Along for the Ride #274
Celebrating our 7th birthday đ¤
Heya friends, happy Friday!
There is a lot happening in the world right now; as somebody who has had the immense privilege of being an immigrant for most of my life, itâs devastating to watch people being torn from their homes by ICE in the United States. I think most people likely donât realize precisely how hard (costly, time consuming, bureaucratic) it is to immigrate to a new country, even when youâve got everything working in your favour (as has been largely my experience). The Immigrant Defense Project has numerous helpful resources for how to respond to an ICE raid, and there are local law firms / legal support organizations around the country providing pro bono legal support should you need âem.
On the flip side of todayâs newsletter is a lil bit of joy: this newsletter is officially seven years old young! On June 8th, 2018 I sent out the very first edition of this newsletter, and I feel so ooey-gooey about the twists and turns this newsletter has taken me on. What once started as a professional endeavour to demonstrate my Knowledge and Thoughtful Ideasâ˘ď¸, has turned into a far more special space complete with Big Opinionsâ˘ď¸ and plenty of typos (the older you get, the more you realize typos are not the end of your professional career, and can be endearing!!). Anyways, seven years on I have ânewsletter friendsâ in the mobility space, amazing guest contributors, and Iâve written about things I never thought I would from my favourite recipes to the grief of losing a close friend. Many of you have reached out over the years to share articles, invite me to speak on panels or podcasts, and share this newsletter with your friends. Some of you have even shared their own experiences of grief. Many of you Iâve also met, across so many geographies: the Bay, NYC, Paris, London, and more.
I just wanted to take this moment to say thank you for reading along with me; this newsletter holds a very special place in my heart and that is in no small part because you read it (screaming into the void is objectively more fun with friends).
If you want to you can can share this newsletter with all of your mobility friends, enemies and lovers to help spread the love! Iâm not much a marketer myself (lol), so I estimate 99% of the growth of this newsletter is from people like you forwarding it on. Hope you take the time to eat a slice of cake today just because you can!
UK to fast track AVs
Just when it seemed like the UK was going to take a more thoughtful approach, it seems like the mass lobbying effort from the industry has forced political will to bend towards private interest⌠again (tale as old as time, etc etc). The UK is a country full (FULL) of trains, buses, bikes, and people walking to their schools, work, and social life. I genuinely can not think of many use cases where an AV would create a tangible improvement over the existing transportation network that exists in the UK (this is also what my Masters dissertation in 2017 was about!!). This means the companies pushing for AVs will really only serve to undermine the existing transit networks and that makes me really sad. Thatâs the inevitable outcome, whether itâs their intention or not. Many articles floating around the internet about it:
Uberâs UK trial brought forward to Spring 2026 (The Guardian)
UK accelerates AV ambitions (Wired)
UK expects AV trials as early as Spring 2026 (Traffic Technology Today)
Seattle outlines 7 priorities for AVs
Kinda love this? A city publicly stating their goals and how they want to see AVs implemented to help improve their transportation networks (vs. assuming that a âbetter carâ will inherently improve the network) seems like a breath of fresh air. Seattle has created a working group, âknown as the Autonomous Vehicle Inclusive Planning Cohortâ which is âcharged with developing recommendations for the cityâs approach to AV operations.â Their priorities include:
Ensuring accessibility and affordability for vulnerable communities and low-income riders.
Defining safety standards, making safety data publicly available and holding companies accountable for meeting safety benchmarks.
Developing retraining programs and giving priority to hiring displaced workers, such as drivers, and encouraging the AV industry to partner with educational institutions on training programs.
Using Seattle DOTâs Racial Equity Toolkit to guide policy; developing partnerships between the AV industry and underserved communities and addressing embedded biases in AV technology.
Ensuring that AVs reduce congestion and emissions and regulating land use to avoid concentrating vehicle storage facilities in underserved areas.
Enforcing data-sharing agreements with AV operators and collaborating with the industry on operational standards.
Conducting outreach and education efforts to help residents understand the benefits and challenges of autonomous vehicles.
Gas stations are getting bigger⌠to support EVs
Still a bad land use outcome if you ask me! Gas stations across the US are expanding their footprints to (1) accommodate more EV chargers, and (2) give people charging their vehicles something to do while they wait.
So many thoughts about the protests happening in LA, about Waymo suspending service after realizing people were requesting vehicles only to light them on fire. In moments like these I typically reflect on the fact that people donât go out trying to light buses on fire or other public resources; the societal hive mind understands what tools are used to unite (the bus), and which are largely there for the sake of private profit (the waymo).
Itâs also important to remember that many of the civil liberties we have today came from mass uprisings which were violent (letâs not forget that Americaâs founding aka independence from Britain is called the American Revolutionary War, and involved a lot of violence!). Not condoning violence at large, but also proud that many people in LA are not taking the violent acts by ICE lying down.
Teslaâs imminent robotaxi launch
The exact date for said launch is always an estimation, at best. Tesla is (in theory) launching its robotaxi service in Austin this month (time is ticking), and myself and every other skeptical vulture out there are waiting to see just how badly the pilot will flop.
Is this the decade of the autonomous vehicle?
Well if you enjoy reading Entrepreneur.com, are the CEO of a major company with a vested interest, then maybe yes. This article recaps Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speech at VivaTech conference in Paris, so while itâs not the most interesting, it does help people like me understand how tech CEOs are thinking about the future of this technology.
Start-up in Lima looking to AVs to help with congestion
This NPR interview (short listen) discusses Arturo Deza, the founder of Artificio (a Peruvian AV startup). The interview discusses how operating AVs in geographies such as Peru will require additional training and testing to what weâre seeing happen right now across the US, EU, and China.
Emissions reduction from active transport
âThe results show that for each additional mile of daily active travel, an individualâs GHG emissions from travel are reduced by 37 % (176 g CO2e) based only on mode shift (with fixed daily trips), by 48 % (861 g CO2e) if trip lengths are also allowed to change (with a fixed number of daily trips), and by 51 % (972 g CO2e) with no constraint on daily trips. Mode shift primarily affects the shortest (and lowest-emitting) trips, so mode shift alone represents only 1/5th of the potential GHG benefits of increasing active transportation in a way that also reduces trip lengths through destination changes.â
Why we canât let AVs redesign our streets
Thanks to AFTR reader Jack for sharing this article :)
âThe real danger is that we repeat history. The rollout of driverless vehicles must not be an excuse to further diminish the role of the pedestrian in urban life. The streets of the 20th century were reshaped to suit cars, often at enormous social cost.â
Note: The title of this article refers to AVs making pedestrians âsecond class citizensâ and while I get what the author is trying to achieve, that language misses the mark in thoughtfully considering the implications of this verbiage as it relates to immigration (particularly now!).
Full-time jobs
[London, UK - Greater London Authority] Principal Planning Officer, Oxford Street Regeneration
Last weekend I was in Montana (small note that air travel sometimes feels like time travel, and lord knows my emissions need to checked, Iâm aware đľâđŤ), but I have to say Yellowstone National Park may be one of the most beautiful places Iâve ever seen. I was there for a friendâs bachelorette party and it was very calm and peaceful and not like every movie ever has led to me to believe (not a single penis-shaped straw in sight). 20/10 would recommend seeing Yellowstone with your own two eyeballs if you ever get the chance.
This week my friends Chloe and Al are in town, and Chloe and I had the distinct pleasure of passing Harry Styles while walking through Hampstead Heath the other evening, which was Very Coolâ˘ď¸. He said hello and we both barely kept it together.
Finally, last night my friend Matt and I hosted another Mobility Meet-up in London and it was so great to have mobility friends from life and new folks join. You can register for future events via this link!
P.S. Happy pride!! May your June be full of ⨠gay shenanigans â¨
Thatâs all from me. Have a beautiful weekend friends.
Sarah
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