Brandi Braun

Date: October 22, 2018

Time: 8:00 – 8:30 am

Group Members Present: Annie, Aaron, Jake

Location: Phone Interview

Brandi Braun is the deputy innovation officer for the city of Columbus, Ohio. She leads external affairs, government relations, communications and strategic planning efforts for Smart Columbus. She also helps lead enterprise-wide innovation strategies aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness throughout the city.

Interview Notes:

  • Brandi believes that scooters fall in line with new mobility for the city of Columbus, and she is not fully involved with them.
  • Are they solving the real transportation problem within the city?
  • She believes that they have been well received in the downtown area, and people are using them in place of walking and driving.
  • She thinks that people struggle with the inconvenience they present, i.e. scooters are broken (eye sore), they are blocking parking ramps, etc.
  • She believes that the biggest problem is the safety component
  • There needs to be a new normal: scooter riders need to be aware and follow traffic laws, while drivers need to be aware of sharing the road with scooters
  • From her side, connecting with residents and sharing information has been the biggest challenge. There is an information overload.
  • Drivers need to help support the culture shift in the way people will move, want to move, and can move.
  • There are no current plans on her end for increase in scooter education.
  • She notes that it would be crazy expensive to incorporate bike lanes everywhere for a more complete street.
  • Is there a happy medium for docked/dockless bikes and scooters?
  • She questions whether a designated parking area for scooters would actually work. Will people actually park them there if it isn’t convenient for them?
  • Will scooters last 5 years down the line? She does not know, but notes that there will be a version of an e-scooter, but will probably look different.
  • Is this a fad? or do e-scooters have lasting power in Columbus?

Main Takeaway: Brandi believes that the main concern with these e-scooters is safety, and connecting with people to share information and education. There is a culture shift happening in the way people will move, want to move, and can move, and drivers and residents alike need to embrace and adopt the new forms of mobility. She believes that people will continue to struggle with some of the inconveniences they provide, but this will change with increased education, safety, and innovative technology.