Mobility Matters Daily #165 - Lotus, working from home, and more e-scooters for London
The National Travel Survey is also out
Good day my good friend.
Yesterday, a friend told me that they liked this newsletter as it was the ‘Lego box’ of their daily updates. Always something random, but always useful. I love that. Here are today’s Lego pieces for you.
James
British manufacturing is pushing to become specialists in bits of electric vehicles
In the words of the Foo Fighters, I have a confession to make. I have a big soft spot for British-made cars. They taught me so much about mechanics and engineering (some would say out of necessity) that I can’t help but have a fondness for Vauxhall, British Leyland, and Jenson. So to see Lotus release blueprints for electric sports cars interests me a lot.
What is great about this work is that it really reflects what the UK does well in automotive: become very good in a highly specialised part of making cars, that adds a lot of value. Its why government invests in the industry, and not because of historic transport planning decisions. The UK has invested significantly in battery technology and improvements in electric drivetrains in the past, so seeing this work by Lotus is no shock at all.
Future transport planning could be giving the people the means to work from home
This article in the Daily Yonder covers an initiative in Utah that does something that sounds simple, but could be amazingly effective. Its to give people the tools and skills to work from home. The last 18 months has shown us how much of a steep learning curve it is.
The initiative is simple: retaining jobs in rural area is a problem, and can lead to rural poverty if not tackled. So help out by enabling people to work from home. They then stay in their communities, spending in them during the daytime, and reducing commuting miles. Its a transport initiative that has nothing to do with transport, and I find that so cool.
E-scooters should be legalised, says UK think tank
The Centre for London published a report on Micromobility in London that, shockingly, says that e-scooters are a very good thing. Recommendations include putting the needs of pedestrians first, giving Transport for London more powers to manage shared e-scooters, and legalising them formally. Looking at the recommendations, they can best be summarised as ‘treat them like shared bike schemes,’ which is fair enough.
Expect more of this sort of thing in the coming months. With the current trials due to end in March 2022, the government is in a tricky spot. Is that enough time to measure their effectiveness, and if not will temporarily suspending trials while the Department makes up its mind kill the industry while its still young?
Something interesting
This is what the COVID-19 pandemic did to how people get around in the UK according to the UK Government.
Other links you may find interesting
In this new section, you will find some links to random articles that you may find interesting.
Transport energy efficiency in domestic long-distance travel in Japan (Transportation Research Record)
Motional expands operations in Las Vegas ahead of a robotaxi launch in 2023 (TechCrunch)
Northern Europe and Worker Mobility: Aging in Place with the Help of the Neighbors (Centre for Global Development)
If you do nothing else today, do this…
The UK Department for Transport just published the National Travel Survey data for 2020.