Salt Lake City is home to some of the most robust biking infrastructure in the state, spanning over 313 miles across the city. But like many cities in America, Salt Lake City faces challenges perpetuated by a street design built up over decades that prioritizes vehicles.

Salt Lake City has wide streets, long blocks, generous lanes and large curb radii. Wider streets and lanes encourage drivers to speed and maneuver recklessly. Large curb radii mean faster turns. In these environments, vulnerable road users need protection, but most city streets lack any meaningful physical separation of traffic or other accommodations. This lack of infrastructure has long been a concern for people walking and biking. As more and more people discover the fun and utility of electric scooters, bikes and other forms of micromobility, a new generation of road users is discovering that their streets were not designed for them.

The city government has the duty and mandate to execute change, but other public and private actors can and should be more involved. The arrival of electric scooters in cities has caused consternation for some, but the industry is maturing, and nothing is gained by remaining in conflict. We should all share the common goal of providing safer environments for all modes of transit.

And even if you don’t like electric scooters, their users present a growing constituency for change: More than 38.5 million trips were taken in 2018, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials. In other words, the e-scooter boom is bringing millions of potential new voices to advocacy, ready to enlist in the long-fought campaigns by advocates like BikeUtah. It’s also bringing companies like Spin to the table, eager to explore novel public-private partnerships that make riders safer. It’s time to harness all this energy into action:

Cities should feel more comfortable leveraging the resources and expertise of the private mobility sector. Laying concrete and redesigning streets that involve the public right of way are capital-intensive, and outside of toll roads, usually lack a direct return on investment. So no, scooter companies can’t and shouldn’t pay for major investments in the street. But there’s plenty else we can do. Companies can provide seed funding for tactical urbanism, where quick and cheap changes can make walking, biking, and scooting safer almost overnight. For example, Spin worked with Salt Lake City and BikeUtah to transform the intersection at 300 East and 700 South, bringing planters, paint and a lot of community energy to make interactions between people and cars less dangerous and conflicted. Companies can also help bring concepts like human-centered design to government, where the needs of residents haven’t always been prioritized, and fund capacity building so that moving quicker and cheaper becomes second nature to cities.

Private spaces can work in the public interest. Privately owned parcels, like off-street parking lots, have great potential for transformation into things like mobility hubs, which can host micromobility and contribute to local placemaking. Cities have sought to create mobility hubs for years, but the challenges of installing complex multimodal infrastructure in public space have sometimes been defeating. Private companies on private land can test mobility hub concepts, iterate faster and learn quicker, and perhaps share those insights back to cities.

Private companies can support advocates and engage residents. Mobility operators should be thrilled to be able to work closely with organizations like BikeUtah, who often share objectives on safer streets but bring greater history, expertise and community connections to the effort. Private companies can also help educate their users about what changes are needed and how to get involved in advocacy: Those millions of new scooter users deserve a safe ride, but they may not get it if they don’t know how to step up and participate in citywide conversations on the future of streets.

Everyone should get involved. Salt Lake City has an engaged and passionate transportation department invested in the idea that streets should work for all types of transportation. Despite this strength, if policymakers do not know city residents are interested in improving their streets, they will not invest in it. So it’s not just about convincing scooter users to speak up. All Salt Lake City residents need to let their mayor and city councilors know that creating safer, more comfortable streets should be a priority.

Let’s be honest: Scooter companies haven’t always endeared themselves to cities and many of their residents. But the industry is growing up and fast recognizing its responsibilities to users and duties to cities. We welcome the opportunity to work with cities, advocates and residents to create great streets: safe places to move if you must, but also vibrant and enriching places to stop and smell the roses when you can.

Chris Wiltsie is the 1,000 Mile program director at Bike Utah. He oversees the planning and implementation of the governor’s goal of building 1,000 miles of family friendly bicycle trails, paths and infrastructure over 10 years. Beaudry Kock is the head of Policy Initiatives at Spin, a San Francisco-based unit of Ford Motor Company that offers dockless scooter rentals in more than 60 cities and campuses.