Framework Aims to Facilitate Better Working Relationships Between Cities and Private Transportation Providers
For Immediate Release
January 9, 2017
Press contact:
Alexander Engel
[email protected]
646.324.2919
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), an association of 49 cities in the United States, today released a framework for data sharing by private mobility providers, which account for a large and growing share of trips taken within U.S. cities.
Cities seek the best data to understand, manage, and maintain increasingly congested street networks. New mobility providers, like Uber, collect high-quality GPS data that can provide unique and timely insights into the operation of city streets. Anonymized data including vehicle speed, volume, travel time, pick-up and drop-off information, among other crucial data points, will enable cities to make better data-driven planning and policy decisions, and redesign streets to meet modern needs. While limited data has been shared, most recently through Uber Movement, the data as currently provided does not allow for meaningful analysis and decisionmaking on a street design level, even for the limited cities that currently have access to the platform.
NACTO’s Data Sharing Principles provide a strong basis for cooperation between cities and private mobility providers. Data that is already being collected by new technologies can enable better planning decisions that support community goals. With NACTO’s Data Sharing Principles, private transportation providers can avoid a patchwork of individual cities’ policies, providing predictability for future investment.
“Los Angeles has one of the most extensive, and congested, street networks in the world,” said Seleta Reynolds, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and NACTO President. “We must have high-quality data from new mobility providers to achieve and measure our goals to save lives, manage congestion, grow our economies, and strengthen our cities.”
“Without data, cities are driving blind,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, Transportation Principal at Bloomberg Associates and NACTO Chair. “Governments need new standards and ride companies like Uber need to read the data written on the wall.”
“It’s great that Uber is recognizing their impact on transportation congestion in cities and trying to provide information,” said Scott Kubly, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation and NACTO Vice President. “However, what they’re offering is not consistent with what cities require, nor is it in line with national best practices.”
“Cities require the best information possible to provide public services to their constituents,” said Gina Fiandaca, Commissioner of the Boston Department of Transportation. “Everyone, including new mobility companies, benefits from better management of our streets.”
Read NACTO’s Data Sharing Principles (PDF) >
NACTO Policy >
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About NACTO
NACTO is an association of 49 major North American cities formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues.
Member cities include Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington D.C. Affiliate member cities include Arlington VA, Boulder, Burlington, Cambridge, Chattanooga, El Paso, Fort Lauderdale, Hoboken, Indianapolis, Louisville, Madison, Memphis, Miami Beach, Montreal, Oakland, Palo Alto, Puebla MX, Salt Lake City, San Luis Obispo, Santa Monica, Somerville, Toronto, Vancouver BC, Vancouver WA, Ventura, and West Hollywood. Transit affiliate members include King County Metro Transit, Miami-Dade County, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Portland TriMet.