We’re less than two months away from Curbivore 2024 — convening the best and brightest minds and operators pushing the curb forward — March 28 & 29 in Downtown LA’s Arts District.
If you care about delivery, mobility, curb management, local restaurants / retailing, or civic tech — this will be by far the most interesting event you go to all year.
Compressing the city: Seoul just broke ground on GTX C, a new express suburban metro line, set to top out at 160 k/h (99 mph.) This will cut rides from the metro area’s outer suburbs to the city proper from 90 minutes to just 30, really making more of the region feel like a cohesive city. Similar services exist in Japan’s megaregions, while Europeans have somewhat slower equivalents in the form of S-Bahns and RERs. (In the U.S. the closest we come is perhaps BART or SEPTA Regional Rail.)
Other regions are also hard at work tying their suburbs closer to the city. Toulouse is looking to build an RER of its own, while France’s capital progresses on the new Grand Paris Express. Closer to home, Toronto looks to build a similar suburban express network of its own.
Way better: Waymo is backing the AV Accessibility Bill, meant to improve access to autonomous vehicles for those with vision impairments or other disabilities. Sounds like a big win for the differently abled.
London readies for its glow up: While the City of London (aka London’s inner square mile, home to many finance HQs) may be quite old, that doesn’t mean it feels particularly medieval. Post-War “improvements” means that many sections feel rather sterile, with overly wide roads fronting cold office towers and parking structures. Now plans are afoot to fix up the City’s curbs (or kerbs, I suppose.) Look out for wider sidewalks, new bike lanes, more ped-friendly public spaces and a heap of new benches.
Gassed out: While the commentariat may chatter about slowing EV sales, step back and look at the bigger picture. ICE-powered cars are in a long term decline, with sales peaking in 2017. In a perfect world we’d see EV share increasing, while overall vehicles declines…
Join the DRA for this free, two-day, virtual conference that brings together industry experts to showcase their knowledge and expertise on topics including: brand engagement, customer loyalty, customer acquisition, profitable 1P & 3P delivery, and utilizing data & marketing insights! You will hear from 20+ industry leaders including CEOs, Founders and speakers from Google, Ovation, Voosh, McDonald’s, Lineup.ai, Marqii, and more. Register Now!
Last stop: Bus maker ElDorado National-California is winding down operations, leaving the U.S. with only a small handful of domestic bus manufacturers. Given that “Buy America” requirements prioritize U.S. manufacturing, diminished competition may push up prices.
