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The effect of COVID-19 slow streets on dockless scooter travel: a quasi-experiment

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  • Boarnet, Marlon G.
  • Lee, Seula
  • Gross, James
  • Thigpen, Calvin

Abstract

We used the implementation of slow streets during COVID-19 as a quasi-experiment to understand how street treatments that prioritize non-car travel influenced dockless scooter trips. We gathered data on slow streets implementation from Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, and San Francisco and identified control group, non-implemented slow streets candidates in three cities (excluding Portland). We examined the impact of slow streets on dockless scooter trips using a before-after, experimental-control group design. We implemented differences-in-differences and panel regressions to analyze the effect of slow streets on scooter trips, finding a robust pattern of statistically significant, positive associations between slow streets implementation and dockless trips. The treatment effect is generally in the range of a 7% to 94% increase in dockless trips. The results indicate potential for infrastructure treatments that slow car travel and prioritize non-car modes to increase dockless scooter trip-making. We discuss the findings and suggest avenues for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Boarnet, Marlon G. & Lee, Seula & Gross, James & Thigpen, Calvin, 2026. "The effect of COVID-19 slow streets on dockless scooter travel: a quasi-experiment," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:210:y:2026:i:c:s0965856426001734
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2026.105032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Haruka Kato & Daisuke Matsushita, 2021. "Changes in Walkable Streets during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Suburban City in the Osaka Metropolitan Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-20, July.
    2. Kelly Gregg & Paul Hess & Jason Brody & Anne James, 2024. "North American street design for the coronavirus pandemic: a typology of emerging interventions," Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 644-662, October.
    3. Shah, Nitesh R. & Guo, Jing & Han, Lee D. & Cherry, Christopher R., 2023. "Why do people take e-scooter trips? Insights on temporal and spatial usage patterns of detailed trip data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
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