E-Scooters can boost sustainable tourism in Chicago

Thursday, March 14, 2024

In an innovative move to combat urban traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Argonne National Laboratory has joined forces with the Civic Infrastructure Collaborative (CINCO) and Millennium Parking Garages. This collaboration aims to offer electric scooter rentals to parking garage customers in Chicago, a strategy that is expected to contribute significantly to sustainable tourism in the city. The initiative is driven by the realization that a significant portion of city center traffic is attributed to drivers in search of parking, leading not only to wasted time and fuel but also to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

To tackle these challenges, the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory collaborated with CINCO and Millennium Parking Garages to explore a novel transportation approach. By integrating off-street parking with e-scooter rentals, the partnership seeks to encourage garage customers to use e-scooters for efficient travel across the city, thus extending the reach of parking facilities and reducing reliance on cars for short distances. Joshua Auld from Argonne emphasized the reluctance of people to walk beyond a certain distance to their destinations, underscoring the potential of e-scooters to facilitate greater mobility within the city.

The pilot program, launched in August 2022 with Millennium Garages—a sprawling underground parking facility boasting over 9,100 spaces—aimed to test whether e-scooters could effectively link the garage to a wider range of destinations. This initiative, different from the usual public scooter fleets, offered users who parked in Millennium Garages the opportunity to reserve an e-scooter through the garage’s website and utilize it for an entire day. This arrangement allowed for flexibility in travel, including the option to keep the scooter at one’s office or use it for multiple trips throughout the day.

The pilot program’s success was evident in the data collected, showing a high utilization rate of the scooters, even during colder months. Throughout the five-month pilot in 2022, 225 unique riders took 546 e-scooter trips, highlighting the program’s acceptance and the demand for such sustainable travel options. The initiative saw continued growth in 2023, with almost 10,000 customers registering for the e-scooter fleet, leading to a decision to double the number of scooters available.

This approach not only offers a sustainable alternative to car travel but also promotes tourism by enabling visitors and residents to explore more of the city with ease. The integration of e-scooters with parking facilities represents a forward-thinking solution to urban mobility challenges, demonstrating a commitment to reducing carbon emissions and fostering a more enjoyable and sustainable urban environment.

The pilot’s success has prompted Millennium Parking Garages to expand their e-scooter fleet, setting a precedent for other facilities to adopt low-carbon mobility options. This initiative is a step towards utilizing infrastructure, technology, and partnerships to create happier, healthier cities, in line with Argonne’s mission to solve pressing national problems and promote a sustainable future.

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