Drivers are a powerful enough lobby to overcome all evidence of the need to redesign streets for safety. Examples from Maryland and Virginia provide the latest case studies in Vision Zero futility.

Canaan Merchant doesn't like the current trends in road safety politics in the Washington, D.C. region:
Some local road projects designed to calm traffic and increase safety for all users have been met with a surprising amount of resistence [sic]. Worse, regional officials seem to be prioritizing voices of opposition over actual studies, and it’s keeping our communities unsafe.
Traffic calming proposals in Alexandria, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland were nixed after vocal opposition from drivers worried about delays, "despite evidence to the contrary," according to Merchant.
Merchant digs into the specifics of each example, where both jurisdictions made a choice that will knowingly lead to more death and injury, despite evidence that safety changes could be made with only a few seconds of delay for drivers. Merchant's conclusion from the process in both these examples: "the evidence doesn't seem to matter."
FULL STORY: These “road diets” would make streets safer and barely affect traffic. Why do people oppose them?

Opinion: Aging Population, Declining Fertility Requires Long-Term Investments
Faced with the dire consequences of a one-two punch of aging populations and declining birthrates, one writer has suggestions for how policy can help ensure a better future.

The Surprising Oil Tax in the Inflation Reduction Act
President Biden has made reducing gas prices paramount in his administration, so it was likely a surprise to hear a Republican senator last Sunday warn TV viewers that a revived and increased oil fee in the climate bill will increase their gas costs.

The Tide Has Turned Against Open Streets
Once a promising development for advocates pushing for a less car-centric future in cities, the open streets movement has ceded significant ground to cars since the height of the pandemic.

Opinion: Los Angeles Transportation Plan Will Increase Driving
L.A. Metro’s plan to add hundreds of miles of new traffic lanes is projected to increase carbon emissions by 10 million metric tons.

How Extreme Weather Threatens Transit Systems
As weather events become more intense and unpredictable, transit agencies must take steps to protect their aging infrastructure from flooding, storms, and extreme heat.

Federal Rule Would Require Regional Emissions Reduction Targets
A rule shelved during the Trump administration would require states and metropolitan areas to set targets for reducing tailpipe emissions, but advocates say it doesn’t go far enough to mandate results.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Cohousing Association of the US
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Crystal River
Sun City Center Community Association, Inc
City of Mesa
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Hand Drawing Master Plans
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