Moving vehicles and open doors aren't the only threats to the safety of cyclists. Gay men, women and transgender bikers often contend with harassment and threats of assault. Nonprofit groups in D.C. and elsewhere are working to empower them.
"For Kate, a 28-year-old cycling enthusiast, summer is always the worst," write Lauren McEwen and Michael Livingston II. "Pedestrians feel free to yell what they perceive as compliments: 'Yeah, you look good!' or 'Can I ride with you?'”
“'As a woman, I’m constantly operating with the low-level fear that any man might attack me,' said Kate, a resident of the Brookland neighborhood in Northeast Washington, who asked that her last name not be used because of safety concerns."
McEwen and Livingston look at the tools that groups such as Stop Street Harassment and the Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) are providing to targeted individuals such as Kate to help them report and respond to street harassment.
FULL STORY: How should bicyclists handle harassment? D.C. area groups teach empowerment tactics.
Women Bikers Ride to 'Take Back the Streets'
Even Andrews reports on the unsafe environment that women encounter while on their bikes—and the organizations and people who are working to make the roads safer from harassment.
Unsafe Streets: Report Finds Pervasive Harassment on U.S. Streets
A new report, the first of its kind, documents the pervasive harassment experienced by women, and many men, of all races, income levels, sexual orientations, and geographic locations. The report identifies the situation as an issue of human rights.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
