Fatal crashes killed slightly fewer people in 2022 than in 2021, but deaths are still significantly higher than in 2019.
Preliminary data from Houston brings a ray of hope for road safety advocates, reports Jay R. Jordan for Axios. As traffic deaths continue to rise across the United States, Houston saw fewer deadly crashes in 2022 than the year before. However, these numbers are still above pre-pandemic levels, Jordan notes.
Crashes killed 317 people in Houston last year, down from 332 in 2021 and up from 266 in 2019, the year the city implemented its Vision Zero policy, which calls for an end to traffic deaths by 2030. Since then, the number of traffic deaths on city-controlled streets has declined slightly, while deaths on state-managed roads went up.
Like other U.S. cities that grew after the rise of the automobile, Houston has historically designed its roads for fast traffic, largely ignoring pedestrian infrastructure. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has pledged to cut traffic deaths in half by 2035 and eliminate them by 2050, but critics of the department’s approach to traffic safety point out that the messaging used by the agency still predominantly places the responsibility on pedestrians and cyclists, ignoring the structural reasons for fatal crashes.
FULL STORY: Houston's traffic deaths decline slightly in 2022
The Geography of Fatal Car Crashes
Where do the most traffic deaths happen?
How Sun Belt Cities are Improving Road Safety
Often car-centric, these cities in the South and West are working to make their roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.
Washington Road Safety Bills Fail to Advance
Several bills aimed at reducing traffic deaths fell by the wayside in the state legislature, despite the growing rate of road fatalities.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research