An article details the efforts of Madison-area researchers to glean lessons from the transportation patterns of March and April to inform better planning for the future.

The reduced and altered transportation patterns of the pandemic presented a 'real-life experiment' in transportation engineering and planning, according to an article by Chris Hubbuch. The decreased numbers of cars and increased numbers of pedestrians and people on bikes offered researchers, "a way to study changes in traffic patterns that are typically hypothetical, allowing them to better understand traffic flows, pinpoint potential trouble spots and rethink the future of urban transportation."
The coverage relies on the expert insights of researchers from UW-Madison’s Traffic Operations and Safety (TOPS) Laboratory, which has approached the transportation effects of the pandemic as a "long-term window to study a system-wide reduction and compare highway performance to computer models." According to Jon Riehl, a traffic engineer and researcher at the lab cited in the article, the experiment could ultimately lead to "improvement in highway design and traffic engineering."
The article specifically notes that a reduction in automobile traffic was the only change on streets during the pandemic. "At the same time as it slashed automobile traffic, the pandemic response led to a surge in bicycle and foot traffic on suddenly crowded paths and sidewalks, creating a chance for planners to try out new configurations," according to Hubbuch.
According to Yang Tao, a traffic engineer for the city of Madison also paraphrased in the article, "one of the biggest lessons of the pandemic is that transportation systems should be designed with more than just one scenario in mind, a system that can easily shift to accommodate walking and biking, loading zones, outdoor seating or surges in traffic when other roads are closed by flooding, as they were in 2018."
FULL STORY: The pandemic response slashed traffic; what did it teach us about transportation planning?

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie