Lyft's head of transit says cities should keep catering to bikes and scooters even after the pandemic

• During the Business Insider's IGNITION: Transportation conference, Lyft executive Caroline Samponaro said some changes made to cope with the pandemic should stick around for a bit.
• "We hope we get back to some sort of routine that is somewhat normal, but we don't have to leave behind the great things that we've done, the creative things that we've done," she said.
• Samponaro also spoke to helping cities improve infrastructure to make them more friendly for "micromobility" solutions like shared electric scooters.

Caroline Samponaro, head of transit and micromobility at Lyft, hopes that the changes made around the globe when it comes to transportation during the coronavirus pandemic will stick around long-term.

"When we think about where we go from here, of course, we hope we get back to some sort of routine that is somewhat normal, but we don't have to leave behind the great things that we've done, the creative things that we've done," Samponaro said during Business Insider's IGNITION: Transportation virtual live event last week.

She was referring to a national cycling boom and widespread efforts to make streets more friendly to pedestrians and other non-car users. Lyft, which became the country's biggest bike share operator in 2018 by acquiring Motivate, has recorded its biggest year of bike rentals, as the pandemic has pushed people to avoid public transit, and rethink how they move around.

"The silver lining of a terrible period of time we've been in as Americans, and people around the world, is really being challenged, forced, inspired to try a new way to go about their day-to-day routine," Samponaro said.

Samponaro also spoke to helping cities improve infrastructure to make them more friendly for "micromobility" solutions like shared electric scooters, urban planners having a better ability to give input on how cities are built, and how to address some health concerns that may coincide with more congested cities.

The entire panel is available to watch here.