How to build a bike-share system for people of all abilities

Sweden's "Vision Zero" program has used a comprehensive approach to infrastructure and regulation to drastically reduce traffic-related deaths, making Swedish roads the safest in the world.

As Beijing grapples with pollution caused in large part by the increase in cars on the roads, a tech-based solution has appeared in the form of forward-thinking bicycles. The Chinese bike-sharing system, spearheaded by several startups, allows commuters to find a bike using GPS, pay for it using an app, and drop it off upon arriving to their destination, wherever that may be. A mix of private investment and government support has allowed this market to thrive.

Copenhagen is a highly livable city, thanks to policies that focus on making streets safe and convenient to walk. The bigger the city, the worse it is to design urban spaces only with cars in mind, says planner and architect Jan Gehl. His top advice is to gather data about people and their movements, making pedestrians as visible in city planning as automobile traffic.

Bellevue’s pilot bike lane project is starting slow and ready for feedback. By beginning the project with less than a mile of bike lanes downtown, the city made sure to brand it as a pilot, hoping to measure results and adapt accordingly. Also, the Bellevue Downtown Association had a clear voice in expectations for any bike lane project, all of which were met in the initial pilot. The city hopes that bringing on board urban planners, city council, and the downtown association will increase chances of long-term success.

Companies like Good Karma allow people with autism to use apps to communicate through pictures and icons. Yet, the apps require users to do a lot of complicated movements, some of who may not have that mobility. However, brain interference technology, could be the answer. Through the technology “a mere thought can get a computer to speak a word or phrase .”

The intensive, alert care low weight infants need is often complicated by overstressed parents and overstretched hospital workers. A bracelet that monitors an infants temperature--and gives an alert when the temperature falls to unsafe levels--provides valuable support to ensuring the safety of these vulnerable young lives.

At least five people who were paralyzed are walking, thanks to a pain stimulator and physical therapy. The stimulator, which is implanted in the body, sends electricity to the spine, and combined with therapy, can retrain the body to walk again. “The first day I took steps on my own was an emotional milestone in my recovery that I’ll never forget, as one minute I was walking with the trainer’s assistance and, while they stopped, I continued walking on my own.”

As the U.S attempts to reopen, restaurant owners from California to Florida are expanding their restaurants into nearby outdoor space, including sidewalks and parking lots. In doing so, they are able to offer patrons a safer dining environment, as there is more room to keep tables further apart and follow social distancing precautions, and it also helps restaurants earn more revenue than if they were limited to indoor space. Some city governments are streamlining the process, including Brookhaven, Georgia, which made it free to access short-term permits for outdoor dining.

To help essential workers navigate the notorious traffic of Bogota, the city built over 50 miles of an emergency bike network. The plan was in place before the arrival of coronavirus but the execution was sped up to meet the demands of increased bike usage. Other measures were also put into place to make the roads more bike and pedestrian-friendly: Reduced speed limits for cars, a 20 percent increase in private parking for bikes, and a bike registration system to deincentivize bike theft. Efforts to expand bike lanes not only eased traffic, they also helped relieve pressure on the overcrowded bus system.

A public library in Madison, Wisconsin, works with an e-bike-sharing company to allow residents with library cards to check out bikes for free for up to a week at a time.