Chicago, IL: Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, in collaboration with Millennium Garages, Argonne National Laboratory, Ridy and SP+ have launched a first of its kind collaboration to integrate multiple modes of transportation with off-street parking and study the impacts on traffic, congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. To begin the study, the collaboration launched a pilot integrating off-street parking with electric scooters. The team will analyze how the integration of these modes impacts customer travel patterns, customer mode choice, traffic, congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Driven by advances in technology (battery, mobile payments, smartphones, etc.) and the need for affordable last mile transportation solutions, the number of electric mobility options has multiplied in recent years. Connecting parking and other modes of transportation (park n’ ride, airport parking lots, etc.) has long been a focus for facility owners, operators and municipalities. Electric mobility hubs connecting electrified modes of transportation represent an evolution of this idea, promising significant benefits to travelers, commuters and the environment.

Civic Infrastructure Collaborative, Millennium Garages, Argonne National Laboratory, Ridy and SP+ have launched a dedicated eScooter fleet to connect parking customers to their final destinations in downtown Chicago. The eScooters are free to ride for Millennium Garages parking customers for up to 10 hours. Located in Lakeside Garage at 300 East Monroe Street, the team launched an 8 vehicle fleet, with the potential to expand to additional vehicles, facilities and modes.

Millennium Garages is the largest underground parking facility in North America. Its proximity to downtown locations and early leadership in vehicle electrification provide a premier testbed for electric mobility solutions. Millennium Garages is located underneath Millennium Park, Grant Park and Maggie Daley Park, near multiple modes of transportation (CTA, Metra, bike-share, bus, etc.) and downtown locations (central business district, cultural attractions, theater and music venues, etc.) Commuters, tourists and residents can park once at Millennium Garages, then reach their final destination via adjacent modes of transportation. Millennium Garages is an early leader in supporting vehicle electrification, recently announcing additional their expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Argonne National Laboratory, under the US Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office SMART Mobility Consortium, is funding the eScooter pilot and will analyze information gathered during the pilot to understand how mobility systems may evolve in the future and the potential of scaling up the deployment. In this project, Argonne will leverage its transportation system simulation tools and qualitative survey responses to produce recommendations on how mobility solutions can be systematically integrated with off-street parking facilities to benefit dense urban areas, like the Chicago Loop.

Chicago-based e-mobility solution provider Ridy operates the eScooter fleet. Ridy is an industry leader in dedicated micromobility solutions, providing eScooter and eBike fleets, technology and micromobility charging infrastructure to commercial real-estate customers and corporate campuses. RIDY charging stations provide parking and safe charging for eScooters. The Ridy vehicles have a range of up to 30 miles when fully charged, allowing riders to access to the entire Chicago Loop area and beyond. The eScooters are equipped with a cable lock for riders to lock-to bike racks or other fixed objects while not in use.

Millennium Garages’ mobility efforts are part of Civic Infrastructure Collaborative’s Millennium Gateway Innovation Lab, a cross-sector effort launched in 2020 to develop technology-enabled infrastructure solutions and to integrate parking more fully into urban transportation systems. In addition to Millennium Garages, the Lab’s founding members and strategic partners include national parking and mobility technology leader SP+ Corporation, last-mile mobility solutions provider Arrive, the National Parking Association, the International Parking & Mobility Institute, and the City of Chicago.