Little Batteries, Little Boxes – Classifying the Micromobility Revolution

We love our little boxes. Everything classified and in its place:

cars/drivers
bikes/cyclists
rollerblades/skaters
scooters … um, scootists?

Then we break down the categories. How many different types of bikes are there? Eleven, apparently.

Well, good luck keeping track in the Microbility Revolution. The impact of the small electric motor and powerful battery is already breaking down and amping up the variety of mobility devices – and it’s only just starting. I can tell by what my friends doing.

Here’s one, Gerry Stafford, who I never expected to be doing this:

Scooter Denver (click for video)

I was a constant user of eScooters while attending a conference in Denver in February 2019. I mention the month to make the point that they are not necessarily a summer-only option.

I used the e-scooters to get from my hotel to the Conference Center as well as around town. E-scooters offer a significant advantage for those shorter trips. You can hop on a scooter weaning a coat and business attire and arrive still dressed for success.

For the business person dressed for action a scooter is a better last mile option than a bike IMO.

Here’s family guy (and North Van City councillor) Tony Valente with his current e-bike:

E-bike? Family bike? Cargo bike?

And it won’t just be the hardware. Maybe we should be classifying land-uses in the way we do for car-parking – categorizing the former by the requirement of the latter: