Australia and America have a lot in common: sprawling suburbs, a deep love affair with the automobile and like just about everywhere in the Anglosphere — an inability to build infrastructure at reasonable costs. But despite the big price tags, Australia (and the United Kingdom) have done a far better job of figuring out what to build and actually ponying up the money needed to get it done. Australia’s largest cities have spent the past couple decades building new metros, light rail lines and other transit infrastructure, while the UK has found creative ways to fund major projects through development and land value capture. Of course, that doesn’t mean every project is perfect, or that the money will last forever.
To better understand the similarities and differences, this week’s podcast guest is Russell King, an acclaimed transport strategist and the man behind Transport Leaders. Russell has spent much of his career at the intersection of transportation and public policy, first as a councillor in London, where he expanded the city’s iconic bikesharing scheme south of the Thames and advanced a largely developer-funded extension of the Underground to Battersea. He later moved to Sydney, where he helped oversee a multibillion-dollar infrastructure boom and reforms to everything from taxi regulations to transit fares.
We dig into Australia’s rapid adoption of Chinese electric vehicles, why a country that pioneered autonomous trucks in its mines has made so little progress putting robotaxis on its streets, and how neighboring New Zealand is tackling road-user charges and congestion pricing. We also explore Australia’s impressive recent rail-building spree, why the pipeline of new projects may be drying up and the country’s plans to spend astronomical sums on high-speed rail. As a Californian, it’s comforting to know we’re not the only ones struggling to figure out how to build a train… Listen in!
HOT INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
Hello from Lisbon! Today’s newsletter is short and sweet, as I’m on the ground in beautiful Lisbon. Whether you’re a Portuguese mobility innovator, or you’re in town for Fleet Europe, come say hi! Better yet, stop by today’s MobilityCafe — MobilityVC’s biannual meetup of investors and entrepreneurs — right on the waterfront.
CoMotion LA returns to Los Angeles, November 18-19: CoMotion LA will convene more than 1,200 leaders from mobility, infrastructure, technology, government and investment for two days of practical discussion, new partnerships and global insight. Its tenth edition will explore how AI, mega-events and emerging technologies are accelerating mobility innovation, including the preparations shaping Los Angeles ahead of the major international events coming to the region.
Curbivore is pleased to be an official partner, register with code Curbivore-20 and save 20% on tickets.
A few good links: Kodiak scores first commercial autonomous trucking deal. Santa Monica scores $500k parking deal with Zoox. Baidu comes to London. Meet Walkipedia — a map of all the Wiki entries within walking distance. Lisbon kicks out scooter operators as it drafts new regs. 23 transit ballot measures to watch next week. Congrats to our friend at Robotis for supplying the actuators to the hotly anticipated Pollen Robotics duck. Novus closes funding round for its eye-catching Lightbike (on display today at the MobilityCafe!) California venture funding surges. Uber makes play for night shift workers. Tesla partners with Turo to push assisted driving on rentals. Bedrock Robotics raises $600M. Instacart shutters Caper Carts biz amid buyout talks. Ford’s cheap EV pickup to feature built-in inverter. NYC may amend Citizens Air Reporting program amid “abuse” by super reporters. GM goes all-in on hybrids. Re:Build raises $2.1B. UPS sees $15B in opportunity from data center boom. LA struggles to adhere to sidewalk remediation settlement and to combat illegal billboards. SBX BRT to launch May 3rd. Serve Robotics expands to Australia.
See you next week!
- Jonah Bliss & The Curbivore Crew
