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
September 16, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

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 163 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 frequently used for trips between half a mile and a mile, whereas bike distances are typically between one mile and three miles.

Inrix revealed Honolulu (Hawaii) could replace 55% of short trips with micromobility services. It is followed by 52% of vehicle trips in New Orleans (Louisiana) and 51% of those in the cities of Nashville (Tennessee), Chicago (Illinois) and Charlotte (North Carolina).

In the UK, the city of Manchester could replace 69% of vehicle trips that are three miles or less with micromobility services. It is followed by Birmingham (69%), Glasgow and London (both 66%) and Sheffield (64%).

Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at Inrix, says “legislation and public education” does not do enough to encourage micromobility.

He insists that the UK government should review options to legalise e-scooters and assess the current opportunities to increase road safety for all users.

“Simultaneously, it’s essential the wide-ranging benefits of micromobility and the cost of vandalism are clearly communicated to the public to ensure the technology is used sustainably,” he continues. “We urge authorities to use more data-based decision making to ensure the smart deployment of these services.”

Figures for Germany revealed Munich as the city with the most potential for micromobility services, with potential for replacing 60% of short-distance vehicle trips. It is followed by Hamburg (59%), Berlin (56%), Frankfurt (55%) and Cologne (51%).

Going forward, Inrix says the success of these offerings will depend on cities having a clear understanding of where micromobility is best positioned to offset vehicle travel as well as having the tools to engage with and manage these services. Cities can utilise trip data and insights to provide a “foundational view” of how people currently move through a city's road network, the company adds.

According to Inrix, cities must integrate private micromobility offerings and address challenges of incorporating app-based services.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Upgrading Koblenz's traffic information system
    March 1, 2013
    David Crawford reviews an award-winning scheme that delivered a 30% increase in website usage – below budget The German Federal Agricul­tural Show (Bundesgarten­schau, BUGA) runs between mid-April and mid-October every other year in a differ­ent city. The most recent, 2011, edition took place in Koblenz, a medium-sized community with a population of just over 105,000 in the Rheinland-Pfalz region, and was expected to draw an additional 40,000 visitors a day to its central area. Traffic access from the moto
    Read More
  • Getting to the point
    September 4, 2018
    Cars are starting to learn to understand the language of pointing – something that our closest relative, the chimpanzee, cannot do. And such image recognition technology has profound mobility implications, says Nils Lenke Pointing at objects – be it with language, using gaze, gestures or eyes only – is a very human ability. However, recent advances in technology have enabled smart, multimodal assistants - including those found in cars - to action similar pointing capabilities and replicate these human qual
    Read More
  • Voi shows rider impact on CO2 emissions
    November 3, 2021
    Dashboard displays the rider’s average contribution to air quality
    Read More
  • Looking both ways for speeding vehicles
    June 9, 2015
    Single-camera bi-directional speed enforcement can reduce the cost of enforcing speeding on two-way roads without repositioning the camera. Truvelo has received UK type-approval for a simultaneous bi-directional (SBD) enforcement camera, the D-Cam P digital, which can capture speeding motorist both those travelling towards and away from the camera. It is also in the process of carrying out the first installations of the D-Cam P in the UK.
    Read More

Highlighted Content