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The concept of micro-mobility is nothing new. In fact, the idea of micro-mobility started with an on-demand bicycle sharing program in Europe in 1975. Decades later, people have re-discovered micro-mobility by upgrading bicycles, kick scooters, and skateboards to their electronic version today. Now, when you hear the word micro-mobility, you think of electric scooters, electric bikes, and electric skateboards, among many others. However, the benefits of micro-mobility remain the same. The only difference then and now is its impact on cities and people. As populations increase in cities and fuel prices sore, micro-mobility becomes the solution to increasing road congestion challenges and environmental problems. After all, they have proven to be eco-friendly, efficient, and low-cost to operate.
If more cities legalize and implement shared micro-mobility systems, it can make a significant difference in how people move. With this, here are the various benefits of micro-mobility for cities.
The Benefits of Micro-mobility for Cities
Resolve road congestion
The first challenge that micro-mobility transportation systems can resolve is road congestion. As more people reside in cities and prefer using personal transportation to get around, congestion on main roads also increases.
Road congestion results in wasted hours and productivity due to being stuck on the road. It is not only a productivity killer for individuals but also businesses. Micro-mobility transportation, such as electric scooters and e-bikes, resolve this by providing a more compact transportation device that helps reduce vehicles on main roads. Most micro-mobility riders are not allowed on main roads, so they use alternative routes, which helps clear up traffic. For riders, riding e-scooters or e-bikes means bypassing traffic and arriving at their destination faster.
Ride an eco-friendly transportation system
One major benefit of allowing micro-mobility devices in cities is their environmental impact. When roads clear up, there will be fewer vehicles that emit smoke, carbon, and other harmful gases. The biggest problem in road transportation today is the high amount of carbon emissions that road vehicles produce. In fact, road transportation contributes to 23% of carbon dioxide emissions globally.
Since micro-mobility devices don’t use engines and don’t consume fuel, these devices don’t release any harmful emissions. Ujet and SustainAbility report that replacing 8% of road vehicles with electric vehicles can reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. That’s a significant positive impact on the environment, especially in the long run. If more cities encourage the use of personal or shared micro-mobility devices, it may be possible to reduce or completely remove air pollution sooner than later.
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