Regional Agencies Are Best Poised to Manage Micromobility

Source: GovTech, Skip Descant

Regional government agencies are often best equipped to serve as the oversight organization for micromobility programs, according to the experts.

Cities are often overwhelmed with managing the day-to-day operations of micromobility systems, and are often unequipped to take on the kind of research and analysis into best practices, said Sabrina Bradbury, a senior program manager at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG).

A regional organization can take on these tasks and then bring the information to all partners, she added.

“There’s also a value to providing a seamless user experience,” said Bradbury in comments during a May 4 webinar organized by Urbanism Next, a mobility planning think tank at the University of Oregon.

A regional organization can also help to streamline the procurement process, and aid in the expansion of the micromobility network into some of the more suburban jurisdictions.

In Colorado, the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) has also taken on the role of serving as a form of oversight agency for micromobility deployments. DRCOG doesn’t manage the micromobility programs in the area, but does play a large role in data sharing.