Dive Brief:
- Washington, D.C., and Bloomington, Indiana, will gain the expertise and assistance of micromobility company Lime in planning for safer streets for vulnerable road users. The two cities were named winners today in Lime’s nationwide 2024 Mobility Insights Competition.
- Lime partnered with the League of American Bicyclists, a grassroots advocacy organization, in the first of what Lime hopes will be a yearly competition, Shari Shapiro, head of global policy at Lime, told Smart Cities Dive.
- Lime will provide its detailed trip data and safety analytics to each city to inform specific projects. Shapiro’s policy team will also provide its expertise to the winning cities, she said.
Dive Insight:
More than 1,100 cyclists died in 2023, a 4% increase over the previous year, according to early estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Vulnerable road users, which include pedestrians and bicyclists, account for an increasing share of roadway deaths in the U.S., per the Federal Highway Administration.
“We have information about bikes and pedestrians and scooters which essentially no one else has,” Shapiro said. The two competition winners are among the 480 “Bicycle Friendly Communities” certified by the League of American Bicyclists, but they differ in their needs, Shapiro said.
Bloomington will use data on bike and scooter incidents, trip start and end locations, and whether people are riding in bike lanes, streets or along sidewalks, Shapiro explained. “The City of Bloomington has made recent strides towards increased transportation safety and equity, but we understand that we have a long way to go to provide a low-stress network for all street users,” said Hank Duncan, city of Bloomington’s bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, in a statement.
The Washington, D.C., Department of Transportation wants to gain information about their most dangerous streets to inform their Vision Zero planning within an equity framework, Shapiro said. “Lime’s data and research will help our mission to offer all roadway users equitable, safe, sustainable and reliable ways to travel,” said Acting DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum in a statement.
The cities and Lime will work together over the summer, with a webinar on the outcomes planned for September, Shapiro said.
