Future State of Transportation
Explore how Transportation in Burlington could look in the future
Introduction
As we look forward to improving mobility in Burlington into the future, we must acknowledge that the future state of transportation will likely look very different form the transportation of today.
We wrote a paper that looks at new and emerging forms of mobility that could one day be present on the streets of Burlington as the city continues to grow and evolve. These emerging forms of mobility will play a role in achieving the Vision, Values and Goals of the IMP by providing flexible options for people to move around their community without having to rely on owning a car.
Below is a summary of the Future State of Transportation Paper.
Micromobility
Micromobility is a term used to capture the many different types of personal mobility devices, both motorized and non-motorized. This includes motorized devices such as e-bikes, e-scooters, electric skateboards, and mobility scooters, and non-motorized devices such as bicycles, skateboards, and kick scooters.
These devices are intended to provide short distance mobility options to help people get around their community but they also provide first mile / last mile options which enables longer distance multimodal trip-making.
Shared Micromobility (Bike and Scooter Share)
Shared micromobility is an umbrella term for fleets of shared bicycles and e-scooters, although there are examples of other shared micromobility devices. Shared micromobility has become a common mobility option in many cities around the world, allowing the public to access micromobility devices that are available for short-term rentals via membership or as a casual, one-time user.
Shared micromobility enables multimodal trip making, allowing people to use multiple modes for part of an overall trip while providing access to maintained devices, removing the need to own, maintain and store a device.
Car Share
Car share is another growing mobility option which provides people with access to cars, with an emphasis on short trips. Car share systems are most often owned by a private company or non-profit operator who manage a fleet of cars that are available to members of the system. Car share members most often pay for only the distance and duration of their trip, with gas, insurance, and other vehicle costs covered by the operator through the membership fee.
Car share enables people to choose to not own a car but still have reliable access to a car, or provides flexibility for families to reduce the number of cars they own by having access to additional vehicles when needed. Car share offers more flexibility than a traditional car rental as the vehicle can be reserved for short periods of time and does not require lengthy paperwork or pick-up at a central location to access the car.
Ride Hailing and Ride Sharing
Ride hailing and ride sharing are often thought of as interchangeable terms. Ride hailing services such as taxis have existed for a long time, with the basic definition being that someone hires a driver to take them to a destination. In recent years, ride hailing platforms such as Uber and Lyft have also begun to operate ride hailing services that operate outside the traditional and often regulated taxi industry. Uber, Lyft and other ride hailing services enable people to use their personal vehicles to in effect operate a taxi, where the driver can choose the hours they work. An element of these new ride hailing platforms is that pricing is tied more to demand which means that prices can be cheaper at certain times, or more expensive at peak demand, compared to a traditional taxi which has regulated rates for distance and duration of trip. They also have applications on phones removing the need to either hail a passing taxi or call for a taxi to be dispatched. Many traditional taxi services have now developed phone apps to replicate the experience of using Uber or Lyft. Ride hailing provides people with a fast, personal transportation option to get directly to their destination—so much so that the availability of ride hailing services has been shown to leads to fewer cars per household and lower overall car ownership.
Other Emerging Subjects
Other emerging mobility subjects include:
- Shared Autonomous Vehicles;
- Neighbourhood Electric Vehicles;
- Micro-Utility Devices; and
- Curbside Management.
Join the Conversation!
For more information on Burlington’s Integrated Mobility Plan, visit GetInvolvedBurlington.ca/IMP
