Oversized SUVs and trucks are a growing menace to people outside of them-- including pedestrians, cyclists, and occupants of smaller cars.
A Biden admin can begin fixing this (even w/o the Senate).
Here's how. 🧵⤵️
Some context: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) evaluates the design of new autos through its influential New Car Assessment Program (NCAP)-- aka, "the one with the crash test dummies."
Automakers are eager to score valuable ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NCAP ratings.
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NCAP only looks at risk to a vehicle's occupants. Pedestrians, cyclists, and those in other cars don't count.
That gives automakers little incentive to protect vulnerable street users. Instead, they're in an arms race to design the biggest, tallest SUVs and trucks.
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The predictable result: pedestrians and cyclist deaths are skyrocketing in the USA.
It's a different story in Europe, which has its own NCAP. To get top ratings there vehicles must pass safety tests focused on pedestrians and cyclists.
Now ~80% of new European automobiles have cyclist detection software as a standard feature. In the USA almost none do.
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NHTSA claims to be reviewing NCAP to fix its shortcomings, but the Trump admin has dragged its feet, drawing a rebuke from the GAO.
Better yet, no Congressional approval is necessary-- just an announcement.
It would be years before NCAP changes go into effect, but automakers would start adjusting designs right away. They want those 5 stars!
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So if you're worried what the Tesla Cybertruck will do on city streets, and if you want to halt the neverending growth of SUV and truck size, now is the time to demand overdue fixes to NCAP.
Of course, city leaders don't need to wait for the feds to limit the use of dangerous SUVs and trucks. In @Citylab I offered a few policy options (below).
But with NCAP, the Biden admin will have a powerful federal tool. It's time to use it!
Fall seems to be the season for Mobility-as-a-Service panels and debates.
Speaking at several has led me to reflect on my own MaaS journey, summarized in the 🧵 below (w/article links).
TLDR: Despite great promise and hype, very few people use MaaS today. We need new models.
2/ I first learned about MaaS ~5 years ago. It offered a captivating vision: Leverage new technology to knit together trips on transit, bikeshare, carshare, scooters etc to improve cities and reduce private driving.
I was fascinated and wanted to learn more.
3/ 2 years ago I heard a top US transportation guru cite Helsinki as the future of urban mobility “because everyone there uses Whim, a MaaS app, to get around town.”
I then met several Finns who disagreed. That led to this article, my first about MaaS. citylab.com/perspective/20…