Originally published in Forbes on December 4, 2018
Mobility is the word on everyone’s lips these days. I was in a number of large cities in the last month and have noticed that my conversations with local business leaders keep shifting towards discussions about the quality of and need for bike and pedestrian infrastructure. 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have expected CEOs to address these topics - they were strictly the purview of smallish, urban bike advocacy groups and of progressive leaders in cities like Portland and San Francisco. But now, even the corporate world can’t ignore the serious returns on investment that these upgrades can generate - both in terms of human health and in terms of capital.
But the topic of bike and pedestrian infrastructure didn’t enter the zeitgeist by accident. This past spring, cities across the country - Atlanta included - woke up to a new reality as hundreds of shared electric scooters seemingly blinked into existence on sidewalks, medians, and empty lots. The urban mobility landscape was transformed overnight.
As someone who’s been heavily engaged in this space for over two decades, it’s gratifying to finally see both companies and cities working to set the bar higher for alternative modes of urban transportation. But the newfound excitement around electric scooters and the infrastructure to accommodate them has also engendered a fair share of tension and friction. Cities are resistant to the “chaos” that seems to be accompanying the launch of shared scooter and bike systems. Some see the scooters in particular as a new danger to pedestrians, or as another unwanted intervention in our lives by Big Tech. But the truth is that these scooters are one piece of the puzzle in putting our society on a new, more sustainable trajectory.
Climate change is real, and it’s happening. This recognition must be accompanied by a sense of urgency in getting people out of cars and onto bikes, trains, buses, and everything in between. But cities have a legitimate mandate to reduce chaos and keep citizens safe as well.