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Shared e-scooter programs often generate complaints about improper parking because it creates unappealing clutter and can make it difficult for pedestrians to use the sidewalk. We examine how cities can address noncompliant scooter parking and explore public perceptions of this problem with two related studies. First, we conducted field experiments in Washington, DC (hereafter "DC"), and Auckland, New Zealand. We observed scooter parking and then evaluated the efficacy of three interventions to mitigate noncompliant parking. We find low rates of noncompliance, but the precise rate is highly dependent on how we define noncompliance. We also find that in-app message reminders and sidewalk decals marginally lowered rates of noncompliant parking, but the largest improvement in compliance occurred after DC implemented a requirement that scooters be physically locked to bike racks. Second, we examined public perceptions of improper parking by asking people how much noncompliant parking they think occurs and what practices they think constitute noncompliant parking. We find that the public overestimates improper parking of scooters and underestimates improper parking of bicycles and cars. Given their unfamiliarity with scooter parking regulations, respondents use pedestrian accessibility and tidiness as heuristics to determine what counts as proper scooter parking. Our results suggest that intuitive parking solutions that align with perceptions of orderly parking, such as bike racks or on-street parking corrals, can improve rider compliance and may reduce public dissatisfaction with shared scooter parking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New transportation options like ride-hail can expand accessibility without the costs of car ownership. Ride-hail's potential is particularly salient for lower-income and zero-car households. We used interviews and a national (U.S.) survey to examine how and why lower-income travelers in the United States use ride-hail. Survey and interview responses provided a temporal snapshot and thus reflect, in part, travel challenges specific to COVID-19. Findings suggest that lower-income travelers, particularly those without personal cars, use ride-hail in ways distinct from those typically reported in broader travel surveys. Individuals without cars are more likely to use ride-hail, and use it more often, compared with people with cars, particularly to fill spatial and temporal gaps in public transit service and to access medical care and groceries. Costs and price unpredictability remain significant barriers limiting travelers' use of ride-hail services. This research demonstrates a latent need for car access among lower-income travelers. Substantial gaps in alternative modes pose challenges for travelers seeking reliable and timely transportation. Planners should invest in transit, biking, and walking to provide robust alternatives to car ownership. Such investments, however, take time. In the meantime, cities and agencies should consider subsidizing ride-hail trips to bridge existing gaps in the transportation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs that motor vehicle parking violations vastly surpass scooters and bikes in busy Market Street in San Francisco, California. Topics discussed include provide an analysis of parking behavior across several cities and a set of tools and procedures for others to collect even more data; and work done by other academic researchers and by cities to document rates of parking violations by shared scooters and bicycles.

Highlights from the article: , by Friss, Evan, Chicago, Evan Friss' recent book Cycling City: Bicycles and Urban America in the 1890s is a surprisingly rel- Friss argues that for many cyclists, bicycles were not simply away to travelbut awayto form a As bicycles became cheap and popular, bikes lost their.