany, where e-bike sales have been growing for several years, one in nine households owned an e-bike at the beginning of 2020 and it is estimated that e-bikes could soon account for half of all bicycles sold in the country.

    The UK has also witnessed an upward trend, but sales have been low compared to Europe, with e-bikes accounting for just 3% of bikes sold in 2019, compared with between around 10 and 30% of sales in European countries.

    Yet e-bikes have enormous potential to expand access to cycling (including to those with lower fitness levels, older people and people with disabilities), overcome barriers set by the UK’s often hilly terrain, shift mode use from the car, deliver substantial carbon savings, reduce congestion and revolutionise first and last mile freight deliveries.

    The report breaks new ground by presenting different scenarios on the potential for e-bikes.

    Under the ‘Government Target Scenario’ (see notes to editors), which assumes cycle mode share doubles compared to 2017 levels, plus an additional increase to account for positive behavioural change driven by the COVID-19 pandemic:

    • e-bikes contribute to 2% of all trips (or 256 million trips) per year in the seven core city regions (London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands and West Yorkshire – which UTG represents). This is one third of all cycling trips.
    • e-bikes replace 103 million car and taxi trips annually across the city regions (or 416 million fewer car and taxi kilometres).
    • e-bike usage generates around £280m annually in monetary benefits for the city regions.

    The benefits are even greater under the report’s ‘Accelerated Growth Scenario’ (see notes to editors), in which cycle mode share increases above the ‘Government Target Scenario’ due to a greater propensity for people to cycle (the ‘go Dutch’ scenario) with an additional uplift for increased e-bike adoption. In this scenario:

    • e-bikes contribute 7% of all trips (almost 1.2 billion trips) per year in the seven core city regions.
    • e-bikes replace 646 million car and taxi trips annually across the city regions (or 2.6 billion fewer car and taxi kilometres)
    • e-bike usage generates around £1.5 billion annually in monetary benefits for the city regions.

    Ben Still, Managing Director of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and lead Board member for active travel at the Urban Transport Group, said:

    “These scenarios paint a positive picture of what is possible for e-bikes. They tell us the portion of cycle trips that could be made by e-bikes if Government meets its target on shifting people to cycling, and the number of car and taxi trips which could be removed from our roads.

    “E-bikes have unique appeal, enabling longer and more frequent cycle trips, and they can thrive in certain demographics, such as older people, or certain geographies, like hilly or congested towns and cities. E-bikes therefore need to be centre stage of Government’s active travel policy if we are to get more people cycling in our city regions.”

    The report concludes: “The findings of this report serve to highlight the huge opportunity to power up the potential of e-bikes in the city regions and beyond to meet and exceed government targets for mode shift, revolutionise first and last mile travel and support wider policy goals. This potential is already being capitalised upon across Europe, with e-bike sales rocketing, even in traditionally more car dependent countries. It is time to join the e-bike revolution and enable more people to cycle more often.”

    The report proposes six areas in which local and transport authorities can play a role in increasing the uptake of e-bikes. These are:

    1. Financial incentives – such as grant schemes and tax incentives
    2. Changing public attitudes and increasing awareness – through bicycle libraries, loan schemes and better marketing and promotion
    3. Infrastructure improvements – including better cycle routes and mobility hubs
    4. Security, safety and convenience – with the provision of secure cycle storage and e-bike maintenance
    5. Research and monitoring into pilot programmes that test approaches to incentivise the use of e-bikes
    6. Shared e-bikes – with local and transport authorities securing funding targeted to introduce e-bikes into existing bike share schemes.
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