Making car-free options available, and more welcoming, to all riders When news last week broke that scooter trips had surpassed docked bike-share trips last year, it seemed like confirmation of a big shift in car-free transit. Scooters are here to stay. But digging a little deeper, ridership data from last year also demonstrated a growing desire across the board for moving through cities without cars. While dockless scooters netted an impressive 38.5 million rides in 2018, docked bike share?s usage also rose, hitting 36.5 million rides.
As these options proliferate, they challenge cities to be more accommodating, both in terms of the ways streets and curbs are planned and designed, and their degree of accessibility. Are operators doing enough to make sure everyone, regardless of ability, age, income, and neighborhood, can access these new ways to get around" Have stations and infrastructure been set up to maximize access and make it easier to connect to additional transit options" Curbed spoke to National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) to find some examples of cities making significant and sustained efforts at helping more riders access shared bikes. Here are some of the systems helping get underserved communities on bikes and out of cars.
Boston, Massachusetts: A boom in bike-share stations

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Last year, the Hub had a bike share renaissance. It wasn?t just a result of new players entering the market, t...