After voting to lower speed limits citywide, Richmond found itself with a $5.2 million bill for new signage, prompting the city council to pull the ordinance.

When the Richmond, Virginia city council voted to lower its default speed limit to 20 miles per hour in an effort to reduce the risk of death or severe injury in crashes involving pedestrians, they were told that the change would cost $5.2 million.
As Wyatt Gordon explains in Greater Greater Washington, lowering speed limits is shown to vastly improve the chances of survival during a crash. “A person hit by a car traveling 30 mph is 70% more likely to be killed than if struck by a driver going 25 mph, for example. Assuming Richmonders one day follow a citywide 20 mph default speed limit, pedestrians would face a 93% chance of surviving any given crash in the River City.”
But Richmond city officials are interpreting the change to mean a new speed limit sign on every block, which drives up the cost of the project. As Amy Robins, council liaison for the 5th district, explained, “Our office couldn’t justify that amount spent on signs versus narrowing roads and adding bike lanes and raised crosswalks, so we pulled the ordinance.” The ordinance also would not have applied to state-owned streets that pass through Richmond.
“For now, Richmond residents can submit a request for a new speed limit sign on their streets as low as 15 mph via the RVA 311 app.” Out of 15 civic associations in the 5th District, 14 have already applied for lower speed limits, signaling a strong demand for safer streets. According to Gordon, “Del. Carr plans to introduce a bill to the General Assembly this month that would remove the need for costly individual block signage and traffic studies, and allow any Virginia locality to instead post default speed limit signs at its borders to notify drivers of the lower limit.”
FULL STORY: Why should it cost $5.2 million to lower the speed limit 5 mph in Richmond?

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

Amtrak Calls for Expansion, Citing Close to 100 Requests for New Lines
The agency told a House committee it has received more than 90 applications for new intercity rail lines from cities around the country.

Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

Federal Infrastructure Dollars Funding Road Expansions
Far from kickstarting a transformative change in transportation policy, the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law continues to fund traditional road-building projects.

Downtown Omaha Planning for its Post-One-Way-Streets Era
The Omaha City Council has decided to reverse the transportation model adopted in the city in the 1950s, for the benefit of traffic safety and local retail activity.

Planning for Proximity, for the Climate’s Sake
A new global platform will help the world identify and encourage opportunities for more proximity in the built environment—development patterns that can help reduce sources of greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution if built well.
Bossier City - Parish MPC
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Bangor
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
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.