Column: LA's Vision for Micromobility Is Failing. Here's How to Fix It

Jason Thomas
Jason Thomas is a former strategic finance operator at Bird scooters who is passionate about growing businesses and driving operational efficiency. He's built a career across a variety of companies including Google and GoodRx.
Column: LA's Vision for Micromobility Is Failing. Here's How to Fix It

In 2019, the city of Los Angeles held a one-year micromobility pilot program that prescribed how the city's micromobility companies could operate. The goal was to learn about the dockless transportation model and its impact on urban mobility.

L.A. said it wanted to focus on how safety, equity, access and quality of life were impacted by collecting vast amounts of data from operators and their vehicles.


Nearly four years later, we haven't seen an update to the micromobility program or meaningful infrastructure to support its expansion.

L.A. could improve this program and create an infrastructure for scooters and bikes that would help ensure safe, affordable and sustainable mobility options for all of its communities by being more open with its data around ridership trends, reporting where revenue is being spent, and investing more into infrastructure to support its micromobility ambitions.

Collecting Data for the Wrong Reasons

Los Angeles collects data from scooters, bikes and other sources, including vehicle and trip data such as where a trip begins, where it ends, the route it takes, how long it takes, etc.

All that data comes from the city's digital infrastructure, mobility providers' apps and consumers. When you ride a Bird, the company logs the data on their servers and L.A. collects the data through a set of APIs.

But much of that information is used to generate revenue, rather than assist travelers. Early on, Los Angeles — like other cities — saw an opportunity to tap well-financed operators for operating cash, originally offering a revenue share of $1 per ride per day to cities.

The data the city collects ensures that it gets its share of revenue and enforces its regulations, but it doesn't do much to build a better-connected city.

According to their One Year Micromobility Report, L.A. invested only $2 million into its micromobility infrastructure. Atlanta, Tel Aviv, and Santa Monica are investing more dollars per capita across more square miles than Los Angeles.

Enforcing regulations and managing L.A.'s program is costly, and it's crucial that the city recoups their costs, however, there is no visibility into how much the city has raised in incremental costs to manage micromobility programs nor transparency in how the revenue earned from operators is being spent.

Micromobility data and revenue earned by the city is meant to be leveraged to build transportation infrastructure, access, safety, and equity but we haven't seen tangible progress in these areas from Los Angeles.

Moving Forward

First and foremost, L.A. should be transparent about their micromobility management operations and costs, how the revenue earned from operators is spent, and report out micromobility ridership trends. Citizens and operators are primary stakeholders in this program and have a right to more and better insights.

Better infrastructure is key to the success of micromobility. At least 36 cyclists were killed in L.A. County in 2019 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Many of these deaths were a result of poor bike lanes and resulted in multimillion-dollar payouts by the city.

The L.A. Green New Deal has very ambitious goals to build more than 20 bike lane miles per year by 2028 and reduce vehicle miles travelled by 45% by 2050. According to their latest report, they are on track to achieve their 2021 mobility goals. One of them is improving micromobility infrastructure at transit stations.

We are still in the early days of L.A.'s Green New Deal and time will tell whether these infrastructure projects come to fruition, but the timeline is ambitious.

Nonetheless, L.A. should leverage micromobility data such as trip start and end locations to understand general ridership behavior and trends. They can use this information, paired with vehicle driving and Metro data, to prioritize bike lane infrastructure projects as well as address underserved communities where micromobility would be valuable to citizens.

L.A. should also use app open data to understand where users are looking for options and work with operators to bring vehicles to those locations to better serve citizens.

Operators like Bird and Lime are experts in micromobility. They could leverage city data to find efficiencies for their business.

Los Angeles should reframe its relationship with operators as partners to build a future with micromobility as a core pillar of its transportation options.

LA’s Data Center Supply Crunch

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday Los Angeles!

The Los Angeles data center market is experiencing a significant supply crunch, ranking 12th in growth among top markets since 2020 with only 265 megawatts of colocation inventory (data centers where businesses rent space to store their computing hardware and servers). Despite this, demand is surging, driven by AI, cloud, and hyperscaler needs, with AI accounting for 20% of new data center demand nationally. This scarcity is creating a highly competitive environment, with vacancy rates at a record low 3% and asking rents rising 13-37% year-over-year. For Los Angeles, this presents both challenges and opportunities in the big picture. The city's strategic position as a global entertainment hub and its connectivity to international markets through subsea cables make it an attractive location for data centers. However, the limited inventory and rising costs could potentially hinder growth and innovation in the tech sector. To maintain its competitive edge, Los Angeles will need to address these constraints through new developments, such as GI Partners' 16 MW addition at One Wilshire, and by focusing on high-connectivity, high-power capacity submarkets. The city's tech community should prepare for a landscape of increased competition for quality data center space, higher costs, and the need for innovative solutions to meet growing demand, particularly in AI and cloud services. While Los Angeles faces a challenging data center supply crunch, its strategic advantages and ongoing developments offer a promising path forward.


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Daisy, a one-year-old startup that designs and installs smart home and office technology systems, raised a $7M Series B co-led by Goldcrest and Bungalow, with previous investors Bullish and Burst Capital also stepping up. The company has raised a total of $13.3 million. - learn more

LA Venture Funds


    ✨ Featured Event ✨

    LA TECH CEO SUMMIT

    LA’s tech leadership is set to reunite after a long break! This two day summit will focus on building strong connections, sharing insights, and fortifying the local tech community.

    Learn More Here

    Register Here


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    🌐Decentralizing Data & Vacations: Sony's Web3 Leap and Sensible Weather's KOA Partnership

    🔦 Spotlight

    Happy Long Weekend Los Angeles!

    Sony Group is making a significant push into the blockchain and Web3 space, leveraging its Sony Pictures and Sony Music divisions along with a new global incubator. The company has developed the Soneium blockchain through Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture aimed at accelerating Web3 innovation. Sony is launching the "Soneium Minato" public testnet and a developer incubation program called "Soneium Spark" to foster ecosystem growth and adoption. The initiative includes strategic partnerships with Web3 companies such as Astar Network, Circle, and Optimism. Sony aims to create a fan community centered on creators and connect diverse values through Soneium, with the ultimate goal of integrating Web3 services into people's daily lives. While the company acknowledges the challenges faced by Web3, including limited user adoption and the need for mainstream use cases, it remains committed to decentralizing the concentrated power of the current internet landscape.

    In completely unrelated and more digestible news Sensible Weather, a leading weather protection provider that we’ve featured many times, has partnered with Kampgrounds of America (KOA) to offer Weather Guarantees at over 450 KOA Campgrounds across the United States. This collaboration allows campers to purchase weather protection for their outdoor experiences, providing peace of mind and potential reimbursements of up to 100% of their nightly rate if weather conditions exceed predefined parameters. The partnership comes at an opportune time, as camping has seen a significant increase in popularity, with active campers growing by 68% over the past decade. If you are looking to do some camping this fall make sure you look into Sensible Weather protections to ensure that unpredictable weather won't dampen (nailed it) your camping experience.


    🤝 Venture Deals

    LA Companies

    • Space and Time, a blockchain data warehouse developer, raised a $20M Series A led by Framework Ventures. - learn more
    • Miris, a provider of spatial content streaming solutions, raised a $26M Seed Round led by IAG Capital Partners. - learn more

    LA Venture Funds

    • Fika Ventures led a $4.55M Seed Round for Revenew, a San Francisco startup that aims to help digital platforms and marketplaces manage their payments and optimize financial operations. - learn more
    • Bonfire Ventures participated in a $25M Series A for Supio, an AI platform for personal injury law firms. - learn more
    • Amplify LA participated in a $2M Seed Round for Pryzm, a startup that provides tools and data to help businesses navigate government contracting more efficiently. - learn more

      ✨ Featured Event ✨

      LA TECH CEO SUMMIT

      LA’s tech leadership is set to reunite after a long break! This two day summit will focus on building strong connections, sharing insights, and fortifying the local tech community.

      Learn More Here

      Register Here


      Download the dot.LA App

      Personality Assessments Improving Workplace Dynamics

      Misunderstandings can have significant and sometimes severe impacts, far beyond the hilarious cake pictured above. Many organizations are increasingly using personality assessments to improve team dynamics and productivity. Tests like the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and DISC assessment are valuable tools for developing existing teams in addition to hiring new employees. These assessments provide insights into team members' motivations, communication styles, and work preferences, helping colleagues understand each other better. By highlighting the different personalities within a team, these tests can enhance communication, resolve conflicts, and optimize task assignments based on individual strengths. As companies aim for greater efficiency and collaboration, the Enneagram, MBTI, and DISC assessments are becoming essential for transforming established teams into more effective and cohesive units.


      Image Source: iEQ9

      Enneagram

      The Enneagram test is a sophisticated personality assessment that categorizes individuals into nine distinct personality types, each defined by unique motivations, fears,and behavioral patterns. This holistic approach enhances team dynamics in a business setting by fostering self-awareness, improving communication, and facilitating conflict resolution among team members. By understanding different personality types, teams can optimize their composition, tailor professional development, and create a more empathetic and collaborative environment. This framework not only helps leaders adapt their styles to better support diverse team members but also promotes inclusivity and effective collaboration, ultimately leading to improved team performance, productivity, and retention.

      Resources:iEQ9. We recommend getting an Enneagram coach to get the most out of the results.

      Key Features: Focus on core motivations. Accounts for personality shifts under stress or growth. Offers practical, actionable guidance for personal growth. Uses a dynamic, adaptive questioning approach. Claims 95% accuracy rate through advanced techniques.


      Image Source: DiSC Profile

      DiSC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness)

      The DiSC assessment is a widely used behavioral analysis tool that categorizes individuals into four primary personality types: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. For businesses, DiSC provides valuable insights into employees' communication styles, work preferences, and motivations. By understanding these behavioral tendencies, teams can improve collaboration, reduce conflicts, and enhance overall productivity. Implementing DiSC in a business setting can lead to more effective leadership, tailored communication strategies, and optimized task allocation based on individual strengths.

      Resources:DiSC Profile.

      Key Features: Designed specifically for workplace applications. Focuses on observable behaviors rather than psychological traits. Widely researched and validated over 40+ years. Provides practical strategies for improving interactions.


      Image Source: The Myers-Briggs Company

      The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

      The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a widely used personality assessment tool that categorizes individuals into 16 distinct personality types based on four dichotomies: Extraversion/Introversion, Sensing/Intuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving. For businesses, the MBTI provides valuable insights into employees' communication styles, decision-making processes, and work preferences.This helps promote a more productive workplace, and enables employees to become involved in more meaningful ways, all while leveraging everyone’s unique strengths.

      Resources:The Myers-Briggs Company.

      Key Features: Focuses on preferences rather than traits. Focuses on how people perceive and judge information. Widely used in business and career counseling


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