Intro (00:01): You are listening to the ACB advocacy update.
Claire Stanley (00:09): Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of ACB advocacy update. And this is Claire Stanley, the advocacy and outreach specialist and as always also
Clark Rachfal (00:19): Clark Rachfal, director of advocacy and governmental affairs for ACB.
Claire Stanley (00:24): Thanks for joining us again. We are a weekly podcast here at ACB talking about what's going on in the advocacy space. As always, if you guys have any issues in the advocacy world, and you want us to look into, please feel free to email us at [email protected] and we really love to hear from you guys. We're here to serve. So feel free to reach out. We're really excited today to be talking about what a lot of people term as micromobilities, kind of the hot topic where you'll hear and that's kind of what you're seeing on the road. Scooters is often the example, but I know we see other forms of vehicles, but those are those vehicles that anybody can use their app to unlock and get around, really popular. I live in the DC area, you see them everywhere. A really cool new form of alternate transportation to get around. But of course there's, it affects the disability community as well and we want to make sure everything is working together. So we are talking with somebody from a micromobility company and kind of hearing what they're doing to make sure that it's accessible for everybody, that we can all work together and make sure that things run smoothly. So Ryan, do you want to jump in and introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what your company's doing?
Ryan McConaghy (01:41): Great. Well first of all, thank you so much for having me on. I'm really excited for this discussion and I appreciate your inviting me on to talk about, the great benefits of micro mobility for everyone. My name is, Ryan McConaghy. I'm the executive director of the Micromobility Coalition and our group represents, you know, East scooter and e-bike, providers and we are working to sort of improve the quality of life across the country by promoting access to micromobility options to help reduce traffic, create cleaner inquired communities, make it easier for people to get where they want to go. We work on educating people about how micromobility works and how it can help them in their lives. We work to promote access to people, for the service and we like to build relationships with groups like ACB to make sure that micromobility works for everyone in the community.
Claire Stanley (02:38): So you talked about some of the different forms of micromobility. You talked about East scooters and e-bikes. Are those just kind of some of the main types of micro mobility we're seeing? Are there any other forms out there?
Ryan McConaghy (02:51): Well the definition varies broadly because it is a new field. Some people included their new e-mopeds and other forms. Primarily when we're talking about micromobility and the issues that we focus on most closely. You're exactly right. It's primarily E-bikes and scooters.
Claire Stanley (03:09): So we specifically wanted to talk about this issue today because, or I should say how it impacts the blind community. So it's a really cool new form of transportation to get around, but we are starting to see it impact the blind community because scooters for instance, can be parked in a lot of places so unfortunately we do see them sometimes parked kind of in the middle of sidewalks or different places that we're commuting around. And for people who use white canes, for instance, sometimes they act as an impediment on sidewalks and so people might bump into them or not know how to navigate around them. So can you talk a little bit about how you guys are trying to work in this space to make sure that we have safe access for all people with disabilities and for us specifically with the blind and visually impaired community?
Ryan McConaghy (04:01): Sure. I'd be happy to. And it's an incredibly important, you know, effort. And I think, you know, the coalition and our companies are first and foremost sort of guided by the principle that we hear so often from, you know, advocates in the disability community that sort of nothing about us without us. So everything starts with a really open back and forth dialogue that our companies engage in. And we engage in as a coalition through forms like this and through one on one conversations. And we really want to be guided by the needs of the community. So you know, we've heard some pretty consistent things along the lines of what you've mentioned. First and foremost, making sure that, devices are parked in the right places and they're parked there predictably.
Ryan McConaghy (04:46): Certainly one of the main concerns we hear is about blocking sidewalks or other rights of way. And that's something that, you know, companies are really committed to working to address. You know, the ways, the ways they're doing that are, you know, first through dialogue and identifying the problem. There's some things that the companies are doing with the technology itself. One example is as you know, living here in Washington you see a lot of e-bikes and those bikes often will have what's called lock to technology. And that means that when the bikes are parked, they have to be locked to something like a post or a bike rack. And that helps to make sure that they're not going to be in a right of way. You know, another example is the installation of braille pads on devices that will let people you know, who have a visual impairment get information on who to call, at the company to report an improperly parked device and have it have it be addressed.
Ryan McConaghy (05:44): I think we've seen this across the country, but locally, Montgomery County has been a leader on this and in sort of deploying those devices. And that's something that the companies are really engaged in. A lot of this has to do rider education. So, you know, companies are leaning in on that. At our website, micromobilitycoalition.org, we've posted parking and safety tips on our website, including the biggest one is just a constant reminder to people to look at the area you're parking in, people in a hurry, but they have to make sure that, you know, just when you stop and park, we always encourage people, stop, look around, you know, can a stroller get by, can a wheelchair get by? Can somebody with a white cane get by and just use some common sense and make sure that the devices are parked properly. The individual apps you use to rent the scooter, provide educational reminders about that for every ride. Companies have been using on vehicle decals and tags. Also pushing up consistent message through their social media channels and emails to their riders about best practices. And you know, companies like Lime have live training events that go into cities. They run, you know, Lyme Academy or other rider awareness events where they actually, you know, directly educate people on best practices. So there's a lot going on in the space and it's a major priority.
Clark Rachfal (07:01): Ryan, this is Clark. You mentioned Lime and some of the, as a company in some of the other types of mobility devices who all are members of the, micromobility coalition.
Ryan McConaghy (07:14): So our founding members are, Uber, with their junk bikes and scooters and we consistently have conversations throughout the transportation community with, you know, part of our big outreach efforts. We've talked with, you know, providers, you know, think tanks, thought leaders, groups like yourself, to try and sort of really be enmeshed in the transportation community and make sure that policy is made the right way for providers, for riders and the community at large.
Clark Rachfal (07:42): And in a lot of cities it seems like almost overnight just scooters or bikes are just up here. What would you say is the, we say like, why are they so dang popular? Let's just, let's just ask that question.
Ryan McConaghy (07:59): Yeah. So I think it's, there's one, first and foremost, they're convenient. I mean they are widely available. It's just nice to be able to, walk down the block, find one and make a quick trip and then leave it at your destination. You know, particularly in heavily congested cities like Washington or other cities across the country, you can get to where you're going faster instead of sitting in traffic. You don't need to circle the block and wait for a parking space. And it's an easier way for people to get who have trouble getting to transit, who want to get out of cars and get onto public transportation. They call it sort of the first mile, last mile problem. You know, it makes it very easy to get out of the car, out of traffic jam and sort of on with your life.
Ryan McConaghy (08:40): You know, 35% of the car trips in this country are under two miles and e-scooters and e-bikes are of our, you know, and it's even higher in big urban areas, are just a better way for people to make faster commutes, you know, have a more convenient experience there also, more affordable than say a taxi ride. You can cover the same distance, you know, often for, for less money. And people like, also like the fact that there's no emissions from the ride. I mean you know, these, these scooters and e-bikes had been replacing thousands of car trips a day and that means less greenhouse gas emissions and less tailpipe emissions and smog and particulate matter. And that's just good for everybody.
Claire Stanley (09:20): That's great. I didn't even realize this, some of the statistics you just gave that's really, really helpful to know and really encouraging. So once that's, go ahead,
Ryan McConaghy (09:30): I'm sorry. Go ahead. No, no, go ahead. That's fine.
Claire Stanley (09:33): So I know you were talking about some of the different, outreach that you guys are doing to educate the public and educate the users and those kinds of things on, how to appropriately store bikes and where to put them and those kinds of things, which is unbelievably encouraging. So thank you for doing that. That's really exciting. But unfortunately you always have that one person who didn't read the policy and leaves at scooter out in the middle of the sidewalk or things like that. What kind of ideas or policies are you guys pushing to? You know, I hate to use the word penalized cause it sounds so negative, but what kind of ideas are being put out there to remedy the problem when unfortunately that one person didn't read the policy and does leave their scooter out in the middle of the sidewalk?
Ryan McConaghy (10:22): We are dealing with human behavior. So we're dealing with imperfection and that is a, that is a reality. So I think, you know, pushing as hard as we can on consumer education and rider education. But there is also enforcement has to be a part of this. And I think, you know, companies largely, are engaged in that. So typically it's sort of the specific vary across companies. But generally, you know, there is a framework where you know, at the end of a ride people have to take photos of where they park, to show, where the scooter is, but also provides perspective to sort of verify that it's a little bit of a nudge, but also a little bit of a verification that it's parked properly. And, if people don't park properly or they're reported for proper parking improperly they can be subject to fines, you know, take typical fine serve $25 from proper parking, which usually grossly exceeds the cost of a ride.
Ryan McConaghy (11:14): So it's a pretty stiff penalty and then repeat offenders can be banned from the platform eventually. If you show that you're not responsible enough to use the system, the system will not allow you, you know, that privilege. So, that's, that's sort of the main enforcement mechanism. And actually right now companies are working, you know, Lime again is working on a pilot at the, on the Texas tech campus where they have, you know, specific reporting for thresholds for improper parking. And you know, when somebody reaches a certain certain threshold there are consequences. And then, you know, they get reported to the campus admin. The campus tells the company for enforcement action. So, it's a combination of self reporting, third party reporting and then company enforcement. But there, there are penalties in place for improper behavior.
Clark Rachfal (12:02): Ryan, can you share some more examples of companies or state city or local governments that are in your opinion doing it right or rolling out scooters and policies the right way?
Ryan McConaghy (12:18): Yeah, absolutely. I mean, one of the exciting things about this sector is that it seems like every day we're getting, you know, scooters and the bikes are entering new jurisdictions. It's a, you know, it's a rapid growth space. And so there are certainly every, every city is doing it a little bit different. But I think, actually scooters are not yet on the ground there, but there's a lead up to a pilot program in Seattle. And I think Seattle provides a good example of how companies, advocacy groups and governments can start a really appropriate discussion. So, you know, there was a variety of, bicycle groups, disability advocates including the local chapter of national Federation for the blind and companies got together and did an open letter to mayor Durkan sort of laying out principles for what a pilot should look like.
Ryan McConaghy (13:05): So those were things like, ,you know, making sure that we're designing transportation systems that aren't zero, some that we're accommodating everybody safely. Pushing for parking guidance, making sure that that parking is readily available. Sort of block to block for dock, transportation items so that there's predictable, consistent parking practices. And then this is, this is a big, big avenue for, for all governments, you know, for, to do complete streets, adoption. I mean it has to be about, separated bike lanes, which are the best places for scooters. Was designing rights of way, and traffic flows to make sure that pedestrians, scooters, cyclists, can all, you know, all coexist and most importantly sort of avoid interactions with automobiles, which is still the most dangerous part of sort of, you know, city traveling. So I think Seattle is a good example, there are other places, you know, sort of Oakland, has been on the leader, on the forefront of sort of pushing for adaptive technology to be put in place. And again, I referenced it earlier, I think, you know, Montgomery County and the DC area pushing for braille pads and you know, and solid reporting practices are all good examples of progress.
Claire Stanley (14:24): I am actually a resident of Montgomery County, Maryland, so it's exciting to hear that my county's trying to do some cool things.
Ryan McConaghy (14:31): Yeah, definitely, definitely.
Clark Rachfal (14:34): And Ryan, do you have any recommendations for folks? , and forgive me if, Claire, this is the same question that Claire asked earlier. Say someone comes upon, you know, a scooter blocking your right of way and it doesn't have the, the braille tags like the ones that are rolled out in Montgomery County, what should people do?
Ryan McConaghy (14:56): Well, I'm going to say, before it gets to get to this, the specifics on that. I think it's also important to point out, , that we really strongly believe that this is part of our education principle. That, you know, the burden on this should not simply fall to, you know, the disability community or the vision impaired community. This is something where, you know, some companies have a sort of group reporting app where that you can report through the app, a scooter that's improperly parked. Even if, you know, you didn't, you didn't ride it necessarily and it's, it shouldn't just be incident upon people who, who need access to the rights of way. This needs to be everybody chipping in. So, first and foremost, I would hope that somebody, you know, if there's an improperly parked scooter that somebody else would be able to report it.
Ryan McConaghy (15:43): But if there is not, any you know, any sort of braille information and not an easily recognizable number, I think the, the companies are, are working to make their websites available. So if there is a, you know, you can use the website or you can call, you know, the, the public information, the 311 line or the local municipality, most often, the municipalities will have an arrangement where some improperly parked scooter as reported to the city government, the city government will notify the company and the company will come take care of it.
Claire Stanley (16:17): That was actually going to be my question, if you could call 311. So that's, that's really encouraging to know. That makes it really easy for everybody.
Ryan McConaghy (16:24): Yeah, I mean it, it is tough. I mean, this is such a, such a new, and sort of a vibrant, you know, sector, it's tough to make broad generalities, but typically city governments should be able to route those requests. In my city of Alexandria, they're actually dedicated, you know, municipal staff to sort of being on scooter watch and certainly people can report to the city and then the city reports to the company. So that is another example of sort of a good practice.
Clark Rachfal (16:52): Yes. I'm an Alexandria resident as well, and city officials always recommend folks to use the call, click, connect, either phone line or website, email prompt. So that in addition to them following up with the companies, but then the city has a record, of those situations and then they can in fact, by you going forward. So I, I know it's easy for us in the advocacy space. We're talking with our membership to go down the rabbit hole of, you know, scooters are bad. They're everywhere. They go too fast. They're in the way they, they knock people over, bump into folks. People just strewed them everywhere. But I have to believe that those, poor judgements and like you said earlier, Ryan, the people will show common sense, and especially with more dedicated places to use them and ride them the situation will get better. But just curious to hear your thoughts on what are the, the opportunities for shared and micromobility, devices and programs in the future?
Ryan McConaghy (18:07): Well, I think, I think you're certainly right. I think part of this will be familiarity, and part of it will be, you know, giving system guidance from cities in terms of little nudges like signage or you know, or, or sort of consistent parking practices. But I think, one of the most exciting things that we've seen is actually, the ability of micro mobility to unlock economic opportunity. I mean, we've done some analyses and cities across the country about how by closing that first mile, last mile gap I talked about and making it easier for people to get to transit, you know, we've looked at Seattle, Nashville, Miami, and by making people's commutes, quicker, they actually have access to, in many cases, tens of thousands of more job opportunities than they would, under their standard commutes. So I think, you know, the, the overall, the integration of micromobility into the transportation fabric of cities and seeing it as, both a solution on its own, but also a solution that is in the fabric of just how the city works is very exciting.
Ryan McConaghy (19:07): And I think if you look at the sort of really explosive growth in the sector, I mean, there were, the number of shared mobility rides, uh, from 2017 to 2018, you know, doubled. There were over a 38.5 million, easier rides alone last year. And, you know, we, we've got, just this incredible demand and it's driven by the fact that this can really weave itself into the fabric of, of everyone's lives. And I think in particular, there's, there's a lot of common ground, between the disability and micro mobility communities because as the devices, become more fabric of the city, that's going to push an overall movement for clearly marked lanes, places for everybody, you know, safe, safe sidewalks, safe bike lanes, and again, sort of deconfliction with cars, that it's gonna have benefits beyond just the person using that scooter or that bike in that moment. So I think those are the opportunities that have lots of really excited about what's over the horizon.
Claire Stanley (20:07): This might be something that's, you know, futuristic and could be, you know, further out just because of the technology and what have you. But has there been any talk about accessible devices for people, for instance, a tandem e-bike for people who are blind or scooters with hand controls for people with physical disabilities? Is there any talk in that space as well?
Ryan McConaghy (20:30): Yeah, there, there is talk in that space and I think that is a, I think I mentioned that potentially earlier. Oakland has really been, pushing in particular for adaptive vehicles. I think this, you know, this is such a new space as the technology is consistently evolving and, you know, five years ago this wasn't even on the scene. So I think, , you know, there are, you know, it's the type of type of thing that it's tough to say, so I can't point to a specific device that I know will be available in the next, you know, six months or a year or anything like that, but I certainly know that, uh, this is an evolving space and there's clearly a demand and a, and a need for it. And, you know, there are, it is something that's being contemplated as the sector moves forward
Claire Stanley (21:12): For sure. Just kind of fun to think about what technology completed too.
Ryan McConaghy (21:17): It's an exciting, it's an exciting space and, you know, I think, you know, companies and cities are gonna see what others are doing and, and sort of, you know, replicate and refresh and innovate. And it's a very exciting time for this kind of a development.
Clark Rachfal (21:34): And Ryan, the studies that you referenced or if people want to learn more about the micro mobility coalition, can you share that website again and point us in the right direction there?
Ryan McConaghy (21:48): Sure. Yeah. Everyone can find this. I encourage you to come check us out at micromobilitycoalition.org. That's one word. M I C R O M O B I L I T Y coalition.org.
Claire Stanley (22:02): Great. Well thank you so much for taking time out of here, I'm sure busy schedule schedule to speak with us. I know this has been really educational for me, so thank you so much and we encourage everybody to check out that website that was just referenced. Do you guys have any questions about this and any other topics? But if you guys want to talk to ACB about micromobility, it's something that we're looking at seriously and we're continuing to take ideas and thoughts because, it's, you know, it's just something that's interesting to the blind community. Again, you can always reach out to us here at the national office. Let us know what your thoughts are, your concerns, your ideas, everything and anything we want to hear from you guys.
Clark Rachfal (22:43): Claire, something tells me is a hot topic is scooters are, we will receive quite a bit of feedback on this episode of the advocacy update.
Claire Stanley (22:50): I'm sure we will.
Clark Rachfal (22:52): Thank you to everyone listening over ACB radio and those listening via their favorite podcast players. We planned for this to be part one of a two part series on micro and shared mobility devices. And so Ryan, thanks again for joining us and everyone stay tuned for the next edition of the micromobility series.
Claire Stanley (23:15): You'll hear from a couple of our members who are blind or visually impaired themselves and kind of get their firsthand experience and thoughts and ideas. So, it'll be great to kind of hear from all the different perspectives and really put some ideas out there. So we're excited to hear, we're thankful to hear from Ryan today and excited to hear from some other, members of the community.
Ryan McConaghy (23:38): And I, and I just, I just want to say thank you so much. It's been a pleasure to be on. It's been a wonderful conversation and, uh, hopefully it's a continuing conversation. It's important to us to keep the dialogue open and, and keep moving forward. So thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
Claire Stanley (23:51): Yeah, thank you. We absolutely love that. Great. Well, Clark, what do we always say at the end of our episodes?
Clark Rachfal (23:58): Keep advocating. Thanks everybody.