Intersections

Intersection with stoplight and "no right turn on red" sign in San Francisco, California.

San Francisco Officials Call for Citywide Ban on Right Turns on Red

A proposal to prohibit turns on red at some downtown intersections prompted calls for a blanket ban for the entire city.

August 12, 2024 - CBS News

Green Detroit public transit electric bus with high-rise modenr building in background.

$817 Million Safe Streets Grants Include $25M for Detroit

The city plans to use the funds to make safety and accessibility improvements at bus stops.

December 19, 2023 - WDET

New York City intersection with crosswalk.

NYC Launches Daylighting Plan

The city will install visibility improvements at over 1,000 intersections to improve traffic safety.

December 4, 2023 - Curbed

Diagram of visibility at urban intersection.

How ‘Daylighting’ Intersections Can Save Lives

Eliminating visual obstructions can make intersections safer for all users.

November 27, 2023 - Strong Towns

A concrete expanse is visible at the intersections of two wide roads in Austin, Texas.

Austin Overhauling Dangerous Intersections

Austin's Visio Zero program is hard at work, making significant changes to some of the city's most dangerous intersections.

September 1, 2022 - Austin American-Statesman

Indiana

Bike-Friendly City in Indiana is Known for Plentiful Roundabouts

Indiana's fifth-largest city, of just under 100,000, residents has 120 roundabouts, more than any city in the U.S., and only 14 traffic lights. The average traffic fatality rate is 83 percent lower than the national average.

February 2, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Protected Bike Lane

Nation's Top Safety Board Recommends Protected Bike Lanes

The NTSB chair issued a stark warning on Nov. 5: "If we do not improve roadway infrastructure for bicyclists, bicyclists will die who otherwise would not," stated Robert Sumwalt in introducing their first report in 47 years devoted to bike safety.

November 19, 2019 - National Transportation Safety Board

Pop Up Protected Bike Lanes

NACTO Guide Aids Bike Safety in the Intersection

Despite massive progress in building out new protected bike lanes, many communities are still coming up short with safety improvements at intersections, the location of most vehicle-bike conflicts.

May 22, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Red Light Camera

'World's Smartest Intersection' Debuts in Detroit

Putting the advanced hardware and software systems in the Motor City.

June 13, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Red Light Camera

Decades-Long Quest for Safer Streets Reaches an Important Milestone

Melissa Wandall has been fighting for safer conditions for Florida streets since the death of her husband Mark Wandall in 2003. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Florida upheld a traffic safety law passed in his name.

May 19, 2018 - Streetsblog

Pedestrians

Insurance Institute: Pedestrian Fatalities Jump 46 Percent from 2009

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a study on May 8 that attributes the increased number of pedestrians killed in part to road design that allows for higher speeds, fewer intersections and pedestrian crossings and more SUVs.

May 9, 2018 - The Washington Post

Austin Pedestrians

On the Life-Saving Potential of Leading Pedestrian Intervals

Giving pedestrians a head start at crosswalks is a simple fix that could save lots of lives. New York City has already seen a significant reduction in fatalities and injuries.

January 31, 2018 - CityLab

Diamond Interchange

On the Rise of the Diverging Diamond Interchange

Its design can appear baffling at first, but the DDI presents drivers with far fewer opportunities to collide with each other than traditional four-way intersections.

September 18, 2017 - CityLab

Seattle's Weirdest Intersections Make a Fetching Design

One artist capitalized on the quirks of Seattle's street grid.

September 2, 2017 - The Seattle Times

How Students Would Improve a Particularly Busy Boston Intersection

Students at Emerson College live with the frustrations of the intersection of Boylston and Tremont streets everyday. They also have ideas for how to fix the intersection.

December 11, 2016 - The Boston Globe

Roundabout

The Case for Modern Roundabouts: Increased Safety

Roundabout are gaining popularity in California and across the nation. While they have been shown to reduce crashes, not all are sold on the innovative concept, and when it comes to multi-lane roundabouts, cyclists have legitimate concerns.

June 7, 2016 - Napa Valley Register

Traffic Light

Slot-Based Design Could Eliminate Traffic Lights

An MIT study determined that traffic lights, and their inefficiencies, could be eliminated if all vehicles were equipped to regulate their speed and "batch" together as they approach intersections.

April 12, 2016 - Fast Co. Design

Demystifying the Turning Radius and its Critical Importance to Street Safety

A MinnPost article explains the importance of a properly tuned turning radius while getting to the bottom of a controversial decision to remove pedestrian and bike infrastructure.

October 26, 2015 - MinnPost

America's Second Protected Intersection Now Open

The first protected intersection opened in August in Davis, Calif., a university town with the nation's highest percentage of bike commuters. Salt Lake City's new protected intersection is explained on NPR's "Here & Now" report with audio and videos.

October 5, 2015 - WBUR

Controversy Emerges Over Chicago's Polka Dot Intersection

Local residents are upset with the effects of the placemaking installment in Chicago, opened this spring—namely slower traffic and a polka dot color scheme. An article in DNAinfo points out that slowing traffic was kind of the point.

July 1, 2015 - DNAinfo Chicago

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.