Street Road, a thoroughfare cutting through the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem, is a public safety disaster. PennDOT is investing in safety along the road, but locals say much more needs to be done.
Jason Lauglin reports on the conditions of Street Road in Philadelphia, but the premise of the article builds on its ubiquity around the country:
Where you live it’s called something else, but you’ve driven these miles of mismatched commerce -- Kohls, Kmart, and Golden Corral sharing a streetscape with motels, churches, and family businesses ensconced in old converted houses.
Laughlin reports that Street Road is also particularly unsafe: "Of the 50 locations in the five-county region with the highest concentration of car crashes in 2015, four were on the stretch of Street Road in Bensalem bracketed by I-95 and Route 1."
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has invested $3.8 million in Street Road since 2015, but none of those changes meet the recommendations of a 2008 report from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission [pdf].
The article digs into the history of Street Road and the characteristics that make it particularly unsafe.
Read the full story: Brake lights, sharp turns, and sudden stops on Bucks County's crash-prone Street Road
In Defence of Vision Zero — a Traffic Engineer’s Perspective
Traffic engineers have long suffered the reputation that all we care about is moving cars. The reality could not be more different.
‘Modular Roundabouts’ Offer Quick-Build Traffic Safety Solution
The prefabricated roundabouts can be installed more quickly and at a much lower cost than traditional concrete traffic circles.
Book Review: Killed By A Traffic Engineer
In a new book, engineering professor Wes Marshall explains why American roads are so unsafe.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Austin landlords only need to address mold when it covers 25 sqft. A resolution looks to change that
The city manager will propose updates to the city code regarding regulations around mold in May.
NYCHA’s green future? Officials open ‘showroom’ apartment with sustainable features
Heat pumps, inductions stoves and infrared heating panels: these are a few of the climate-friendly upgrades being installed at some public housing developments, with more to come, officials said Tuesday.
Newsom kills bill requiring polluting factories near schools to undergo environmental review
In his veto letter, Newsom wrote that protecting communities and strengthening manufacturing “were not mutually exclusive.”
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello