Anticipating the challenges and opportunities associated with new mobility, two workshops were held by Metrolinx last year to encourage the development of strategic directions of mobility trends to help inform government action as it responds to these changes and improvements. We took a look at these new mobility trends and strategic direction for government involvement in new mobility, and here’s what we discovered.
Overarching New Mobility Trends
1. Role of Technology. Major advancements in mobility and lifestyle shaping technologies, including automation, are either here, or certainly coming. These changes could come with an alteration of the balance between private vs. shared ownership of vehicles.
2. Role of Government. A new era of private sector innovation and leadership, across a number of sectors, is becoming increasingly involved in the realm of what has, in recent history, been Government-led responsibilities.
3. Role of Consumer and Social Equity. Demographic shifts, such as an aging population, income polarization and rising inequality will change how people make decisions and respond to the world around them. Walking and cycling are increasingly important mobility choices. There will be further segmentation among consumers, and the expectation will be that services are tailored more to specific needs.
4. Role of Built and Natural Environment. Trends in technology and demographics are reshaping residential choices. Shifting health and lifestyle preferences emphasize communities where people can walk and cycle, while evolving employment and manufacturing patterns drive new location decisions. These developments will bring about a new era of Land Use-Transportation interactions.
5. Role of the Operator. It will become increasingly important that operators optimize their workflows and streamline their operations. In an increasingly competitive market space, it will become even more important that operators optimize their workflows and streamline their operations.
Key Themes for Policy and Regulation
1. With a common focus on established interests, Government has been slow, to date, to provide leadership and regulation in the new mobility sector to support broader mobility benefits.
2. Private and public sector roles are changing and shifting, resulting in the need for government to be proactive in defining its optimal role.
3. With a disconnect between the objectives of the service providers and the needs of the customer, Government’s key role can be in creating and enabling viable packages of integrated mobility services.
4. Advancing expectations on the quality of and types of services could redefine the transit business model.
5. Trends are driving market segmentation with tailored services to better meet the high demand markets, but this can lead to fragmentation and a decline in service for lower demand markets.
6. With opportunities for new revenue and reinvestment in the sector, Government can take a leadership role in mobility pricing that is comprehensive, integrated and connected to wider objectives.
7. In order to adopt a more comprehensive strategy for integrating transportation and land use planning, greater levels of cooperation are needed across orders of government.
8. The need for collaboration between government and the private sector is increasing, as well as the need for government cooperation with consumers to deliver new solutions.
9. Changing political priorities could have a major influence on government policy related to new mobility.
Want to learn more about new mobility trends and strategic direction? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us with your questions and comments.
