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

  • March 28, 2017
    Commuting habits come under scrutiny
    Cities have a moral responsibility to encourage the smart use of transportation and Andrew Bardin Williams hears a few suggestions. Given the choice of getting a root canal, doing household chores, filing taxes, eating anchovies or commuting to work, nearly two-thirds of Americans said that they wouldn’t mind commuting into work—at least according to a poll conducted by Xerox (now Conduent) over its social media channels at the end of 2016.
  • August 7, 2019
    Moovit: Gut feelings no match for data
    Cities that bring in mobility services without data might be missing out on areas where demand is highest. Ben Spencer talks to Moovit’s Alon Shantzer about how the company is helping customers to pinpoint the right locations Launching mobility services without taking into account public transportation data can lead to chaos in cities. That’s the view of Alon Shantzer, vice president international sales at Moovit, the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) provider and transit app. “The data we have can define
  • November 1, 2022
    Better liveability through more micromobility
    Shared and micromobility offer new options, weaning urbanites off their cars, stitching existing mass transit combinations together. Andrew Stone looks at a report on transforming our cities
  • October 17, 2019
    How can US transportation be ‘re-envisioned’?
    In her address to this year’s ITS America Annual Meeting, congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, called for a ‘re-envisioning’ of transportation. Her speech is below – and ITS International asks a number of US experts what they would like to see ‘re-envisioned’…

    I would like to welcome  ITS America to the nation’s capital.