The city of Los Angeles California released its first Transportation Technology strategies in September 2016 to weave emerging policy and technology innovation (apps, software, shared use, vehicles, signage, payment ) into local /regional formal transportation plans.
Benefits & Problems Addressed
Better use of digital to enhance mobility: As technology rapidly changes the way people plan and take trips, integrating technology in to existing, formal technology.
Technology alignment: The strategy creates a new platform for transportation innovation that focuses on three core customer services: data, mobility and infrastructure.
Customer Focus: Eschewing the traditional focus on vehicles, Mobility-as-a-Service provides a suite of transportation mode options through a single platform and payment system to simplify access to mobility choices.
Tips & Techniques
Use of Pilots: Pilots help test various strategies on a small scale amenable to iteration and scale.
Mobility-as-a-Service: In Los Angeles, the pilot service areas include (1) Mobility hubs to integrate + connect modes; (2) On-demand transit options; (3) Expanded, shared services to low-income neighborhoods citywide; and (4) Smart fare systems. Geographically, pilots will focus on Corridors, Districts and Markets.
Data as a Service: Pilots give the city experience in managing and optimizing data-sharing partnerships, exploring the value of analytics, and testing new tools. Strategies include: (1) Analyzing crowdsourced data for roadway design impacts on congestion; (2) Testing customer feedback tools on public services; (3) Develop an online project dashboard for this strategy; (4) Deploying connected infrastructure in the city's Promise Zones; (5) Experimenting with parking inventory technologies.
Infrastructure as a Service: Infrastructure as a Service is the idea that the use and access of public infrastructure should be subject to pay-as-you-go user fees that more closely align the costs associated with providing the infrastructure itself to how the infrastructure is being used. Pilot topics include (1) Temporary car-free zones across the city; (2) Assumptions around roadway capacity + utilization; (3) New infrastructure assessment tools; (4) AV pilots; (5) AV networks on city streets + incentivize sharing.
Strategy Steps: (1) Build a solid data foundation; (2) Leverage tech + design for a better transportation experience; (3) Create partnerships for more shared services; (4) Establish feedback loops for services + infrastructure; (5) Prepare for an automated future. The guide lists suggested steps in near, middle and long term time frames.
Hot Buttons: Not all travelers have access to the technology needed for the array of services; the strategy suggests a shift to a pay-as-you-use service model. The resource looks more at vehicles and transit than opportunities for bicycles and pedestrians.
Resources
Urban Mobility in a Digital Age: A Transportation Technology Strategy for Los Angeles.