Along for the Ride #266
trans day of visibility, mapping traffic violence, and Dubai's growing AV ambitions
Heya friends, happy Friday!
Monday was international Transgender Day of Visibility. I think given recent deplorable policy positions, its more important than ever to re-affirm support for trans people (here in my writing work, out there in my behaviours). When thinking about what to write, I did some internet searching and found Dr. Simona Casticrum’s work. Simona is a designer who started “D4T - Design for Trans”, a research-led consulting practice driving innovation in gendered spatial design. They support trans and gender-diverse communities in shaping public and civic spaces that meet their needs and aspirations.
It will (obviously) take more than just sharing the work of one trans person here, but I thought their work was likely highly relevant to many readers here and wanted to share it to help inspire us all towards a future where all spaces can provide dignity, safety, and equitable access to all.
Last, but not least, two resources for us all to be better allies (at home, at work, out and about):
Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People
Easy actions to take to advocate for trans rights (UK-oriented)
Quick plug: my friend Matt and I are hosting another Mobility Meet-up on May 1st. If you want to attend, you can register your interest here. We will meet at 9am at Popham’s in Islington!
Alright onto the news..!
Families for Safer Streets is leveraging GIS maps to memorialize loved ones lost to traffic violence, visualize the magnitude of road deaths, and provide precise data to the media as they cover these tragic events, ultimately driving awareness and policy change. Heartbreaking, and important.
Cycling 10x more important than electric vehicles for climate change
This article is full of fun facts, including but not limited to:
Even if all new cars were electric now, it would still take 15-20 years to replace the world’s fossil fuel car fleet;
People who cycled on a daily basis [as part of a research study] had 84% lower carbon emissions from all their daily travel than those who didn’t;
Nearly half of the fall in daily carbon emissions during global lockdowns in 2020 came from reductions in transport emissions.
London gets one step closer to high speed rail to Europe
If only they were still part of the EU. London could soon have high-speed train services to Cologne, Lyon, Frankfurt and Geneva, as a barrier to routing new services through the Channel Tunnel was officially removed.
Sunderland completes AV bus trial
A brief article about a 4-week AV bus trial that recently took place in the UK. The trial leveraged Oxa technology, as part of a project that invested £4.9m in researching how AV buses work in cities.
Baidu plans to introduce 1,000 AVs in Dubai
Baidu is going to introduce Apollo Go AVs in Dubai over a three year period starting later in 2025, in partnership with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). This is Apollo Go’s first launch outside of China and Hong Kong.
Uber partners with WeRide to deliver AVs in Dubai
On a similar thread, WeRide and Uber also have their sights set on Dubai. It’s not clear when a launch will take place, but WeRide was the first AV provider to secure the UAE’s national license for AVs in July 2023. According to the (very vague) press release, Uber and WeRide will partner to deliver “pilot programs” across the city.
WeRide warns AV profitability a long way off
Continuing to pull on threads… WeRide’s CEO notes that profitability hinges on international government regulation and commercial partnerships aligning with the needs of private, for-profit AV companies… and current uncertainty makes the timing for companies to reach profitability “difficult to predict”. It’s almost like cities have always been the ones in control this entire time..!
China’s Xiaomi vehicle crashes on autopilot killing three
Filed under: sad and preventable. One of Xiaomi’s SU7 electric vehicles crashed into a concrete guardrail while using it autonomous driving feature. Local media reported that three people died in the incident. According to the police report: “Alerts were issued because the driver apparently wasn’t holding on to the steering wheel. Seconds after another warning was sent about obstacles in the road and the driver then retook control of the wheel, the car crashed into concrete fencing on the side of the road.” Bloomberg also has an article about the crash.
Psychological factors in sustainable mobility decisions
“This study investigates the socio-behavioral and psychological determinants influencing the adoption of Shared Automated Electric Vehicles (SAEVs) in urban environments, using London as a case study. The research addresses a critical gap in the literature by exploring how a sense of belonging (SoB) impacts transportation mode choices, alongside traditional sociodemographic factors.”
What does transportation abundance look like?
“One possible solution: adopting a goal of “collective abundance” that calls for maximizing well-being for all. Such framing would encourage the removal of supply-side bottlenecks hobbling projects like high-speed rail, but it would also elevate ideas that reduce the negative externalities of cars, such as congestion pricing in Manhattan. If other US cities adopted similar tolls, a resulting reduction in driving could lead to a pullback on highway construction. In that case, building less would be an outcome abundance enthusiasts should celebrate.”
:( No jobs this week. Send ‘em in folks!
Spring has sprung in London, and my friend Al visited this past week and we spent mornings walking Spike (who I’m dog sitting) around east London to pastries. Friends hosted an iftar on Saturday evening, and we got to celebrate with friends who have been fasting for the past month which was really special.
My friend John (of newsletter fame) also visited last week, and we bopped around East London canals and Victoria Park talking about congestion pricing, urban parks, and the various woes of politics.
I also saw Titanique last weekend, a musical that imagines how the Titanic would have been different if Celine Dion was also on the ship. I won’t offer any spoilers, but there was a great rendition of “all by myself”. 20/10 recommend for a campy and quebecois musical experience.
That’s all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
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