Are You Up to Speed on the Latest Transportation Trends?
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Section: February Associate Newsletter




The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC), which n4a operates in partnership with Easterseals, annually publishes a Trends Report to review current hot topics in transportation. This year’s report includes information briefs on the following topics: Filling a Need: Hiring People with Disabilities in Transit; Travel Training for Older Adults; Procuring Demand Response Transit Technology; Scooter Policies and Accessibility within Shared Pedestrian Space; Mental Health and Transportation; and Workforce Development in Transportation Occupations.

Each brief includes overviews of the subject matter, examples of how the highlighted transportation trend affects communities in the U.S. and resources for you to use in pursuing more information on the topic. As in previous years, the Trends Report is divided into stand-alone 'Topic Spotlights' for individual download.
 
The current Topic Spotlight featured is Scooter Policies and Accessibility within Shared Pedestrian Space. Recently, cities across the U.S. have experienced an increased presence of shared on-demand bicycles, electric bikes and e-scooters. These mobility devices are all a part of the new shared "microbility options" that are becoming more commonplace and allow users to make short distance trips at a relatively low cost.
 
While the convenience, efficiency and flexibility of these new modes of transit make them desirable to many, they have also caused problems in terms of storage when dockless devices are left scattered across sidewalks and public right-of-ways. This information brief discusses the challenges and opportunities the new scooters present.