The climate culture war on city streets
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CoMotion LA ‘26 is back November 18-19 for a very special 10th edition: Cities on the Move: Mega-events, AI & Shaping What’s Next — featuring the OMF Summit Track.
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As much of North America and Europe endure broiling temperatures that will likely become more common in the coming years, the only thing everybody can agree on is that it’s hot outside. Some Europeans say the changing climate demands an embrace of air conditioning, while others say that will only make the problem worse. Climate-friendly mobility is also not a slam-dunk politically: Brussels just banned e-scooters and Santa Barbara, Calif. is having heated debates about e-bikes (though the e-bikes have won this round). If nothing else, hopefully we can all agree that cities could use more shade.
What you need to know
Uber and Waymo’s Phoenix break-up: For almost three years you could hail a Waymo through the Uber app in Phoenix, but the two companies have suddenly (and quietly) ended their partnership in Arizona. Uber says it will pursue an autonomous ride-hailing collaboration with another unidentified company. The Uber-Waymo partnership appears to still be intact in other markets, including Austin and Atlanta. But in some others, notably London, they are gearing up to be direct competitors.
Brussels is banning e-scooters: Shared e-scooters proved extremely popular in the European Union capital, but they’ll be gone on Jan. 1. The ban implemented by the Brussels regional government cited injuries, parking and criminal misuse as reasons to boot the two remaining operators, Bolt and Dott. As Riya Das of the Micromobility Newsletter explains, the ban follows years of progressively strict regulations that still didn’t manage to satisfy critics.
The World Cup is Here, the Olympics are Coming... is LA Prepared?
Imagine 7 super bowls in your city, every day, for sixteen days. That’s what LA is poised to deal with when the Olympics arrive in 2028. How is the World Cup helping them prepare? On this special miniseries episode of the Fast Forward podcast, host Nick Perloff-Giles sits down with experts, advocates, and researchers Alissa Walker, Eli Lipmen, and Juan Matute to discuss everything that’s gone right (and wrong) with the transportation planning of the World Cup, and everything to come for the Olympics.
Europe’s air conditioning war: A scorching heat wave prompts Europeans to debate whether it’s time for the Old Continent to embrace air conditioning. Some see it as a necessity in an era of increasingly hot summers while others view it as the type of unnecessary, energy-intensive decadence that got us into this climate mess. Plus, AC units push heat outside, potentially making the streetscape even hotter.
A promising AI merger: Israeli dash cam startup Nexar is merging with Nauto, an AI-powered fleet safety platform based in Palo Alto. The two companies, both founded in 2015, are building a driving intelligence platform based on 10 billion miles of cumulative driving history.
Austin deals with a second e-bike battery fire: Just weeks after a fire prompted Austin’s transit agency to halt its e-bike-sharing service, local e-bike manufacturer Mod Bikes’ warehouse goes up in flames following a battery testing mishap. Most of the company’s inventory was saved, but it’s the kind of incident that makes the policymakers wary of embracing e-bikes.
BYD reclaims #1 EV spot: The Chinese automaker far outsells Tesla in Q2, buoyed by a big boost in exports. Forty-three percent of the 557,900 vehicles were sold outside of China. Analysts expect Tesla’s Q2 deliveries to come in a distant second at just under 400,000.
Santa Barbara sides with e-bikes over cars: Santa Barbara City Council votes 5-2 to keep much of the city’s iconic State Street closed to cars, as has been the case since the pandemic. State Street merchants appeared to be divided on the issue; some felt the street has become overtaken by e-bikes and the lack of vehicle access harms business. Others felt the pedestrian atmosphere and lack of car noise and pollution had been a big benefit. It’s the kind of mobility culture war that is familiar to anyone in local government.
Join us and LACI at the Road to 2028 Summit!
LACI’s Road to 2028 is working with leaders from all sectors to accelerate equitable climate action, ensure cleaner air, and increase economic investment by 2028 and beyond.
CoMotion is excited to co-host the Road to 2028 Summit on July 14 and 15 — exactly two years to the day before the opening ceremony of the 2028 Games — and urge you to register to attend the Road to 2028 Summit. Let’s all work together to advance cleaner air and healthier communities in LA and beyond.
Hurry, the first 50 CoMotion subscribers who register using the code COMOTION28 will receive 20% off their tickets!
What we’re reading
Throw us some shade: Writing for Metropolis, Daphne Lundi reviews Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource by Sam Bloch. The book, she says, “offers a timely argument that the neglect of shade and cooling infrastructure is not merely a design failure but a cultural one.” For instance, the much-maligned “Sombritas” in Los Angeles, originally intended to “include seating, a canopy, and a digital screen was whittled down to a metal pole.”
