OFTEN, STREETS ARE a futile exercise in organizing disorder. Cars are meant to go here, walkers there, cyclists in that shoddy excuse for a bike path—yet no one’s that great at staying in their lane. This month, the chaos got extra wild, as electric scooters have exploded onto the urban scene, worrying wheelchair users, walkers, and city officials alike. The failure to tame the disorder is leading some cities to totally rethink their sidewalks. Hopefully, for good, giving more space to people than the boxy, zippy vehicles they ride in. But to determine what needs fixing, cities need data. Good thing a new, critical partnership may help them get the vital numbers.
