We’re thrilled to present the next phase of the Global Micromobility Index. 

Photo by Aaron Doucett on Unsplash

I started my transportation career in the fall of 2008, as the economy was unravelling at the start of what would become the Great Recession. Obama was elected within a couple of months and in early 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a $787B stimulus package that included significant funding ($48B) for transportation infrastructure. As with many packages of this nature, the focus was on projects that were “shovel-ready” and could spend the federal funds quickly on tangible projects.

Photo by Lucian Alexe on Unsplash

Cities around the world are experiencing a micromobility revolution. 

But the more e-scooters and e-bikes that are taken to the streets, the more demand there will be for improved bike lane infrastructure that supports these vehicles — just like with the gas tax. 

Photo by Wassim Chouak on Unsplash

Just over 100 years ago, Oregon became the first state to impose a per-gallon gasoline tax. Many other states introduced gas taxes in the years that followed. 

Read on to find out why it was developed, who benefits, and what we can learn from the tax to meet people’s and cities' transportation needs today, including micromobility.