Zag Daily

London’s Cycleway network surpasses 400 kilometres after the expansion of eight Cycleways. 27% of Londoners now live within 400 metres of a high-quality cycle route and the capital’s cycle network has more than quadrupled from 90 kilometres in 2016. "An estimated 1.26 million journeys are now cycled daily in London. This is 4.5% of all journeys or a third of all tube journeys. In other words, London loves cycling and is successfully proving that megacities can enable people to cycle as a mass transport form,” London Cycling Campaign’s Head of Campaigns and Community Development Simon Munk told Zag Daily. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eis5Yjva

Bolt & Zag host the great regulatory debate for shared micromobility Last week, industry leaders gathered in London to find the sweet spot for micromobility regulation in Europe. How should shared micromobility be financed? What should KPIs look like? Are hard fleet caps or dynamic fleet caps optimal? These were just some of the questions answered by the expert panel to drive this industry forward. “Regulation can make or break our sector,” Bolt’s Director of Public Policy Haya Verwoord Douidri told the audience. “Micromobility is a very highly regulated sector where the regulations truly shape, like no other industry I’ve ever seen, the economics of your business and your ability to offer your services in cities.” Read the key takeaways here: https://lnkd.in/ep4zSAU5

In today's newsletter we're covering the key takeaways from the big regulatory debate we co-hosted with Bolt plus hop's profits soar in Turkey and the “world’s first” modular vertiport for eVTOL racing. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eid8KXUt

Flying car racing series Airspeeder and architectural firm HOK are to design the “world’s first” modular vertiport for eVTOL racing. The partnership aims to showcase the future of eVTOL racing and develop the entire advanced air mobility (AAM) industry with a brand new sports typology. “Just like the dawn of the automotive era 130 years ago, racing was one of the automobile’s first reasonable applications. Competition drove innovation in performance and safety technology,” Airspeeder Co-Founder Jack Withinshaw told Zag Daily. “This is the bold vision of Airspeeder, to do just that for the AAM industry for this mobility revolution.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eqxC32S9

During last night’s panel, POLIS Network's Secretary General Karen Vancluysen said that regulation is needed to combat the negative externalities of shared micromobility and level the playing field between operators. However, cities should not forget that these negative externalities are often the result of the unfair allocation of space by city authorities to favour cars. She told the panel that if an increasing number of light mobility modes all have to be crammed into a single bike lane then externalities are inevitable, and therefore calls for cities to take responsibility for the reallocation of space in favour of these vehicles.

Though it may be too soon to see policy, the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom's Head of E-scooter Trials Tom Hardie notes the new governments ambitions for green transport. From the Transport Secretary’s pledge to invest “unprecedented” levels of funding for active travel to a focus on integrated transport systems and the necessary infrastructure, Tom told tonight's panel that sustainable transport has already received explicit attention. Shared micromobility’s role isn’t just confined to the transport sector either - with the new government’s focus on health meaning the mode of transport holds great importance for encouraging active travel.

We’re live in London for Bolt and Zag’s exclusive mobility event to find the sweet spot for micromobility regulation in Europe. Up first is a Keynote from Bolt’s Director of Public Policy Haya Verwoord Douidri who explains why regulation can make or break the sector. We then have a panel featuring some of the industry’s finest mobility leaders. Building on Deloitte’s recent study which found that flexible e-scooter regulations lead to more affordable pricing, the panel will carve out the right regulatory balance for long-term consumer adoption of e-scooters and e-bikes. Speaking tonight are: POLIS Network Secretary General Karen Vancluysen  Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom Head of E-scooter Trials Tom Hardie Urban Sharing Chief Revenue Officer Tom Nutley Deloitte Senior Director Government and Public Services Stijn Vandeweyer Bolt Director of Public Policy Haya Verwoord Douidri “Shared mobility is not an add-on. It’s an essential part of the transport ecosystem that requires systematic collaboration between the public and private sector,” Haya tells the audience.

Clean Cities identifies the European cities and companies paving the way in decarbonising urban logistics. 35 cities have outlined plans to introduce zero-emission zones by 2030 and 182 companies have joined alliances to transition to zero-emission urban logistics in the cities studied. “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together, a famous saying goes,” Clean Cities Director Barbara S. told Zag Daily. “Companies know their business inside-out, and can help design the right solutions. Cities have the bigger picture, and the power to reshape urban space. If both work together, rapid progress becomes possible as illustrated in the pioneering cities from Lisbon to Rotterdam and Vienna.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/edntYhW3

Turkish micromobility operator hop boasts a 50%+ EBITDA margin. Zag finds out from CEO Yiğit Kipman how the shared operator achieves its profit metrics despite having raised just $3.5 million since its launch. “Fundraising is much harder in Turkey compared with the UK or other European markets. It’s challenging to find local venture capitalists - they’re too picky because the cost of capital is higher here than in European cities. “Hard times create strong companies.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/ecHJ-brj

Europe must invest €1.5 trillion into sustainable urban mobility by 2050 to meet the goals of the EU Green Deal, finds EIT Urban Mobility. Though technological progress can help reduce CO2 emissions by 21% by 2030, further efforts are needed to meet the EU’s 55% reduction target by 2030. “Our analysis confirms that technological innovations are essential but they are not sufficient,” Yoann Le Petit, EIT Urban Mobility Thought Leadership Manager and manager of the report, told Zag Daily. “We find that the most efficient method to reduce emissions quickly is the one that blends supply-side measures, such as providing more transport services, with demand-side measures such as increasing parking prices. Not only does it reduce emissions the quickest, but it also proposes the best returns on investment.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eMvHNrBR