Pedestrian Safety

Bicycle traffic light in Berlin

Op-Ed: Prohibit Right Turns on Red Lights

A writer suggests an end for one of the many conveniences available to drivers: the right turn on a red light.

March 23, 2016 - Next City

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Sets 20-mph Speed Limit

Citing pedestrian and cyclist casualties, the Scottish capital will reduce speed limits on 80 percent of its streets to a mere 20 mph. Backers are pushing for additional complete streets improvements.

March 17, 2016 - Next City

Efforts to Increase Pedestrian Safety Take Hold in Nevada and Kentucky

With a new Governors Highway Safety Association report estimating that the number of pedestrian fatalities jumped 10 percent in 2015, the highest ever, we look at efforts in Nevada and Louisville, Ky. to increase pedestrian safety.

March 11, 2016 - Las Vegas Sun

Bike on Sidewalk

Bicyclists on Sidewalks: Why They're Not Going Away, and What We Can Do About It

Simply banning bikes from riding on sidewalks does more harm than good. A better understanding of why people choose to ride bikes on the sidewalk will be necessary to create safer environments for all users.

March 10, 2016 - Ariel Godwin and Anne M. Price

Report: Pedestrian Deaths Climbed 10 Percent in 2015

Pedestrian safety is a growing problem across the country, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

March 9, 2016 - The Christian Science Monitor

Rainbow Crosswalk

Re-Examining the Safety of Colorful Crosswalks

There has been no shortage of responses to the story about St. Louis letting decorated sidewalks fade away after encountering federal policy that recommends more subdued colors.

February 13, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Sidewalk Shed Scaffolding

New York City's Sidewalk Shed Epidemic

A 1980 law protecting pedestrians from falling debris has spawned a labyrinth of sidewalk sheds: the covered walkways that often support scaffolding. Many of these "temporary" structures linger for years.

February 8, 2016 - Crain's New York Business

One Simple Way to Anger Pedestrians: Give Snow Removal Priority to Cars

A large backlash followed a large winter storm on the East Coast.

February 4, 2016 - Brokelyn

12 Seattle Schools to Get the Safe Routes to School Treatment in 2016

The Urbanist takes a close look at the first of 12 Safe Routes to School projects scheduled for Seattle schools this year.

January 23, 2016 - The Urbanist

Nova Scotia Cracks Down on Jaywalkers—Advocates React As Expected

The provincial government has taken draconian measures on jaywalkers in an effort to curb pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

January 23, 2016 - BuzzFeed News

Fixing Seattle's Most Dangerous Road

In-depth coverage of the improvement efforts underway on Seattle's Rainier Avenue.

January 1, 2016 - KCTS

Critiquing Minneapolis' Pedestrian Infrastructure Efforts

Is a city with its own fair share of high profile projects on the way doing enough to ensure the safety of pedestrians?

December 30, 2015 - MinnPost

Pedestrian Overpass

What's Wrong With Removing Sidewalks in the Name of Pedestrian Safety?

Broken Sidewalk analyzes an example of the kind of street design decisions continuing to encroach on pedestrian infrastructure around the country. The case study: Ninth Street in Louisville.

December 23, 2015 - Broken Sidewalk

Pedestrians

When 'Vision Zero' Conflicts With Local Politics

Community leaders sometimes present the biggest obstacles when and where the rubber hits the road on Vision Zero traffic safety improvements. New York City Mayor de Blasio is pushing for more power for the DOT.

December 17, 2015 - StreetsBlog NYC

The Dallas City Councilmember Standing Up for Pedestrians

A hearing on pedestrian infrastructure in Dallas—which is proving exceptionally deadly this year—reveals the sharp political divide on how to make streets safe for walking.

October 5, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

'Vision Zero' Requires More Data in Washington, D.C.

Advocates say traffic safety data collection practices in Washington, D.C. don't meet national standards. They also say it will be hard for the District to meet its vision zero goal by 2024 if the problem persists.

September 3, 2015 - WAMU

Construction Zone

Zaha Hadid Reimagines the Sidewalk Shed

Attempts to make over the conventional sidewalk shed are pretty but costly. Will Hadid's High Line canopy catch on?

August 28, 2015 - The New York Times

Making Traffic Circles Safe for Pedestrians

A post for Greater Greater Washington details the ongoing conversation about how to improve pedestrian safety around Grant Circle.

August 22, 2015 - Greater Greater Washington

Speed Limit

The Origins of Speed Limits

Motor vehicle crashes claim over 30,000 lives per year, with related costs in the hundreds of billions. While we sometimes view that frightening statistic as inevitable, there are reasons to reexamine speed limits and how we set them.

August 2, 2015 - Five Thirty Eight

Phoenix Sales Tax Measure Key to County's Transit Future

On August 25, voters in Phoenix and Maricopa County will determine the outcome of Proposition 104, a transportation sales tax measure that would raise $17 billion for a wide variety of transportation improvements, including extended light rail.

July 29, 2015 - ABC 15 (Phoenix)

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.

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.