Policy

Shared Mobility Services: Prioritizing Social Good

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
2024

Access to transportation is integral to enhancing opportunities for employment, education, health care, and recreation. SAVs will not fundamentally solve today's transportation challenges. To solve them, AVs require thoughtful planning and public policies that balance societal goals with commercial interests. To harness and maximize the social and environmental benefits of highly automated vehicles, we need to prepare for a multiphase transition toward highly automated vehicles today. If driver-less vehicles are thoughtfully implemented with access and social/racial equity in mind,...

The Impacts of Shared and Automated Mobility

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
2024

This chapter reviews findings from shared mobility studies including ride-sharing (carpooling and vanpooling), carsharing, (bikesharing and scooter sharing), and TNCs. We conclude with a discussion of shared automated vehicles (SAVs) and their potential impacts.

Considerations for Social Distancing on Public Transportation During the COVID-19 Recovery

Adam Cohen
2020

COVID-19 has presented public transit agencies with unprecedented operational and fiscal challenges. In the San Francisco Bay Area, for example, public transit ridership remains approximately 90% below pre-pandemic levels as of November 10, 2020, according to Transit App. It is generally agreed that personal protective measures (i.e., masks, face shields, gloves), sanitation, and air ventilation — combined with social distancing — reduces the spread of COVID-19. However, experts do not agree on the minimum...

COVID-19’s Potential Impact on Cities: Five Trends and Indicators to Watch

Adam Cohen
2020

Unlike prior crises where cities recovered out of necessity, the first global pandemic of the digital age changes things. With the advent of a post-modern digital economy enabled by telecommuting, teleconferencing, telelearning, and e-commerce, the pandemic has accelerated a digital transformation where cities no longer need to be physical places to foster innovation and economic activity. This MTI perspective explores the potential risks of a K-shaped where suburban communities recover and urban centers do not. Demographics, home sales, housing affordability, telework, and e-...

Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI) Policy Roadmap for Development Policies to Enable Widespread Deployment

Broader, Jacquelyn
Adam Cohen
Susan Shaheen
Auer, Ashley
Hoban, Sarah
2020

The Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative (ATTRI) is an accessibility-oriented research project supported by multiple partners, including the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT); the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); Federal Transit Administration (FTA); Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO); and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The goal of ATTRI is to use innovative applications to increase the accessibility of transportation for people with disabilities. This is...

A Framework for Integrating Transportation Into Smart Cities

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
Dowd, Mark
Davis, Richard
2019

In recent years, economic, environmental, and political forces have quickly given rise to “Smart Cities” -- an array of strategies that can transform transportation in cities. Using a multi-method approach to research and develop a framework for smart cities, this study provides a framework that can be employed to: (1) understand what a smart city is and how to replicate smart city successes; (2) the role of pilot projects, metrics, and evaluations to test, implement, and replicate strategies; and (3) understand the role of shared micromobility, big data, and other key issues impacting...

Shared Mobility Policy Briefs: Definitions, Impacts, and Recommendations

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
2018

In 2017, researchers from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center and Institute of Transportation Studies produced eight policy briefs on shared mobility. Shared mobility – the shared use of a vehicle, bicycle, or other travel mode – services are experiencing rapid growth and expansion. This is, in part, due to the launch of innovative business models across California, and their use of the smartphone as a way to enable on-demand transportation options. There is a need to clarify emerging terms and best practices for policymakers amidst the fast-paced developments of...

Carsharing and Public Parking Policies: Assessing Benefits, Costs, and Best Practices in North America

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
Rodier, Caroline
Murray, Gail
Martin, Elliot
2017

At present, local jurisdictions across North America are evaluating how best to provide parking spaces to carsharing vehicles in a fair and equitable manner. Some have initiated implementation of carsharing parking policies, and many continue to evolve as the demand and need for carsharing grows. Many others are seeking guidance on carsharing parking, based on the fledgling experience of other cities. This study documents the state of the practice with respect to carsharing and parking policies in North America. The study begins by providing background on the evidence of carsharing...

Shared Automated Vehicle Toolkit: Policies and Planning Considerations for Implementation 2022

Susan Shaheen
Adam Cohen
Broader, Jacquelyn
Hoban, Sarah
Auer, Ashley
Cordahi, Gustave
Kimmel, Shawn
2022

Technology is changing the way people move and is reshaping mobility and society. The integration of transportation modes, real-time information, and instant communication and dispatch—possible with the click of a mouse or the touch of a smartphone app—is redefining mobility.

Shared Mobility: Managing Rights-of-Way, Developer Incentives, and Planning Principles

Adam Cohen
Susan Shaheen
2024

In this chapter, we provide an overview of the ways in which shared mobility can impact planning and policy making. First, we review shared mobility policies related to the curb and public rights-of-way management. In Section 5.2, the relationship between shared mobility and developer zoning regulations is discussed. In Section 5.3, we explore shared mobility and the planning process. In Section 5.4, we review the role of shared mobility and the built environment, including examples of how shared mobility can be employed in the sub-urban context. In Section 5.5, we discuss the importance...