Populus Open Streets Initiative Helps Cities Close Streets, Opening Them to Cyclists and Pedestrians
Populus Street Manager helps cities create and communicate new temporary and permanent policies to dynamically manage their streets
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - April 21, 2020 — Populus, the industry-leading platform for cities to manage transportation and mobility services has launched the Open Streets Initiative to help public officials create and communicate new street policies, such as street closures and “slow streets” that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists. Applications open today, and can be submitted until May 15, 2020.
Over the past two years, cities around the world - from Baltimore to Buenos Aires - have leveraged the Populus platform to manage policies for shared mobility. With Populus, cities securely access data from shared bike and scooter providers such as Spin, Bird, and Uber. Transportation planners are then able to create and communicate data-driven policies for mobility services to more safely utilize city sidewalks, curbs, and streets.
As cities grapple with COVID-19, many public officials have begun to open streets by closing them to cars - creating more room for pedestrians and cyclists for safe social distancing. These recent policies build on over a decade of advocacy and best practices highlighted by organizations such as the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) to consider the diverse ways that city streets can be used.
To empower cities with digital solutions that support the flexible, nimble management required for a rapidly-changing landscape, today Populus announced the availability of their newest solution: Populus Street Manager.
“How people move in cities is rapidly changing day by day.” said Regina Clewlow, CEO and Co-Founder of Populus. “With our platform, we empower city planners with digital solutions that help them manage the future of mobility in a dynamic way.”
Populus Street Manager enables cities to identify and communicate temporary street closures and policies to key stakeholders including the general public, mapping platforms, and delivery services. Common use cases include:
Planned and approved construction activity.
Temporary street closures to facilitate open streets.
Partial or full street closures for major or special events.
Many cities around the world, including the cities of Oakland, Brookline, and Minneapolis have adopted open streets initiatives that prioritize cyclists and pedestrians on specific street segments and corridors. The Oakland Slow Streets program is one of the most extensive, which will eventually close 74 miles of the city streets to through motor traffic. Other cities have also closed streets for construction in order to accelerate existing planned improvements for public transit.
“Cities are seeking to better allocate limited public space more efficiently and equitably, including our streets, curbs, and sidewalks,” said Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation For America, which hosts the Smart Cities Collaborative. “However, they often lack the tools to do so. Populus delivers the type of innovative solutions that assist city leaders manage their streets in a rapidly changing world.”
Through the Open Streets Initiative, Populus will provide its Street Manager solutions to a select number of cities in 2020. For more information on the Open Streets Initiative, please visit: https://www.populus.ai/products/street-manager or contact the Populus team.
About Populus
The Populus platform helps cities and private mobility providers deliver safe, efficient, and equitable streets. Populus is a comprehensive digital solution that empowers cities to manage their streets, and develop data-driven policies with access to data from mobility operators (shared bikes, scooters, and cars). Founded by transportation PhDs from MIT and UC Berkeley, the Populus team combines over 30 years of experience building software for public agencies to plan for the future of transportation. Learn more at populus.ai