Road Safety

Family wearing helmets rides down separated bike trail in city.

Proposed Bill Would Direct Funds to Road Safety

The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act was spurred by the death of a U.S. diplomat who was killed on her bicycle.

April 2, 2025 - Bethesda Magazine

Black SUV viewed from rear in traffic.

Study: Larger Vehicles Lead to More Congestion

New research links large SUVs to lower traffic throughput.

March 26, 2025 - Bloomberg CityLab

Close-up on 45 mph speed limit sign with part of Golden Gate Bridge visible in background, San Francisco, California.

San Francisco Turns On California’s First Speed Cameras

The city is the first in the state to use automated traffic enforcement to reduce speeding and traffic deaths.

March 25, 2025 - KQED

Close-up on pedestrian crosswalk light in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin with historic building with steeple visible in background.

Milwaukee Announces 60 Traffic Calming Projects for 2025

The city has successfully reduced traffic deaths and aims to eliminate them completely within the next decade.

March 23, 2025 - Urban Milwaukee

Orange "Bike Lane Closed Ahead" sign on a-frame in roadway.

USDOT Could Pull Green Infrastructure Grants

A new department memo requires a review of projects with the goal of removing bike, pedestrian, and electric vehicle infrastructure.

March 18, 2025 - Transportation for America

Row of concrete Jersey barriers running down the middle of a multi-lane road.

‘Colorado Barrier’ Repurposes Old Tires for Road Safety

The recycled rubber barrier can protect pedestrians and people in cars on lower-speed streets.

March 12, 2025 - Equipment World

Close-up of speed camera against blue sky.

Data Shows Chicago Speed Cameras Reduce Speeding, Crashes

Countering claims made by the Chicago Tribune that automated enforcement doesn’t improve safety, Streetsblog Chicago lays out the data showing how traffic safety fared in camera zones.

March 11, 2025 - Streetsblog Chicago

The Capitol dome in Washington, D.C. viewed from middle of Pennsylvania Avenue protected bike lanes.

Planning Trends for 2025: Creative Housing Solutions, Ongoing Transit Woes, and the Ever-Creeping Tentacles of AI

Urban planners have no shortage of urgent issues to delve into, from a deepening housing crisis to an increasingly unpredictable climate to a new federal administration bent on slashing key funding for everything from electric cars to housing assistance.

March 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

People walking on San Francisco street with 'Slow Streets' signs.

San Francisco Slow Streets Bucks Citywide Trend, Reducing Injuries by 61 Percent

Low-cost interventions aimed at slowing traffic are making a major impact on road safety.

March 4, 2025 - KQED

Orange sign and traffic cones indicating work zone on road.

Old Versus New Traffic Safety Paradigms

Current U.S. traffic safety programs are failing to reduce crash rates. A new traffic safety paradigm expands the scope of strategies that can be used to reduce crashes, which increases effectiveness and total benefits.

March 2, 2025 - Todd Litman

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

White bike sharrow symbol painted on road next to green grass.

Sharrows Are Ineffective, Potentially Counterproductive

Research shows there’s no substitute for protected bike lanes, and sharrows may make roads more dangerous for cyclists.

February 26, 2025 - Momentum Magazine

Three speed cameras aimed down at a busy freeway with blurred traffic at twilight.

States Have Mixed Feelings on Speed Cameras

While some states and cities are embracing automated traffic enforcement as a tool for improving road safety, others are banning the technology over concerns that the programs are designed for profit rather than public benefit.

February 25, 2025 - Route Fifty

White Waymo self-driving taxi on street in downtown San Francisco, California with glass high-rise in background.

NHTSA Cuts Could Make Roads More Dangerous

The agency is losing almost half of the team that oversees autonomous vehicle safety, among dozens of other key personnel.

February 24, 2025 - The Washington Post

Close-up of car dashboard with speedometer at 35 on roadway at night.

Has Progress on Travel Safety Run Off the Road?

Changing technology and rebuilding infrastructure to improve road safety are long-term strategies. How can enforcement and interventions that influence driver behavior make a difference in reducing traffic deaths sooner?

February 21, 2025 - Steven Polzin

Red painted and curb-protected bike lane in downtown Austin, Texas.

Austin Outlaws Blocking Bike Lanes

Drivers who park in bike lanes will receive citations of up to $300.

February 18, 2025 - KUT

Red 1972 Ford Pinto with black racing stripes on display with man sitting in driver's seat.

Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto

The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.

February 11, 2025 - Mother Jones

Close-up of cardboard food delivery boxes and bags on car seat next to driver.

Boston Ordinance Would Regulate Delivery Drivers

A proposed law would require delivery companies to acquire insurance, permits, and submit monthly reports to the city.

February 11, 2025 - Streetsblog Massachusetts

Low view of person with vision impairment cane walking through crosswalk.

Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians

A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.

February 9, 2025 - University of Maryland

Red Chevrolet truck parked on street in front of two small sedans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Heavier Vehicles Don’t Keep Passengers Safer

A new study shows that modern safety features are more important than size and weight once vehicles weigh over 4,000 pounds.

February 7, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.