Mobility Matters Daily #150 - Taxonomies, the network effect, and rural bike trails
With not-so-shocking findings on how Americans spent their time last year
Good day my good friend.
You may have noticed recently that I have linked to paywalled articles and journals. Whilst I always attempt to share the best open and free transport research, it is sadly still a minority sport in research terms. I promise you that I do attempt to find free versions, but linking to the best research sometimes means linking to a paywall.
Besides, in my experience researchers love to share their research. So you could always just ask them. :)
Here are today’s especially selected articles just for you.
James
The two certainties of life: death and taxonomies
People love defining things. It makes the complicated simple to understand, or at least easy to communicate. This article by Sebastian Castellanos, Susan Grant-Muller and Katy Wright proposes a taxonomy for share mobility services to use as a tool for policy makers. This has been attempted before using a more transport focussed approach. Defining something does give a shared understanding of what the subject matter is, but my experience tells me that too much effort spent looking at its component parts often neglects understanding its impact. The important thing.
The Network Effect and its applicability to transport
We have had to deal with a variety of terms coined by the technology sector and its backers, and one of them is the Network Effect. Simply put, this is when the value of a network rises significantly every time a new user is added to it. Uber, it can be argued, exemplifies this. Each new user can support more drivers, which means more coverage, which generates more users. But the New York Times Dealbook reminds us that when dealing with new tech platforms, understanding competitive advantage is crucial to understanding its long term viability:
The true danger of believing the various myths of the platform era lies in what happens when market euphoria subsides, as it inevitably does, and making informed distinctions among technology investments becomes essential for financial survival. Whether investing, operating or regulating, it is critical to pinpoint the true source and extent of individual advantage rather than relying on simplistic delusions to guide decision-making.
The Trans-America Bike Trail has a lasting impact
Rural leisure cycle routes get an unfair harsh time. Mainly because they often do a poor job of encouraging utility cycling. But they have impacts in other ways. This brilliant look at the Trans-America Bike Trail by Kim Kobersmith sets out that these can be significant. Not just because of the direct economic impact either, but because they give life and purpose to the communities they serve. As this example from Virginia shows:
Some trail angels1 are truly legendary. [Greg] Siple shared the story of the Cookie Lady. A Virginia resident, she learned about the trail by asking the cyclists riding by her house. Her first offering was a garden hose for filling water bottles; then she heated up her oven to bake cookies. She began hosting thousands of riders in the house next to hers, filling the building with trail postcards and memorabilia. Much of her later years were built around the trail, and Siple speculates it gave her life purpose and meaning.
Something interesting for today
The American Time Use Survey recorded a 62% increase in time spent at home during 2020. For obvious reasons. But this analysis by Flowing Data shows that this increase was across all activity types. Only the time spent on Household Activities didn’t change.
If you do nothing else today, do this
Listen to this podcast on the future of cars with Thomas Ableman and Professor Jillian Anable.
People who live along the route who give cyclists a helping hand.