The Relationship Between Shared Micromobility and Street Infrastructure
Which came first? The chicken, the egg? It’s an age-old question, but in the case of which came first shared micromobility or bicycle infrastructure, we know that one.
The first bike lane in North America was installed in Davis, California in July of 1967. Before that, the first cycle path was the Ocean Parkway Bike Path in Brooklyn, New York, constructed in 1894 by separating part of a pedestrian path. In 1900, the first dedicated cycleway opened in California and connected Pasadena to Los Angeles.
Over 100 years later, bikeshare systems started taking a foothold in North America with the launch of the first systems in 2009, shared scooters got their start in 2017, and the e-bikeshare boom kicked off in 2018. Since inception, shared micromobility has gained considerable popularity and experienced consistent growth. In 2024, at least 225 million shared micromobility trips were taken in 415 cities across North America. Yet still, the fundamental question remains: Should you wait to have all the routes connected by bicycle infrastructure or should you launch (or expand) a shared micromobility system to inspire bicycle infrastructure development? This is what we are exploring today. Let’s dive in!
People Need Places to Ride
Shared micromobility helps people get to where they need to go. Individuals select their routes based on their sense of safety and comfort, whether it is on the street, a bikeway, sidewalk, or shared path. NABSA checked in with Barbara McCann, former director of the Office of Safety, Energy and Environment at the US Department of Transportation and she stated, “The importance of safe street infrastructure to support shared micromobility is often underestimated. People need a place to ride and safe street infrastructure is essential to the success of the industry.”
A 2025 report released by the League of American Bicyclists in partnership with Lime, stated that shared micromobility users strongly prefer bike lanes, especially protected infrastructure. When asked what type of infrastructure they prefer, 1 in 3 riders prefer a protected bike lane, and 1 in 4 prefer painted bike lanes, compared to roadways with no dedicated bike infrastructure. A 2024 study of ridership in Calgary, Alberta highlights that shared scooter rider comfort is negatively associated with infrastructure types that lead to more potential interactions with motor vehicles and pedestrians. The study goes on to suggest that these results can help inform decision makers to prioritize infrastructure and improve the overall usage of e-scooters.
Investment in routes where people feel comfortable to ride is a win for everyone involved. More options for travel results in less congestion, when people can bike, scoot, walk, or use transit easily in a community, it results in reduced car traffic. Shared micromobility helps make travel more efficient, providing people with more time and better choices that improve quality of life for all of us.
Shared Micromobility to Enhance Infrastructure Projects
Leveraging shared micromobility can significantly enhance infrastructure projects. Cities, agencies, operators, and planners can collaborate to prioritize communities and improve conditions for all, not just shared micromobility users.
Waffiyyah Murray, Indego Program Manager at the City of Philadelphia states, “The Indego team works with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Multimodal Planning to align station expansion with street improvement projects, using bikeshare to support safety, visibility, and curb management.” The collaboration has resulted in installing a station in a traffic-calming triangle, activating space closed to cars. Indego has a station that replaces illegal parking that blocked pedestrian visibility, paired with a new loading zone for deliveries. They also have a station that helps keep space around a fire hydrant clear while minimizing lost parking. In addition, Indego integrated stations directly into a street redesign with dedicated space directly in the street.
In Indianapolis, Indiana Pacers Bikeshare Stations are strategically planned along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. The trail is a 8.1-mile-long urban shared-use path and linear park located in the vicinity of downtown Indianapolis. Kären Haley, Executive Director Indianapolis Cultural Trail, says, “The Pacers Bikeshare program continues to grow as a key part of our mission to provide sustainable, accessible transportation for all. Positioning bikeshare stations along the trail supports the system as not just a way to get around, it’s a way to connect, explore, and stay active in our city.”
In Chicago, Illinois, while celebrating record shared micromobility ridership, Mayor Brandon Johnson said, “By expanding Divvy stations, creating protected bike lanes, and investing in infrastructure that serves all modes of transportation, we’re expanding access to active transportation all while building a Chicago that prioritizes sustainability, equity, and opportunity for all.”
In Raleigh, North Carolina, the City is partnering with local artists to paint parking corrals for shared bikes and scooters. This project will make the parking corrals visible to drivers and pedestrians, encourage riders to use the corrals, and brighten the urban streetscape.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, the City strategically plans shared micromobility stations along with infrastructure projects. Where protected infrastructure will be installed, bike and scooter docked stations are installed between the road and the protected active travel lane to add an additional hard barrier between people driving and riding. When deciding station locations, the City looks for opportunities to connect with key destinations and transit hubs, such as placing stations where they are visible from rapid transit station entrances.
“Our docked shared micromobility systems, Mobi by Rogers Public Bike Share and Lime Shared E-scooters, provide residents and visitors with access not just to our city, but access to comfortable and affordable sustainable transportation options. When these stations are integrated into new infrastructure, shared micromobility is a seamless choice which supports our goal to have two-thirds of all trips in Vancouver made using a sustainable travel mode,”says Filippos Gkekas, Senior Project Manager at the City of Vancouver.
Ridership Lighting the Way to Improved Infrastructure
The presence of shared micromobility can help inform where rider infrastructure is needed and highlight areas of improvement. Shared micromobility systems create demand for safe riding spaces. In some cases this speeds up the development of protected bike lanes, pedestrian areas, and street changes. Bikeshare and shared scooter systems can help justify funding for connected, low-stress networks and support initiatives prioritizing non-motorized transport.
Rider trip data is critical for informing infrastructure projects. Planners can map high demand routes to justify bike lanes and to optimize station and vehicle placement. Trip data can also inform transit connectivity.
“Shared micromobility data helps communities move from anecdote to action, and it’s a data source that Alta routinely looks at to help translate ridership patterns into practical, implementable infrastructure recommendations. By showing where people are already riding, where trips begin and end, and where connections break down, shared micromobility trip data can help cities identify gaps in their bike networks and prioritize safer, more comfortable infrastructure in those places,” said Mike Sellinger, Senior Planning Associate, North West Planning Lead with Alta Planning and Design.
In Redding, California as part of the GoShasta Regional Active Transportation Plan Update Alta Planning and Design is analyzing Redding Bike Share trip data to help Shasta Regional Transportation Agency identify existing micromobility travel patterns, understand how bike share trips connect people to downtown destinations, and reveal gaps where improved bikeways or crossings could make those trips safer and more comfortable.
“We find that shared micromobility and bicycle infrastructure are mutually reinforcing: more riders create a stronger case for safer, more comfortable bikeways, and better bikeways make shared micromobility systems more useful and inviting for more people. By looking at where Redding Bike Share trips are already serving people’s movement patterns, the GoShasta Regional Active Transportation Plan Update can help plan future infrastructure improvements around demonstrated demand and identify places where gaps still exist,” said Sellinger.
Working Together for the Future
So, which comes first, a shared micromobility program or expansion, or developing the street infrastructure? Both; they are two aspects of a virtuous cycle to advance transportation in your community. The key is to get started from where you are at. If you have great street infrastructure, leverage that to develop your shared micromobility programs. If you do not yet have a great bicycle network in your community, leverage shared micromobility programs and safety in numbers to help develop the street infrastructure to support it.
As part of the transportation fabric of communities, shared bike and scooter programs have helped to reduce traffic congestion by decreasing single occupancy vehicle usage, increased access to transit by serving as a first/last mile solution, improved community health, reduced carbon emissions, and supported goals for vulnerable roadway user safety. Take a look at NABSA’s Annual Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report to dig into the benefits and successes of shared micromobility. This concept can be simple, but putting it into action with the right strategy in your community can be complex. The NABSA member community is a great peer-to-peer network and resource to access expertise and implement learnings in your own community. If you are interested in continuing this conversation with us, join NABSA for a webinar about Infrastructure and Shared Micromobility on June 23rd and attend the 2026 NABSA Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio this October.