In short: we now have a method to identify geofences for scooters, and fines are linked to prices and enforcement

Good day my good friend.

Today I had an experience with a software package that reminded me of the time I ran my first SATURN model. Literally sitting down and reading things while it ran the calculations. Such simple times. Anyway, here are some links that you may be interested in.

James

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Geofencing electric scooters can be scientific, but its usually political

This is a great research project that has devised a service design model for setting geofenced areas in cities where e-scooters cannot operate. Seeking to balance the utility of the riders and safety concerns. There are still a number of concerns about the safety of e-scooters in the UK, but with it being likely that e-scooters will be legalised, such tools could be a useful addition for local authorities.

The experience in the trials to date is that the setting of geofences is largely political. With almost no evidence apart from local knowledge and trial and error setting the boundaries and adjusting them. Its time for us to be a bit more rational and scientific about this.

Cheap parking fines with a low chance of being caught leads to more violations. In other news, bears found to be doing their business in wooded areas.

Some new research from Freiburg in Germany about the influence of parking fines on the tendency to violate parking rules has shown that compliance is linked to the level of the fine. But their research also picks up an interesting economic dynamic taking place:

To make vehicle ownership and use less attractive, the price of parking needs to be high. Fines need to be high in relation to fees, and control densities need to constitute significant detection risks.

Simply, the fine needs to be proportional to the fee and the chance of being caught. Some quote an anecdote that if you occasionally pay a fine for parking illegally, but that fine is less than the fees you would have paid, it makes sense to park illegally. Donald Shoup advocates progressive parking fines, and some analysis has been done about the relationship between parking fees and fines. But I have never seen a study that links fines, fees, and detection together.

Random things

Its all here.

• How to End Climate Failure (Project Syndicate)

• Harris rolls out plan for electric vehicle charging network (The Hill)

• Faster trains and cheaper tickets to boost European rail travel in new strategy (The Guardian)

• Slovakia has high hydrogen ambitions in road transport (The Slovak Spectator)

• A new transport agenda to carry Asia and the Pacific towards sustainable development (Asia and The Pacific Policy Society)

Interesting things

The two sides of driverless cars.

If you do nothing else today, then do this

Read the National Audit Office’s Principles of Effective Regulation. No fluff, no rubbish, just good advice.