Traffic

San Francisco Skyline

Auto Use Holds Steady in San Francisco

Even as innovations like ridesharing take hold in tech-friendly San Francisco, the percentage of trips taken by personal auto is stuck at just under 50 percent.

February 5, 2015 - Streetsblog SF

Commute

Mapping U.S. Highway Intensity

A new map from Mapbox visualizes traffic on all roads eligible for highway safety funds by combining data available through the Highway Performance Monitoring System on OpenStreetMap.

January 29, 2015 - MapBox

Private Cellphone Data and the Next Frontier of Urban Planning

A survey of the quickly broadening reach of data about the movement of traffic reveals the next step necessary to achieve congestion nirvana: unfettered access to private cell phone data.

January 28, 2015 - Next City

Traffic 'Crisis' in the Birthplace of Jesus

If Jesus and Mary came to Bethlehem in 2014, they'd be frustrated by high levels of congestion before finding a place to settle down for the night.

December 25, 2014 - AP via Yahoo News

Significant Jump in California Driving

Mirroring a previously reported increase in gasoline consumption in California, the vehicle miles traveled increase over last year is the largest in a decade. The reasons are the same: cheaper gas and an improved economy with more people working.

December 19, 2014 - The Sacramento Bee

Carpool Lane

Secrets of Congestion-Busting Cities

Only nine regions experienced reduced traffic congestion between 1991 and 2011. What do they have in common?

December 11, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

The Impact of Metro Freight Trade on Congestion

Although the holidays cause millions more drivers to hit the road, delays in traffic may also stem from the congestion of goods movements by truck, both locally and across the country.

November 30, 2014 - The Brookings Institution

Nuisance Sign

When Nuisance Suits Are a Nuisance

In one Texas case, homeowners are suing a new apartment building for nuisance. If such suits become common, infill development will become less common, causing higher rents and more citywide vehicle traffic.

November 4, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

The Simpsons

Friday Funny: The 10 Best Simpsons Commuting Jokes

The FXX cable network is amidst a massive marathon of all 552 episodes of the Simpsons. Joseph Rose, took a break from cartoon bliss to produce ten of his favorite scenes building jokes out of transportation experiences.

August 22, 2014 - The Oregonian

Crime Watch

Transit-Oriented Cities and Safety: Another Look

Transit-oriented cities are safer than car-dependent cities of comparable size, especially if one considers traffic fatalities in car-dependent cities.

July 16, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

Four-Lane Freeway

The Case Against Clogging the Left Lane

June is "Lane Courtesy Month," and Vox used the occasion to describe the sometimes counter-intuitive reasons why drivers should refrain from driving in the left lane except when passing.

June 24, 2014 - Vox

Development Fails the Public Opinion Polls

A recent article for PlannersWeb called “10 Things You Should Know About How the Public Feels About Development” provides helpful data and insight into the type of opposition encountered whenever new development projects face public scrutiny.

April 9, 2014 - PlannersWeb

Georgia Cracking Down on Fast-Lane 'Slow-Pokes'

A new bill approved by the state of Georgia's House of Representatives makes it illegal to remain in the fast lane when a faster vehicle approaches from behind.

February 27, 2014 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Making the Case for Speeding

Not everyone likes the idea of slowing down, but sometimes advocacy for increased speed limits can come from surprising sources, like the editorial director of a UK journal for architects.

January 8, 2014 - The Architects' Journal

Self-Driving Cars Will Rule the Road by 2050

A new study by IHS Automotive predicts that 54 million self-driving cars will be on the road by 2035, and that every car will be autonomous by 2050.

January 3, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Explaining Traffic Waves - the Likely Cause for Your Congested Commute

For many drivers, the only experience more aggravating than being stuck in traffic is not being able to figure out why there's a jam in the first place. An explanation of the phenomenon called "Traffic Waves" may help ease the aggravation.

November 15, 2013 - KQED: The Lowdown

Buttons of Death

"Push buttons" designed to protect pedestrians often don't.

November 8, 2013 - Michael Lewyn

Traffic Jam

What Causes Traffic?

You're probably thinking "Way too many cars on the road, duh!" But the real answer is a bit more complicated, and counterintuitive. Tom Vanderbilt explains in a 20-minute presentation.

September 21, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

Bike and Pedestrian Improvements Boost Vehicle Speeds in NYC

New data from New York's Transportation Department shows that although miles of Manhattan street space have been turned over to bikes and pedestrians since 2008, average traffic speeds have actually increased, despite a consistent volume of vehicles.

September 7, 2013 - The New York Times

Play Dismay: Traffic and the Epidemic of Cloistered Children

Sarah Goodyear examines the connection between the way we design our streets and the reluctance of parents to let their children play outdoors.

August 9, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities

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.

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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.