Awaiting Report Item Number 2024 #06, regarding micromobility rules and regulations

In response to the Council Order requesting a report on whether the City has the ability to regulate all electric micromobility devices including electric scooters, electric skateboards on bike paths and public ways or whether such regulation is preempted by State law, we report the following to supplement the opinion provided by the Law Department: Electric micromobility devices, including electric bicycles (e-bikes), electric scooters (e- scooters), electric skateboards (e-skateboards), one-wheels, and other emerging mobility devices, have the potential to significantly improve the transportation ecosystem in Cambridge. They provide more mobility options for Cambridge residents, workers, and visitors. Micromobility devices offer affordable, low-carbon ways to travel. E-bikes are particularly important for people who may struggle to use non-e bikes, such as people who experience chronic pain or fatigue or other physical limitations and depend on e-bikes to be able to exercise and live with the freedom of mobility. The City of Cambridge has a long history of policies that reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips, starting with the 1992 Vehicle Trip Reduction Ordinance. These policies have enabled our city to grow a healthy economic base while remaining livable and addressing the challenges of climate change. Supporting bicycling as a sustainable and healthy transportation mode continues to be a cornerstone of these policies and is further strengthened by the emergence of e-bikes and other micromobility options. Our focus on supporting e-bikes and other micromobility devices as first-choice travel modes aligns with the shift towards prioritizing active and sustainable transportation at both the State and Federal levels. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) promotes micromobility, including e-bikes and e-scooters, to support overall goals for transportation equity, active transportation for health, and environmental sustainability. “Micromobility is an important component of a safe, equitable, healthy, accessible, connected, and reliable multi-modal transportation system.”i Page 2 of 4 The popularity of micromobility – and in particular e-bikes and e-scooters – has grown tremendously over the past few years, locally, nationally, and internationally. As one example: After e-bikes were introduced into the Bluebikes system in mid-December, about 175,000 trips were taken in the three winter months following. Current data shows that e-bikes trips represent 30% of all trips taken although they are only about 18% of the bicycle fleet.

Addressing Environmental and Climate Change Issues: Promote Sustainable

Transportation and Reduce SOV

Private automobile transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emission from transportation within Cambridge’s borders. Replacing car trips with e- bike trips can provide substantial climate benefitsii. Research show that in North America, about 60% of e-bike trips replace car tripsiii. Further supporting the value of e-bikes is evidence that people who use e-bikes cycle more often and for longer distancesiv Cambridge Policies and Ordinances that support promotion of bicycling/sustainable transportation include the Vehicle Trip Reduction Ordinance (1992); the Parking and

Transportation Demand Management Ordinance (1998); the Climate Protection Plan

(2002); the School Wellness Policy (2013, updated annually); the Complete Streets Policy (2016); Vision Zero (2016); the Cycling Safety Ordinance (2019 and 2020); Envision Cambridge (2019); and City Council Goalsv.

Supporting People of All Ages, Abilities, and Identitiesvi

Making bicycling a safe and accessible form of transportation for people of all ages, abilities, and identities is a fundamental part of Cambridge’s transportation policy. Achieving this requires addressing physical and structural barriers that limit access to bicycling for some people. E-bikes are particularly valuable in enabling certain populations and users to choose to bicycle. They enable people with physical limitations to bike, including older people and people with disabilitiesvii.

E-Cargo Bikes make it easier for people to travel with children and to transport goodsviii. E-bikes also make longer and hillier trips possible, and those who use e-bikes do take longer trips and bicycle more often during the week. E-bikes have also been shown to be particularly appealing to female cyclistsix, which helps address the gender gap in travel options for women.

In the City's own “Healthy Aging and Cycling" program, offered to Cambridge residents ages 60 and older by the Community Development Department and Cambridge Council on Aging, several participants articulated how meaningful it was that they had the option for e-bikes, enabling them to ride more often and for further distances. It made the difference for them to choose to ride.

More Equitable and Affordable Transportation

Many people with lower incomes lack mobility options. E-bikes and e-scooters are more flexible than transit, significantly less expensive to own and operate than cars, and easier to park/store. There are also many incentive programs for e-bikes Page 3 of 4 purchases available to people with low incomes, so getting an e-bike can make travel more affordable and give people better access to jobs, health care, childcare, shopping, and other destinations. And e-bikes are now available for both short and longer distance trips through the Bluebikes bikeshare system.

E-bikes and e-scooters provide additional sustainable mobility options for people who do not or cannot drive. This includes people who are too young to drive, who cannot afford a car or cannot afford the cost of parking, or who have physical limitations that disallow automobile driving but do allow for micromobility vehicle use.

Supporting Businesses and Providing Delivery Options

E-Cargo bikes are a useful option for small businesses for deliveries and other needs; they are nimble and flexible and less impactful to the city and the environment than traditional trucks and other delivery vehicles, including cars. Services like UPS, Amazon, etc. have started using e-cargo delivery vehicles in urban areas. Boston currently has a program using e-cargo deliveryx that is already proving popular.

Operational and Safety Considerations

Having safe places to travel– specifically separated bike lanes on major roads and off- road multiuse paths -- remains the single most important factor in enabling people to choose to bicycle. Lack of safe places to ride is the number one barrier people cite for why they might not ride even though they desire to.