Liam 2d ago
In today’s lesson about integrating public transport, new technologies and private providers, and accessibility in urban design, here are two pictures: one is a kerb bus stop and the other is a major pedestrian underpass
Show threadLiam 2d ago

All transport modes impose some kind of externality. Trains need marshalling yards and a permanent way, and have a really serious ongoing maintenance budget. For public modes that’s planned in: bus routes get more roadwork, stops get isolated from parking, it’s accounted for.

For *private* modes like these there’s every incentive for companies to offload the externality (parking) onto the public, and specifically the spaces of the people least likely to be able to step over a tangle of bicycles.

Show threadAdam2d ago
@liamvhogan everywhere these bikes are they are a problem. It speaks to the capture of councils by capital that they are permitted to operate like this.
Show threadLiam 2d ago
@Kels_316 it’s a typical verticality problem: the obvious solution is for *some* level of government to say, you want to operate, sure, you need to plan for dedicated parking and storage (like every bus company does). But is it Councils or the State government? Both think it’s the other one because there’s no ‘private hire electric bicycle’ powers set out in legislation yet
Show threadHugh2d ago

@liamvhogan
@Kels_316 Sometimes it goes the other way though. Melbourne City Council tried to completely ban "dockless" sharebikes at one point and the state government manoeuvred to prevent them because something something green transport.

Yarra City finally got something right though, on scooters: "Sure you can operate here, but we will be providing no subsidy and in fact here's the license fee". Suddenly it was unprofitable and both companies pulled out all their scooters the next week.

Show threadAdam2d ago
@hugh @liamvhogan they have all the levers they need but are normally incentivised to not pull them.
Show threadJulie
@Kels_316 @hugh @liamvhogan our council has started providing corals that the bikes and scooters are forced to park in by geofencing. The littering of footpaths isn't inevitable.
Mar 26 at 12:47amWeb