A new study looks at the interaction between bicyclists and streetcars (trams) or train tracks and does not find a good outcome.
Lloyd Alter writes in TreeHugger about the intersection of two popular modes of transportation in his city—bicycles and streetcars, or trams as they are called in Canada. The resulting mix is a decidedly dangerous one:
Toronto has lots of streetcar tracks, and more and more cities in the US are installing them. Those cities should consider this recent study, Bicycling crashes on streetcar (tram) or train tracks: mixed methods to identify prevention that looked at how cyclists and streetcar tracks interact, and it isn't pretty. It was prepared by a team led by Kay Teschke of the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia.
Another passage from the article:
The number of cyclists having track-related crashes is significant, roughly a third of reported crashes in the study period. They looked at physical factors like the design of the tracks or the width of tires and found that narrow tires were involved in more accidents than wider, hybrid tires, but that except for fat bikes, all of the normal tires could get caught in the flange.
FULL STORY: Cyclists and streetcar tracks don't mix
Why Bike Lanes Are Good: An Explainer for the US Transportation Secretary
Sean Duffy says there’s no evidence that bike lanes have benefits. Streetsblog — and federal agencies’ own data — beg to differ.
Sharrows Are Ineffective, Potentially Counterproductive
Research shows there’s no substitute for protected bike lanes, and sharrows may make roads more dangerous for cyclists.
St. Petersburg’s Bike Infrastructure Efforts Pay Off
New bike infrastructure is encouraging more people to take to the streets on two wheels, but advocates say safety challenges remain.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions