Coming Home Magazine

LOCAL LAWS: Many localities have existing rules for bicyclists such as helmet requirements and whether bicycling is allowed on sidewalks. With the rise of pedal-assist and e-bikes, communities will need to review their use on regional trails. • Communities are also issuing new micromobility permits that cover a range of operations including distribution, hours of operation, response times and data reporting. The data reporting helps cities understand how micromobility supports or detracts from the transportation system. STREETS AND BIKE LANES: Safety is a top concern as emergency room visits due to scooters and bikes grows. In fact, New Orleans recently banned shared scooters until the city has safe infrastructure in place. The growth in both bike and scooters is increasing pressure for protected bicycle lanes and trails. • In addition to scooters, several companies are launching moped share. The technology firm Bosch just released a lower cost moped for $1200. As prices drop, both owned and shared models of micromobility will compete for roadways and lanes. • With the rise in e-commerce, traffic and related congestion are on the rise, even outside of urban cores. In response, companies like Amazon and UPS are looking at smaller, lower impact vehicles. SIDEWALKS: For single family communities, you may already have rules on sidewalk use. You may need to revisit these rules as more travelers on a wider variety of vehicles take to the road. Both urban and single family-focused communities will, in the not-so-distant future create rules for autonomous deliverybots, which rely on sidewalks to quickly transport packages and food. PARKING: Parking for micromobility may not seem like an issue, but cities are scrambling to better manage where scooters, bikes and mopeds park on streets, on sidewalks and in garages. Drivers and business owners often object due to reasons related to business and convenience. The shifts in mobility require a revised definition of parking to include a variety of modes. Toyota and Lime are both working on small "pod cars," which are smaller, but will still require travel lanes, parking and charging stations. OPPORTUNITIES FOR HOAS Reallocating road, sidewalk and parking spaces is not without challenges. For micromobility, there will be both support and skepticism within your building or community. For association boards, the trick will be in how to introduce, test, and scale facilities to support micromobility. Here are a couple of approaches. 1. GAUGE INTEREST. First, managers should survey tenants and owners on micromobility to determine knowledge and interest (or lack thereof). This includes a survey of potential buyers and realtors. 2. WORK WITH LOCAL BIKE/ PEDESTRIAN AND TRANSPORTATION COORDINATORS. Most local transportation agencies and departments have outreach programs for building owners and associations. They are in the best position to provide an update on bicycle/ pedestrian planning and pilot projects with micromobility providers. 3. ORGANIZE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AND TACTICAL URBANISM. Many cities are using one-day demonstration projects to test and refine bike lane designs with the public. Based on potential interest, the HOA can host a mobility day to let residents test bikes and scooters. During the event, the HOA can use "Quick Build" lanes with simple construction materials. 4. CONSIDER MANAGED FLEETS. New companies are offering fleets to individual buildings, development projects and campuses. Gotcha Technologies works with campuses, providing low-speed, electric circulators and bike share. The firm Envoy, based in Los Angeles, provides fleets of electric cars, mopeds and e-bikes to building tenants who want to live without a car. These fleets act like common carshare companies such as Zipcar, but are reserved for building or community tenants. Both building-based and community- based associations will face rising demand for "Grab and Go" mobility. As innovation continues, building and parking managers will likewise need to track and manage new versions of motorized bikes, mopeds, cars, transit and even passenger drones. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lisa Nisenson has 20 years of experience in city design as a civic activist, federal policy- maker, local planner and civic technology entrepreneur. Her expertise is assembling land use, transportation and economic development practices that deliver multiple benefits. Lisa has conducted research and written seminal guides on water resources, transit-orientation, innovation, civic engagement and technology. Currently, her work focuses on adaptive planning for technology, in particular smart city and transportation technology (including planning for active + autonomous vehicles). ABOUT ALTA PLANNING + DESIGN Founded in 1996, Alta Planning + Design is an international consulting firm with a mission to create active communities where bicycling and walking are safe, healthy, fun, and normal daily activities. With more than 200 staff in 30 offices across North America, they specialize in bicycle, pedestrian, trail, park, greenway, and roadway planning, design, and implementation in addition to outreach and education programs. 11

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