2019-02-01_Popular_Science

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EDITOR’S LETTER

8

used to watch them from my bike,

poking at their screens, trying

to find their next fare or figure a

route around crowded streets.

This tunnel vision means it’s

easier for them to not notice the

guy on the motorcycle. I’ve had

more near-accidents on New York

streets over the past two years

than I had in my previous two

decades of riding.

While it’s fun to reminisce

about city streets with room to

ride, the Ubers and Lyfts are

here to stay, and I’m happy about

that. We have dreamed a world

that is smaller, cleaner, less dis-

criminatory, and easier to travel

for all people. The same way the

internet has democratized com-

munication, transportation tech

promises to break down the bar-

riers that keep us apart. That’s the

inspiration for this issue—from

the ride-sharing and on-demand

scooter services we already have,

to the quiet supersonic jets and

connected roadways that as yet

exist only on paper.

And if one cranky dude needs

to park his motorcycle to clear the

way, I’m all for it.

EARLY ONE MORNING THIS

past summer, I rode my motor-

cycle out of New York City for

what I expect was the last time.

In fact, I’ll probably never ride in

my hometown again. That’s too

bad, because motorbikes used

to be the best way to get around

this burg: fast, cheap, and able to

squirm through gridlock.

Why? The recent influx of

ride- hailing services like Uber

and Lyft have made these

streets way too mean. Accord-

ing to data from the New York

Taxi and Limousine Commis-

sion, the city has added more

than 70,000 for-hire vehicles

between 2013 and 2018. And

while it’s far easier to get a ride

now—even if you’re in far-out

Brooklyn or couldn’t historically

flag down a cab based on the way

you look—Ubers are making the

city harder for folks trying to get

around on two wheels.

The trouble isn’t just the size

of this ever-growing fleet. App-

hailed drivers stare at their cell-

phones pretty much constantly.

That’s literally their job, and I