E-scooter Dilema & Update: Politically Correct Streetcar.

It's funny how after I write a blog post, new information seems to come to light. The reason why I left out Dockless Scooters out of Dallas Bike Share is simple; because I didn't observe any dockless scooters around when I was in Dallas.  The same thing with the Politically Correct Streetcar; new information came to light showing a possible solution to VIA's plan boondoggle of buying the Chinese Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit, aka, the Trackless Train, aka the real name, the Politically Correct Streetcar.

E-Scooter Dilemma/Update: Dallas Bike Share.

76.1

"Tech Bloc is representing our industry's interests and working with city staff on the initial draft regulations for dockless e-scooters and bikes in SA. We hope our city leans forward on innovation and keeps them here. The City Manager and her team have been very open and collaborative throughout. The draft ordinance will go before Mayor and Council in September. This public meeting on 7/31 is an opportunity for individuals to learn more about the issues and provide input. Let your voice be heard."

"July 31, 2018; 6pm-8pm
Central Library Auditorium
600 Soledad St."

Yesterday, I came across TechBloc's Facebook post (Image 76.1) yesterday about a meeting being hosted by TechBloc about the current Dockless E-Scooters that are plaguing San Antonio with it's greenness and showing people that you don't need a car to get around or order a Lyft.  From what I'm observing, it's doing the same thing that I observe with the dockless bikes in Dallas; leaving messes to be pick up by someone else while at the same time, showing the lack forethought by current and previous city leaders on alternative transportation options and vision zero.

As I wrote down in "Dallas Bike Share," I observed that these dockless vehicles are helping provide the last mile service that VIA or any other North American Transit system are unable to provide.  I'm fairly certain that the same thing is happening here with the E-Scooters for walking sucks on a hot summers day and waiting an hour for your connecting bus in that Texas heat also sucks.

Did you hear about the success about how E-bikes are reducing the number of Uber trips in San Francisco?  Well that's exactly what's happening there according to a CNN Money story.  Uber purchased Dockless E-bikes and the places where these bikes are being used is reducing the number of Uber car trips.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get the numbers from Lyft, Uber and Bird rides to see if the same thing is happening here in San Antonio? After all, we're not quite staying inline with EPA air quality standards right now.

60.8

If anything, the dumping of this awesome service is showing the years of neglect of transit and bicycling infrastructure especially into protected bicycle lanes by past and present City Council members.  Because there's no bicycle infrastructure, the users of these E-Scooters are on the sidewalk and causing havoc, turning honest citizens into criminals by violating city ordnance Sec. 19-286. Driving or parking on sidewalks prohibited.   If I can find room for a protected bicycle lane on Broadway between 3rd and Houston, (Image 60.8) then so can the civil engineers at San Antonio Transportation and Capital Improvements, who hold degrees and licenses. Just another example on how the City of San Antonio isn't serious about Vision Zero.

I will not be able to attend this meeting because, I'll be at work and I like to be able to earn a living.  I will not be surprise at all if no one shows up and points out to the city manager in attendance; possibly the one who so gracefully removed the civic safety improvement on Mistletoe at N St. Mary's showing that if this city had invested as much energy into bicycling and transit as they are right now into moving the Cenotaph at the Alamo, then we wouldn't be having a big problem with E-scooters on the sidewalk.

For the Record, SWell Cycles needs to be involved in any Ordnance that is written for my suggest about Dockless Bikes also should be applied to E-Scooters.

"Make all companies that set up shop pay a fee to SWell Cycles to pick up stranded bicycles.  Just having the companies themselves pick up the bicycles will not solve the problem for they'll only pick up their bicycles leaving their competitors to litter the sidewalks.  SWell Cycles will be responsible for putting an equal number of bicycles at certain locations."

Please read my blog posting on the Dallas Bike Share to see more suggestions on how to manage this problem.

Update: Politically Correct Streetcar

76.2

For those who are just reading this for the first time, The so called Trackless Train isn't a train at all but a Guided Bus and I went into detail of what it was in my last blog post, "The Politically Correct Streetcar.  The thing that I left out was a type of Guided Bus called the Guided Light Transit which uses a uses a single rubber tire on a steel track for guidance.  Its used in Nancy, France today and since VIA is going to the buses, I really think that it should look into this technology.  The single guided track is perfect for making our buses to be able to have level boarding, not just at transit centers like I described with the Kerb Guided buses in the last blog post, but at everyday major bus stops like where the buses have to share the space with cars.  

The problem with this single track technology is that it's a proprietary system of Bombardier and that it ended up costing more than light rail to maintain it.  There was also one other guided light transit system in Caen, France (Image 76.2) that used this technology and guess what, they're turning it into, a light rail and it's scheduled to be operational in 2019.  In Europe, they call light rail, Tramsways.

76.3

In the end, these attempts to replace buses with light rail called guided busways ended up costing more than the dreaded, hated, communist light rail.  In Essen, Germany, the place where the Kerb Guided Busways got their start were eventually turn into light rail, protected bike lanes or just landscaped out of existence.  (See where this is going.)

My recommendation to VIA is to look into the ExquiCity 24 CNG Hybrid by Van Hool. (Image 76.3) This vehicle will do what you want of it just like the politically correct streetcar you want to buy from China. Also having it powered by an overhead wire like a trolleybuse would be a plus too.   And I'm not against the optical guidance for it's pretty successfully being used in Castellon, Spain by their trolleybuses. (Video Below) Optical Guidance isn't in much in use except in Castellon.  And if you want to find out more of what happened to many systems that tried optical guidance, please click here and scroll down to "Civis, Cristalis, Optical Guidance." 

 

Images:

76.1:  The Flyer about the Dockless Vehicle Public Meeting updated from the Facebook post.  Originally posted on Twitter.  https://twitter.com/WTSsanantonio/status/1021474440583020545?s=04

60.8:  My cross section of Broadway segment.  The top is from the 73-page report by California-based design firm MIG and Parsons Brinckerhoff of Canada at http://therivardreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Final_Broadway_Corridor_Plan_web.compressed.pdf.  The bottom is my recommendation Featured in the blog post "SA Doesn't Make The List/There will be no Bike Lane on Broadway."

76.2: Français : Bombardier TVR n°516 et 508 sur la ligne B du réseau Twisto de Caen, au terminus Hérouville Saint-Clair.
By Billy69150 (voir les conditions d'utilisation / see licensing below) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41607136

76.3: Français : Van Hool ExquiCity 24 METTIS n°1315 au terminus P+R Woippy, sur le réseau LE MET' de Metz.
By Billy69150 (voir les conditions d'utilisation / see licensing below) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36608578