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Loukaitou-Sideris on Scooters and Sidewalk Wars

Urban Planning Professor Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris spoke to the Washington Post about the rancorous fight over sidewalk space in the age of electric scooters. Citing “Sidewalks: Conflict and Negotiation Over Public Space,” co-authored by Loukaitou-Sideris, the article noted that turf wars between “sidewalk-grabbers” have evolved since 2000 B.C. until the “scooter hell” of today. “But is it a hell made by scooters, or just made apparent by them?” the article’s author asks. “I see this conflict more as an outcome of bad decisions and bad design,” Loukaitou-Sideris said. “Cities kept widening the streets and narrowing the sidewalks, and downgrading activities to accommodate only walking. … I don’t mean to say sometimes scooter drivers are not obnoxious. But I’d say it’s a less obnoxious use than cars.”


 

Matute Comments on State Debate Over Driving Limits and Climate Change

Juan Matute, deputy director of the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, commented in a story on the California Air Resources Board’s efforts to reduce daily driving, or vehicle miles traveled (VMT), as a way to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the state. “As electricity becomes cleaner, the proportion of total statewide [greenhouse gas] emissions from transportation is increasing,” Matute said in a story that originated with the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Cars have a long turn-over cycle, and our urban and regional design has an even longer time horizon for change.”


 

Taylor Comments on Elon Musk’s Plan for High-Speed Rail Tunnel in Chicago

Professor Brian Taylor of UCLA Luskin Urban Planning is quoted in a CNBC web story about Elon Musk’s Boring Company and its contract for a faster transportation link between busy downtown Chicago and O’Hare Airport. The plan is opposed by many local transportation providers, including cab drivers whose ridership has declined significantly because of rideshare services.  “It’s really not managing the problem. It’s just providing an alternative,” Taylor said. “It’s sort of like when you have an interesting breakthrough in the lab, which might take 10 years to complete.”