By Charles Pekow — Everybody gets around faster when e-scooters are available. So says a study from the universities of Florida and Alabama. Scooters keep some people out of cars, reducing traffic, says the report Micro-mobility as a Solution to Reduce Urban Traffic Congestion. It drew its conclusions from examining systems in Washington, DC, and the University of Birmingham in Alabama.
The researchers found that very few studies have been done on the effects of micro-mobility on reducing traffic and smog.
The highly-technical study offers tools for cities on how to measure scooter use and design and operate scooter systems. It includes a research review and methodology. Only a real mathematical nerd could understand it but those who do could use it as a tool to understand and improve scooter/bikeshare systems. The authors note that the specific characteristics of Washington could play a factor (the greatest scooter use, for instance, took place in the tourist zones). See https://stride.ce.ufl.edu/project-b3/
