Despite more bicyclists on its streets, Philadelphia has seen a marked reduction in bike crashes and deaths. With double the amount of cyclists on downtown streets since 2002, the decline is being attributed to more visibility to motorists.
Paul Nussbaum reports on Philadelphia's dramatic decline in accidents involving bicycles, from a high of 1,040 in 1998 to 553 in 2010, which officials and advocates attribute to the "safety in numbers" phenomenon.
"'Where cars expect to find bicyclists and pedestrians, drivers are
more cognizant of cyclists and pedestrians,' said Alex Doty, executive
director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. He cited a
study in Portland, Ore., that found a doubling of the number of bicycles
reduced the crash risk by one-third."
"I know I get better
treatment now than I did 10 years ago, or even five years ago," Doty
said. "Drivers have a better idea what to do. Though there is still
quite a bit of room for improvement."
"If more biking means safer biking, safer biking is likely to produce more biking," says Nussbaum.
FULL STORY: More bicyclists means fewer accidents, Phila. finds

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont