Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
  • Tire Business
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • ITEC
    • International Elastomer Show
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Continental invests in AI company
      Michelin launching ‘eco-responsible' performance tire for sporty EVs
      GM promotes Siemen to lead sustainability; Parker to retire
      Video: Michelin driving for ‘100% sustainable' tires by 2050
    • Michelin launching ‘eco-responsible' performance tire for sporty EVs
      Video: Michelin driving for ‘100% sustainable' tires by 2050
      USTMA: U.S. tire shipments to rebound in 2021
      TIA among associations against increase to minimum wage
    • Continental invests in AI company
      To boost U.S. microchip production, Biden administration must find supply chains weaknesses
      USTMA, NAM among associations backing passage of Equality Act
      ASC seeks presenters for fall convention
    • Sibur set to launch production at new halobutyl rubber facility
      Braskem to invest $61M to expand green ethylene production capacity
      Zeon receives pair of ISO certifications
      Trinseo taps K.D. Feddersen to supply soft-touch elastomers
    • Stockwell Elastomerics' legacy moves on
      Larger mixers tout economies of scale, along with the need for speed
      Hexpol, Bloom deal with COVID, reorganization, fire since start of 2020
      Small, mid-size compounders keep value, agility, service 'in the mix'
    • Ohio firm focuses on making better masks in U.S.
      U.S. to increase NBR, make gloves using Defense Production Act
      Tire Cologne canceled; rescheduled for 2022
      Tire Technology Expo canceled for 2021
    • Harwick Standard adds Flores to West Coast sales team
      GM promotes Siemen to lead sustainability; Parker to retire
      9 Goodyear-Cooper Tire stories you may have missed
      Goodyear promotes Chris Helsel, expanding his global technology, operational role
    • To boost U.S. microchip production, Biden administration must find supply chains weaknesses
      TIA among associations against increase to minimum wage
      9 Goodyear-Cooper Tire stories you may have missed
      Cooper recalling 430,000+ whitewall LT tires in multiple brands
    • Column: Discussions of race, equality may mean uncomfortable moments
      Column: Business trips possible because of essential workers
      Editorial: Associations see opportunity for progress under new administration
      Editorial: Against a backdrop of turmoil, M&A deals give glimpse of normalcy
    • Studying RPA ASTM methods for detecting compound quality differences
      Damage mechanism in oil and gas formulations during downhole testing
      Advancements in synchronous drive belt design for industrial and consumer markets
      Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
    • Rubber Division introduces WORD webinar series
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Rubber Division introduces WORD webinar series
      Rubber Division seeks abstracts for 200th Technical Meeting
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: Starrett expands field-of-view for multi-sensor vision system
      New Products: Nova thinks outside the box with sealing tech
      New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Continental invests in AI company
      Michelin launching ‘eco-responsible' performance tire for sporty EVs
      GM promotes Siemen to lead sustainability; Parker to retire
      Video: Michelin driving for ‘100% sustainable' tires by 2050
    • Stockwell Elastomerics' legacy moves on
      Larger mixers tout economies of scale, along with the need for speed
      Hexpol, Bloom deal with COVID, reorganization, fire since start of 2020
      Small, mid-size compounders keep value, agility, service 'in the mix'
    • Sri Trang Gloves starts major capacity expansion
      Synthomer dismisses takeover reports
      Combined Goodyear-Cooper Tire company has tire technology, sustainability edge
      Helixtap launches new digital marketplace for rubber
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • HB Chemical
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The HB Chemical and Ravago Partnership: Taking Customer Service to a New Level
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      Above and Beyond with HB Chemical
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Labs of the Future: How to Choose a Laboratory Information Management System in 2021
      Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2021 International Latex Conference Virtual Edition
      2022 ITEC
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Automotive
January 08, 2021 04:47 PM

Where is transportation headed? Five experts weigh in

Alexa St. John
Automotive News
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    The coronavirus pandemic has created an opportunity to redefine transportation.

    Some say we are in a "whiteboard" moment.

    We heard from experts across the industry over the past several weeks about how they see mobility evolving post-pandemic.

    Public transit

    "One of the big changes that we have to grapple with, both at the regional level but frankly across the country, is the role and future of public transit. ... I'm a big believer that transit should be something that other innovations—whether from the private sector through a startup or some other initiative—plug into. I think COVID has really laid bare the funding challenges that transit systems across the country have, but it's also laid bare that there are many in our community that still fundamentally rely on transit to get back and forth to their jobs. We can't ignore that population. We can't ignore the importance of public transit in this solution, but we do have to take some hard looks at exactly when and where and how transit is funded. That's something that has been longstanding and remains. Perhaps we finally take the opportunity to make some of these structural changes moving forward. That's not a given, that's a choice that we still have to make."

    —Jessica Robinson, board chair of the Michigan Mobility Institute, on the Shift podcast

    Consumer habits

    The pandemic "made folks realize that you can be successful in your job, business, by being less mobile or not requiring so much mobility consumption. It also enabled and encouraged folks to use climate-friendly mobility more frequently, like shared micromobility and owned micromobility, and it motivated cities to accelerate something that they would have had to do anyway, as in convert car lanes to bike lanes.

    "How much is this pandemic actually going to change working habits, and if we work from home, how relevant is that going to be in the end? If there's a combination where you were to go to work only a day a week, two days a week or so, it might reduce car ownership and car usage. It might also make folks move outside the cities again."

    —Kersten Heineke, partner leading the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility in Europe


    Ride-share

    "These kinds of mobility services are not going to be eliminated. They might transfer into something new, but they definitely are not going away. People, based on their demographics, are making decisions about how they choose their ride. Especially if we consider larger vehicles like public buses and subways and everything else—[even] months after COVID restrictions and concerns are lifted—the concern of going into large public vehicles may make some people choose Uber and Lyft and similar services to share rides between themselves and colleagues and people they know."

    —Zahra Bahrani Fard, transportation systems analyst at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.

    Autonomous vehicles

    "If anything, this COVID experience for all of us has made it even more clear that the benefits of automation and automated vehicles of all sizes and types is something that we wish we had right now. I think it's definitely given companies an opportunity to see that if anything—things like a global pandemic and how life still must go in these scenarios—automation technologies, and particularly automated vehicles and delivery robots, can significantly improve our lives while keeping us safe at the same time. Ironically, I think COVID has just underscored even further the potential, need and value for this kind of technology in a future, 21st-century world."

    —Jack Weast, senior principal engineer at Intel and vice president of automated vehicle standards at Mobileye, on the Shift podcast

    Micromobility

    "I see mobility becoming more and more diversified, and I think the pandemic, in fact, only sped up that process.

    "I think what we'll see is people are going to less and less identify as car drivers or cyclists or public transit users. You're going to see people say, 'I use all of those to get around my daily life. I use a car if I'm getting out of town. I use the bus if I'm going for a work thing. I use a scooter or a bike if I'm going grocery shopping.' As people are rethinking their rides, they're going to use any number of devices. And the goal over time is we want to give people the ability to have quick and easy access to any and all of those devices in one platform. ... You're going to see people using more different types of mobility, and as we work with cities, cities will change to accommodate those new mobility options."

    —Sam Sadle, senior director of government relations, North America, at shared mobility provider Lime

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • ITEC
      • International Elastomer Show
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION