Observations of social (un)learning around e-scooter emergence Case Helsinki

Samira Dibaj, Lopatnikov Lopatnikov Rojo, Miloš Mladenović

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference article in proceedingsScientificpeer-review

Abstract

The emergence of shared micromobility in recent years has caused enormous changes in the city landscape and people’s daily activity-space. E-scooters as an emerging transport mode are being embedded into society by offering a fast and pleasant travel experience, especially for first- and last-mile legs, while being relatively affordable (Fitt & Curl, 2020; Bieliński & Ważna, 2020). Rapidly evolving literature focuses on various topics, such as trip purpose (Buehler, et al., 2021), mode substitution (Guo & Zhang, 2021), safety (Haworth & Schramm, 2019), injuries caused by e-scooters (Mukhtar, et al., 2021), using public shared space (Gibson, et al., 2021). These studies mostly focused on trip data, questionnaires, or surveys with limited information about users’ behavior, intention toward using e-scooters. Studies with a deeper conceptualization of everyday mobility and unpacking of social practices are still rare (Fitt & Curl, 2020). In order to conduct a deeper analysis of users’ behavior, there is a need to understand different users’ profiles (Dibaj, et al., 2021). This research is based on an in-depth observational study in several different locations in Helsinki, Finland, aiming to deepen the understanding of the social learning process of e-scooter usage in different streetscape configurations. The results indicated that the major demography of users are young males, although there are also some other user types. Flock riding (e.g., two or more people riding along with each other in a group) is a common behavior among e-scooter users. Furthermore, there is a considerable proportion of food delivery people using e-scooters who have specific behavioral features related to high competence levels. Multiple users using one e-scooter and not keeping a safe distance from other road users are some examples of conflicting cases, leading to specific situations in the negotiation of shared space. Conclusions provide lessons for basic infrastructural challenges even in a city with heavy investments in cycling infrastructure, as well as specific features of the local mobility culture.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAESOP Annual Congress : Space for Species: Redefining Spatial Justice
PublisherAssociation of European Schools of Planning (AESOP)
Publication statusUnpublished - 26 Jul 2022
MoE publication typeA4 Conference publication
EventAESOP Annual Congress: Space for Species: Redefining Spatial Justice - Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
Duration: 25 Jul 202229 Jul 2022
https://aesop2022.publicon.ee/
https://aesop2022.publicon.ee/en/
https://aesop2022.publicon.ee/en/welcome/

Conference

ConferenceAESOP Annual Congress
Abbreviated titleAESOP
Country/TerritoryEstonia
CityTartu
Period25/07/202229/07/2022
Internet address

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