US drivers collectively spend 4.8 billion hours sitting in traffic
Cities everywhere face exponential increases in traffic. Most are unable to build sufficient infrastructure to cope. Driver behavior, like rubbernecking and erratic lane changing, compounds the problem.
In conjunction with our partners at social production firm Mutopo and open innovation platform Jovoto, we’re going to find and test new ways to eliminate traffic this problem through our new initiative BetaTraffic.
The BetaTraffic Overview
As part of a 12 month initiative we’ll bring together urban planners, designers, and fellow commuters to discuss the problem and develop solutions and we’re looking for global partners to help make this a reality. This is an opportunity to be involved with like-minded organizations in a high-profile initiative.
The Impact
Traffic wastes time and fuel, and increases environmental pollution. Truckers delivering goods in major US cities wasted nearly $50 billion in time and fuel sitting in traffic in 2009. When combined with employees commuting to work, the total rises to $115 billion. Here are some other sobering facts:
- 1 hour average traffic delay worldwide
- 2 ½ hours average traffic delay in Moscow
- 3.9 billion gallons of gas in US burned sitting in traffic
- 300% increase in fuel consumption and emissions due to congestion
Sources: 2010 Commuter Pain Study 2010 Urban Mobility Report
In addition to the environmental impact, traffic affects people’s health and harms communities. Almost 60% of commuters worldwide believe traffic negatively affects their health and studies have linked traffic to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. People living on high-traffic streets have fewer friends in their neighborhoods and feel weaker ties to their communities.
The Solution
This complex problem gets little attention. So as part of BetaTraffic, we’re starting a conversation. Over the course of the next 12-18 months, we’ll bring together urban planners, designers, innovators and fellow commuters to discuss the problem and develop solutions in an open design challenge.
The challenge will encourage mass-participation through the submission of ideas, data collection and analysis and continued dialogue through open conversation and collaboration.
Problems like this are usually discussed exclusively by closed groups of experts. The open challenge format will include these groups alongside a more diverse audience.In our experience, the best and most interesting solutions are created when we connect people together across disciplines.
How You Can Help
Here are a few ways that you can get involved:
- Sponsorship: We’re looking for high-tech, automotive, wireless providers, mobile handset providers and other brands to support the initiative
- Media Partnership: Promotional promotional and media support and outreach through mainstream and social media
- Expert Judges: Provide feedback on concepts, guide participants and provide expert advice
If you are interested to learn more about this forthcoming initiative, or if you would like to talk to us about being a global partner or to provide specific expertise as one of our challenge judges, please email Toby Daniels.
Who We Are
Mutopo is a Social Production company. We produce collaborative solutions. We have strategy, design, and marketing experience, and have solved problems with organizations large and small.
Crowdcentric was founded to explore new opportunities in how we as a society connect and communicate, and to help people, brands, and organizations around the world establish deeper relationships through collaboration and communication.
Jovoto is motivated by two ideas: To provide fair, challenging opportunities for creative people, and to enable organizations to access talent around the world to create better communications, products and services.
The BetaCup: Case Study
Goal: To create a coffee cup with the advantages of paper cups and none of the landfill.
Overview: the betacup launched in 2009 as an open challenge to solve this growing problem. After 403 ideas and over 10 million media impressions in the idea challenge phase, the best idea was prototyped (aka the ‘Karma Cup’). Read Core77′s write-up of the results. The challenge was sponsored by Starbucks and supported by Core77, Jovoto, Denuo, Good Day Monsters and our individual advisors and supporters.
Also, take a look at our promotional video that was produced by Good Day Monsters
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thebetacup: 60 Seconds To Save The World from the betacup on Vimeo.