How will City Planning be impacted by Electric Skateboarding?

Unless you’ve spent the last few years hiding under a rock, you’ll know that technological advancement is continuing to reshape the world’s transportation landscape.

This is arguably best embodied by Uber, which despite its various controversies has managed to have an extremely disruptive influence in the taxi and private hire industry. However, major tech players such as Google and Tesla have also emerged as key innovators in the burgeoning autonomous vehicle space, which many people believe represents the future of transportation across the globe.

We’re continuing to see the evolution of public transportation and cycle lanes too, with the London Mayor Sadiq Khan having spent up to £770 million on such initiatives since 2016. In this post, we’ll also consider the emergence of electric skateboards, and ask how this will impact on city planning in the future.

What are Electric Skateboards?

The focus on city planning and public transportation trends is particularly interesting, especially as central locations become more densely populated.

This will put the existing public and inner-city transport options under increased pressure, and ultimately force authorities to develop more viable and effective solutions.

One potential solution exists in the form of micro-electric or “rideable” transport, which is compact, portable and capable of reducing the levels of congestion on the road. At the same time, this type of transport is extremely Eco-friendly, meaning that it will contribute to reduced carbon emissions and help to manage the impact of climate change.

But what’s the most likely micro-electric transportation mode to make an impact in nations such as the UK? We’d argue that it’s electric or so-called “boosted” skateboards, which are currently available with retailers such as SkateHut and represent the next generation of boarding.

These products are highly engineered and lightweight, while they’ve also been designed with long distance riders in mind. As a result, they have genuine potential as a viable mode of transportation for the next generation of commuters, particularly in densely populated areas and inner-city locations.

How will they Impact Transportation in the UK?

One of the initial stumbling blocks with boosted boards is their price, as they tend to range between £949 and £1,499 in the current market.

However, such an investment offers genuine value in instances where boards are to be used as a mode of commutable transportation, particularly in terms of the money saved on diesel or train fares over the longer-term.

With this in mind, the question that remains is how the popularisation of boosted boards would impact on city planning in the UK. In truth, local authorities would adapt to the change in the same way that they have others, by restructuring the urban landscape and creating targeted travel lanes and zones for boarders.

After all, we have seen similar changes with the arrival of each and every major transportation paradigm, from the introduction of the horse and carriage (when streets were narrower) to the emergence of automotive vehicles (when the roads were widened).

So while the idea of electric skateboards whizzing across the UK roads may seem fanciful now, this undoubtedly represents the future of transportation in densely populated areas.