Traffic snarls and parking woes in city centers not only fray the nerves of drivers but have a broader impact on the environment, primarily through increased greenhouse gas emissions. To curtail this urban challenge, Argonne National Laboratory has initiated a creative partnership with the Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (CINCO) and Millennium Parking Garages to introduce an alternative transportation solution that aims to mitigate traffic congestion and carbon emissions in Chicago.
E-scooter Rentals: A Green Initiative to Streamline Urban Transportation
As drivers rummage around for elusive parking spaces, accounting for up to 40% of inner-city traffic, the question that emerges is how to alleviate this perennial urban bottleneck. Teaming up with CINCO and Chicago’s Millennium Parking Garages, Argonne National Laboratory is trialing an intriguing combo: off-street parking paired with electric scooter (e-scooter) rentals.
“A pedestrian’s trek is typically capped at half a mile,” clarifies Joshua Auld from Argonne’s Transportation and Power Systems division. “We speculate that providing e-scooter rentals could coax individuals to leave their vehicles in a garage and subsequently hop onto scooters, facilitating slick city traversal.”
Launching in August 2022, the pilot targeted Millennium Garages—a voluminous subterranean parking complex with over 9,100 spots nestled in the core of downtown Chicago. Jamie Ponce of CINCO outlines the ambition: “Our aim was to test if scooters could virtually shrink the distance to various destinations and sidestep the need for multiple parking sessions, which is a notorious congestion catalyst.”
The Ridy Experience: E-scooters for the Day
In this pilot scheme, a cadre of eight scooters provided by local mobility company Ridy formed the initial nucleus. Unlike the standard image of urban scooters dotting sidewalks for spontaneous pickup and drop-off, this experiment proposed a different narrative. Patrons who parked at a Millennium Garage scheduled their e-scooter online in advance and had the convenience of utilizing it for an entire day, explains Auld.
Statistical Success and Organic Growth
Metrics such as user engagement, distance covered, and trip frequency were collated to gauge the project’s impact. An enthusiastic adoption ensued; during the five-month span in 2022, the program reported 225 distinct users clocking in 546 e-scooter trips. Such promising figures prompted the extension and expansion of the initiative into the following year, with user interest ballooning to nearly 10,000 sign-ups and the fleet doubling in size to accommodate growing demand.
“The integration of e-scooters with parking ventures enables consumers to visit more places and venture further,” remarks Tom McCoy from CINCO, citing a 77% increase in rider participation and 1,341 trips in 2023.
This alliance has further proven the symbiotic value of merging modern mobility solutions with traditional parking infrastructure, as evidenced by the positive reception from Millennium Garages customers and staff.
Fueling Future Urban Transport Strategies
The e-scooter pilot not only aligns with the DOE’s broader SMART Mobility 2.0 initiative but also exemplifies how strategic collaborations can catalyze innovation in city transit systems. Argonne’s data analysis and CINCO’s operational insights were pivotal in shaping the study. Now, Millennium Parking Garages is set to upscale the e-scooter program, assuming its operational and maintenance duties, potentially setting a precedent for similar endeavors citywide. Ponce encapsulates the vision, highlighting that this is a step forward in utilizing infrastructure, technology, and partnerships to engineer more joyous and salubrious metropolitan habitats.
The input of Argonne National Laboratory is far-reaching, transcending this project to encompass a comprehensive scientific agenda. As America’s pioneering national laboratory, Argonne conducts an extensive array of basic and applied research, with deep ties to the academic, industrial, and governmental spheres, with the aspiration of propelling the nation towards a brighter future.
Meanwhile, the DOE’s Office of Science upholds its role as the principal benefactor of basic physical sciences research in the US, unwaveringly confronting some of the most demanding challenges of our era.
