Make Paris Scooter-free Again (Maybe) - MMD#509

Good day my good friend.

6 months ago, I made a pledge - every penny of sponsorship and subscriptions will go to the Trussell Trust until then end of March 2023. I set a modest target of £250 as a fundraising target. How much did we raise in all?

£775.

Yep, you read that right. Seven hundred and seventy-five Pounds Sterling. That is…words can’t describe how proud of you all I am. I’m humbled. That will make such a huge difference to so many vulnerable people. Thank you all. So much.

Not only has this made such a difference to so many vulnerable people, but you have inspired me to make some changes to this newsletter. I will share those on Friday. In the meantime, bask in your glow. You deserve it.

This is for you (Source: Good To Know)

If you have any suggestions for interesting news items or bits of research to include in this newsletter, you can email me.

James

E-scooters go to the vote

I am writing this email on Sunday, on a day where in Paris e-scooters are being put to the vote. The question is simple: should they be banned? As with all things in politics, this shifts the issue into the realms of perception as opposed to being in logic and fact. And as the recent assessment of the UK trials puts it well, this is where the debate on the future of this mode really lies.

If we left it in the realm of facts, they would probably be kept. While far from perfect, they are not the most unsafe mode of transport out there and they can help in modal shift somewhat. But perceptions are radically different, and these can drive voter behaviour. Sometimes we forget that it is not enough to communicate in facts, logic, and science. We have to appeal to the heart and soul. That is how you win.

Going Meta on Income Elasticities

The use of value of travel time savings is a debate that will rage without end throughout my career, I feel sometimes. Regardless of where you sit in terms of their importance, in many governments they are an essential part of the economic appraisal of schemes. And one aspect of them is their relationship with income. We know from historic evidence on public transport that those with higher incomes tend to use trains more, and those on lower incomes tend to use buses more.

But evidence needs updating, and that is just what this meta-analysis does. And the conclusion? A lot of factors affect the impacts of income elasticity of demand (here is a quick primer if you have no idea what this is). This quote struck out at me especially:

“An increase income level influenced how individuals value travel time, and thus their income elasticity changed.”

To put it simply, if you get richer or poorer, the influence that has on whether you travel becomes more or less important, and that varies wildly by mode of transport and how much your income changes. Such a simple idea, yet so profound on how we travel.

Thank you, QRoutes. Your support is helping vulnerable families.

Random things

These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.

• Challenges in speeding up solid-state battery development (Nature Energy)

• Globalization and Pandemics (American Economic Review)

• Job Satisfaction and Citizen Satisfaction with Street-level Bureaucrats: Is There a Satisfaction Mirror? (Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory)

• These Angry Dutch Farmers Really Hate Microsoft (Wired)

• Global food supply risks rise as key traders leave Russia (The Economic Times)

Something interesting

Much has been said about the Darien Gap over the years. But this video gives a great explainer why this gap in the Pan-American Highway exists as a result of geopolitics.

If you do nothing else today, then do this

Superloop is good, actually. So says Steve Chambers. The response to Transport for London’s circular bus routes has been muted or downright pessimistic. But this is a more upbeat take.