For anyone who has ridden in a high-speed train, the idea of a derailment is terrifying. Last week's crash of an Alvia train in Spain made such fears seem less irrational. Yonah Freemark examines whether high-speed rail is a safe mode of travel.
"Indeed, there have been a number of high-profile rail crashes over the years," acknowledges Freemark. "In 1998,101 riders were killed in Germany when a train crashed in Eschede. And in 2011, two of China's newest, fastest trains slammed into one another, killing 40 people."
"But those are exceptions to the rule, caused by poor maintenance and monitoring," he adds. "Rail, high speed or not, is one of the safest ways to get around. According to a National Safety Council review of 10 years of transportation fatalities, for every mile traveled, car drivers and passengers are more than 10 times as likely to die in accidents as passenger rail riders."
"These realities should relieve the concerns of those uncomfortable about investing billions of dollars in American intercity train networks," he concludes. "The international record shows that high-speed rail is very safe to use."
FULL STORY: Why high-speed rail is safe, smart

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

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
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Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
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