INSIDE
THE
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Mobility Technology in Transition:
The Search for the Right Fit
I
and my associates at Small Vehi-
cle Resource have been diligently
tracking the rapidly developing
urban/suburban mobility market.
Basically, three trends appear to be
driving this market on the demand
side: 1) Cities and municipalities
seeking to reduce the carbon foot-
print of vehicle traffic, and 2) Reduce
congestion at the same time; while,
3) Increasing the efficiency of getting
The recently announced Cruise Origin
self-driving vehicle that GM plans to
start building in 2022.
from point A to point B.
Climate change meets the corona-
virus
Up to this point the objectives
regarding urban/suburban mobility
rested on the three points just listed.
With the coronavirus pandemic,
and its devastation of urban areas in
particular, a distinctively different
variable has entered the picture.
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Cities and municipalities were bent
on excluding personal vehicles and
promoting greater use of mass
transit. In light of social distancing
regimens invoked now to control
the spread of the disease—and
the future preventive measures
against pandemics that are likely to
emerge—mass transit is hardly the
option it once was, nor likely to be.
Paradoxically, modes of personal,
individualized mobility are far safer
than mass transit. Even the small,
but confined space Cruise pictured
above would need a “sanitizing” pro-
tocol to be fully safe, but the process
is likely to much simpler and more ef-
fective than mass transit in the form
of commuter buses and trains.
Potential for reverse migration
from cities to more dispersed subur-
ban locations
The scope of the coronavirus pan-
demic could well lead to a reverse
migration to the suburbs as was so
prevalent in the 60s and 70s. Until
just recently cities were touting a
rebirth in vitality on the energies of
Generation Xers seeking the diver-
sity of entertainment and business
and the social interconnectedness
that cities offered. In light of what
is happening now these attractions
may not be so compelling.