Skip to main content

Uber calls on US legislators to prioritise VRUs

Uber is urging the US House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure to prioritise the safety of vulnerable road users (VRUs) through funding and incentive programmes. 
By Ben Spencer January 28, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Uber is releasing Jump bike data as part of its pitch to US lawmakers

In a letter, Uber – which owns the Jump bike-share brand - says new mobility infrastructure legislation would require new lanes for every street once it is re-paved. The company suggests using a formula developed by the National Association of City Transportation Officials for determining bike infrastructure based on traffic speed and volume. 

Congestion pricing legislation would help fund mass transit and mobility infrastructure while helping decrease traffic by disincentivising the dependence on personal cars, the ride-hailing giant adds. 

As part of the commitment, Uber is launching a free data tool that combines Jump bike volume with a city street view. It says this will aid decision-making in improving bike safety throughout a city while also allowing users to compare weekday and weekend volume. 

According to Uber, the tool - available in San Francisco, Washington, DC and Paris - can help cities better pinpoint where new micromobility infrastructure, like protected bike lanes, can be located to serve the most people on bikes and scooters in a city. 
 

Related Content

  • February 6, 2020
    MaaS by any other name
    Has the roll-out of Mobility as a Service stalled - or could it just be that multimodal travel is simply happening under a variety of different names?
  • September 16, 2019
    Inrix: micromobility could replace half of US metro car trips
    Nearly 50% of all car trips in the most congested US metropolitan areas are less than three miles and could be replaced by micromobility services, says Inrix. The company analysed data points from connected devices to rank the top US, UK and German cities where micromobility services (shared bikes, electric bikes and electric scooters) could have the most significant impact on replacing vehicle trips. Findings from the National Association of City Transportation Officials estimated that scooters are
  • March 15, 2019
    Gig economy ‘makes congestion better AND worse’, says StreetLight Data
    The gig economy is reshaping the way we think about travel and recreation – but when it comes to whether it increases congestion, there’s no simple answer, finds Adam Hill
  • December 15, 2015
    Mobility as a Service gaining traction in US and Europe
    As Mobility as a Service starts to move into the mainstream of transport planning, David Crawford compares European and North American initiatives. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a concept fast gaining traction on both sides of the Atlantic as a way of giving travellers digital multimodal one-stop shops and journey planning tools as an alternative to private car use. Planned delivery methods include subscription-based travel packages in Europe, and 'mobility aggregator' apps, including employee commute ben