MICROMOBILITY
VivaCity sensors are designed to produce Anonymous Traffic Data on how roads are being used to support transport operation and planning
‘THE SILICON VALLEY MANTRA OF ‘MOVE FAST AND BREAK THINGS’ DOESN’T CUT IT IN THE TAXPAYER FUNDED PUBLIC SECTOR.’
“I’ve absolutely loved parts of it. I found other bits of it
quite stressful.” VivaCity sits across two unique areas by being both
a venture-backed start-up that works closely with government and local authority. “There’s two different worlds there, and trying to get those worlds to combine is always a challenge,” adds Mildon.
“The Silicon Valley mantra of ‘move fast and break things’ doesn’t cut it in the taxpayer funded public sector.” Despite the challenges of merging the two, VivaCity has
seen significant uptake in its services in recent years with the pandemic creating a change in attitude from local authority when it came to implementing new schemes. Recent announcements have seen Glasgow City Council harness AI to improve traffic flow and road safety, as well as Transport for West Midlands looking to new smart sensor technology to increase safety on cycle routes in Solihull.
“The pivotal thing for us that fundamentally enabled the business to leapfrog and become a big enough player to actually change and impact the things that we care about – in terms of making transport more sustainable and safer – was Covid,” comments Mildon. “Clearly I would never want to turn around and say that that horrific experience at a human and personal level
50 | November 2024
was a positive thing, but going back to the mantra of ‘move fast and break things’, the attitude in government at that time was, move fast. “‘You’ve got an opportunity here to try and test new things, and we’ve got a national emergency’, so things moved quicker.
“That helped us become an established and more stable business that has then been able to carry on adding value after the pandemic.”
New opportunities At the time of writing, the new Labour government has just passed its first 100 days in office after more than a decade on the opposition benches. While it would be unfair to judge success or failure at this stage, Mildon is optimistic about some of the pledges and commitments being made. “In terms of the manifesto and some of the commitments, I think the objectives are good,” he says. “The green agenda, trying to decarbonise transportation while providing equitable transport, with a focus on public transport around that as well, and making sure everyone can get access to it – all of those things are politically good.” Ultimately for Mildon, the goal is about getting people
moving efficiently and safely. “I’ve always said that if you can persuade 10% of people
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