Proper parking and effective right-of-way management are the biggest hindrances to the large-scale and long term success of dockless shared micromobility. With the popularity of these programs across the globe, the parking of these free-floating vehicles remains the biggest challenge and is a source of palpable friction between the various stakeholders in cities – including operators, regulatory authorities, elected officials and community advocacy groups. There are solutions, however, but it’s helpful to first understand some baseline facts.

Fact: Right-of-way Management is Mandatory

The notion that the public right-of-way should be kept clear and accessible is not just wishful thinking. The obligation to regulate streets and sidewalks is mandated for all cities at the local level, with parking enforcement and public works usually responsible for issuing citations and correcting violations. In the absence of any local regulations, parking on pedestrian infrastructure is regulated federally by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – the longstanding foundation that requires a pedestrian right-of-way remain unencumbered in US cities. Since its passage in 1990, some version of the ADA (which celebrates its anniversary this week) has been adopted by 181 countries, making it one of America’s most successful exports.

Fact: Dockless Micromobility is More Popular than Dock-Based

Without wading into the nuances of the topic, data and reporting demonstrate that dockless electric micromobility has been adopted more quickly than its station-based counterparts, both in terms of ridership and geographic expansion. However polarizing they may be, e-scooters and e-bikes are popular, with the convenience of going ‘door-to-door’ efficiently.

Fact: GPS Technology has Shortcomings

GPS technology has been, and continues to evolve into an incredible technology that enables tracking and management of deployed assets across myriad industries and applications. However, in micromobility operations, the typical GPS chipsets used simply do not have the level of accuracy required to implement very finite geofencing which is inherently needed for things like precise parking management. To make things worse, GPS technology struggles even more mightily where it matters most – dense urban areas with tall buildings where high pedestrian activity is typical. Tall buildings clustered in downtown settings wreak havoc on GPS signals, and result in location inaccuracies of 30-100 feet, and sometimes more.