Data from cities across the country show that bike helmet laws are enforced more aggressively in communities of color.

After body camera footage showing officers mocking and ultimately ticketing a bicyclist who was injured by a hit-and-run driver in Seattle surfaced, bike and pedestrian advocates in the city are calling for a reckoning with the unintended consequences of Seattle's bike helmet law. Since 2017, 43% of the city's helmet citations "have gone to people who are homeless," prompting questions about the law's uneven application, writes Adina Solomon in The Guardian.
Seattle isn't the only city where data shows bike helmet laws get unequally and unfairly applied:
"Black cyclists are disproportionately stopped in New Orleans, Washington DC and Oakland, California, and law enforcement policies have often overlooked inequity in their system. In Dallas, police have used helmet laws to stop and question cyclists in neighbourhoods of colour, according to a 2014 analysis by the Dallas Morning News. And a 2016 study by the Department of Justice found that Black people accounted for 73% of bicycle stops in Tampa, Florida, while only making up 26% of the population."
According to Charles T. Brown, CEO of urban planning firm Equitable Cities and adjunct professor of planning and public policy at Rutgers University, the laws are "being used as a pretext to stop individuals suspected of more serious drug and weapon charges." Tiffani McCoy, advocacy director for Real Change, agrees. "This is one law that we now know for certain is used as a way to criminalize poverty and in a racially motivated way," she says.
"But there are measures beyond helmet laws and policing that can help ensure the safety of all cyclists," writes Solomon. Since Seattle lowered vehicle speed limits to 25mph on many of its streets in December 2019, case studies show a 20% to 40% drop in collisions, and advocates believe that other measures such as "proper lighting for nighttime riding, protected bike lanes and recreational trail networks that connect to key destinations" can have a meaningful impact on reducing crashes and improving safety for people on bikes. "Before there is law, there should be investment and bicycle infrastructure in the communities that need the investments the most," said Brown.
FULL STORY: How US helmet laws are used against cyclists of colour and homeless people

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

North Texas Transit Leaders Tout Benefits of TOD for Growing Region
At a summit focused on transit-oriented development, policymakers discussed how North Texas’ expanded light rail system can serve as a tool for economic growth.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Santa Barbara Could Build Housing on County Land
County supervisors moved forward a proposal to build workforce housing on two county-owned parcels.

San Mateo Formally Opposes Freeway Project
The city council will send a letter to Caltrans urging the agency to reconsider a plan to expand the 101 through the city of San Mateo.

A Bronx Community Fights to Have its Voice Heard
After organizing and giving input for decades, the community around the Kingsbridge Armory might actually see it redeveloped — and they want to continue to have a say in how it goes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Ascent Environmental
Borough of Carlisle
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service