Traffic Safety
U.S. Bike Share: 23 Million Rides; Zero Fatalities
Despite all the dire—sometimes hysterical—warnings about the safety risks of bike share, the country's bike share systems boast a flawless fatality record. Compare that record with, for instance, driving or riding non-bike-share bikes.
How Safe is Biking while Rocking Out (with Headphones)?
Joseph Stromberg examines the question of how safe it is for bikers to wear headphones—a common practice for which there is no safety data.
How 'Share the Road' Campaigns Distract from the Real Problems of Traffic Safety
Following a close call on his bike, a writer questions the perverted logic of safety campaign slogans that share, equally, the onus for traffic safety between cars and bikes.
New York City's Crowdsourced Street Safety Map
As part of the Vision Zero initiative for traffic safety, the city has hosted a map system that allowed citizens to report safety issues encountered on the street. With the reporting period now over, you can still peruse the findings of the exercise.
'National Stop on Red Week'
The National Coalition for Safer Roads "is partnering with organizations and communities across the country to raise awareness about the dangers of red-light running during National Stop on Red Week."
A Buffer is Better
What's the best street design to keep bicyclists safely out of the door zone? A buffered bike lane beats a conventional bike lane or "wide curb lane" according to a recent study published in TRB, based on observations in Chicago and Cambridge, Mass.
Rules of the Road: Reckless 'Driving' Brings Dire Penalties for Bicyclist
A California Court of Appeal wades into the history of driving laws to determine if a drunken cyclist who maimed a jogger can be charged with reckless driving. The cyclist was not charged with drunken driving. Not all laws are applied the same.
Speed Cameras: Working in Chicago; Needed in Philadelphia
In Chicago, speed cameras are proving effective at reducing speeds; in Philadelphia, a police commissioner is lobbying the state to allow the implementation of the cameras.
Op-Ed: Comprehensive Plan Needed to Replace Dallas' Aging Traffic Lights
An editorial calls for a comprehensive plan to address Dallas' growing need to overhaul its streetlights—80 percent of which are now older than their recommended 25-year life span.
Responding to the 'All Bikers are Scofflaws' Fallacy
NPR's Scott Simon, Peabody-winning journalist and the Saturday host of Morning Edition, recently set off a Twitter-storm when he called out bikers as scofflaws.
Paris Plans to Adopt Citywide Slow Speed Zone
A blog post by Eric Britton covers Mayor Madame Anne Hidalgo's plans to adopt a 30 kilometer per hour (approximately 20 miles per hour) maximum speed limit in Paris.
Should Bikes Be Allowed to Roll through Stop Signs?
Joseph Stromberg discusses the "Idaho Stop"—so named because Idaho has been allowing bikers to roll through stop signs since 1982.
Rethinking Streets: New Report Illustrates Complete Streets Projects
"Rethinking Streets," a new report by the University of Oregon's Sustainable Cities Initiative, provides detailed information on 25 complete streets and streetscaping projects. It is available free in PDF and hard copy format.
Vision Zero Hits the Streets with First 'Arterial Slow Zone'
Delivering the first example of a critical component of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “Vision Zero” program, New York will lower the speed limit from 30 to 25 along Atlantic Blvd, which cuts through Brooklyn and Queens.
After Distracted Driving Crashes Increase, Texas Amplifies ‘Talk, Text, Crash’
The Texas Department of Transportation is responding to a recent increase in the number crashes caused by distracted driving in the state by increasing the presence of a multi-media campaign aimed at changing behavior.
The Numbers Behind the Country’s Decreasing Traffic Fatalities
Susannah Locke examines some of the data behind the United State’s steady decrease in auto fatalities since a peak in 1969, when 55,043 people died while driving.
Old Thinking In New Traffic Safety Reports
A new paradigm is expanding transport safety strategies to include demand management and smart growth, but the old paradigm is alive and deadly as illustrated by two new traffic safety guidance documents.
Road Safety (and Lack thereof) Case Studies from around the World
An inordinate amount of traffic fatalities occur in developing parts of the world. In some countries, road deaths have surpassed diseases like AIDS and Tuberculosis as a public health threat.
Correlating Driving Misbehavior with Crime
Is there a correlation between running red lights and more violent crime like robberies and homicide? Gabe Klein, Chicago's distinguished outgoing transportation commissioner, thinks so. It's been dubbed "the broken windows effect."
5 Principles for Creating Safer Streets
Through diligence and innovation, New York has been able to make the city's streets the safest of any big city in America. This month, it published a guide to help livable streets supporters anywhere replicate its success.
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.
City of Albany
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
