Road Safety

Close-up of white pedestrian and bike symbols painted on concrete path.

California Bill Promotes ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Solutions

The bill is part of an effort to reverse entrenched patterns in traffic engineering and speed up the adoption of safer infrastructure for people walking and biking.

August 13, 2024 - CalBike

Close-up of orange and white traffic cone on street with blurred worker in orange vest in background.

Book Review: Killed By A Traffic Engineer

In a new book, engineering professor Wes Marshall explains why American roads are so unsafe.

August 13, 2024 - Michael Lewyn

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

Close-up of white BUS letters on asphalt bus lane with blurred bus and traffic in background.

Bus Lanes as Traffic Calming

Dedicated bus lanes on busy arterials can act as traffic calming mechanisms to reduce speeding.

August 11, 2024 - State Smart Transportation Initiative

Six-lane road with fast food and pizza restaurants in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Fixing the ‘Legacy’ Highways That Don’t Work for Anyone

A classic example of the notorious ‘stroad,’ aging state roads that aim to serve all users with piecemeal infrastructure solutions fail to facilitate safe, efficient transportation.

August 9, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

Great Rivers Greenway bike trail bridge over highway in St. Louis, Missouri.

Moving Beyond Crash Statistics to Understand Road Safety

Why measuring traffic deaths alone doesn’t paint a full picture.

August 8, 2024 - nextSTL

Worker in yellow safety suit holding up orange SLOW sign on road

Pedestrian Deaths Would Have Risen Without the Pandemic, Study Shows

The alarming rise in pedestrian deaths across the United States was predicted well before Covid-19 provided more opportunities for dangerous driving behaviors.

August 5, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

Empty street with crosswalk lit by two tall street lights at night.

Study: Crosswalk Lighting Radically Improves Pedestrian Safety

In what should come as a surprise to no one, drivers are much more likely to yield to pedestrians when they can actually see them.

August 4, 2024 - Smart Cities Dive

Traffic on a highway in Dallas, Texas.

Traffic Tech is Helping Texas Curb Road Deaths

The state is deploying AI-assisted technology to identify dangerous road segments and improve signal timing.

August 1, 2024 - Route Fifty

Close-up of man's hands on steering wheel and digital screen in Tesla car's driver's seat.

Tesla ‘Nearly Crashes’ in Full Self-Driving Mode

A test of Tesla’s autonomous mode showed troubling permissiveness, according to one analyst.

July 31, 2024 - Bloomberg CityLab

Pedestrians crossing a busy crosswalk on New York City street with tall buildings in background

NYC Sees 127 Traffic Deaths in First Half of 2024

The number is the highest since the city pledged to end traffic deaths through Vision Zero policies a decade ago.

July 31, 2024 - Patch

Philadelphia Bike Lane

Philly Road Safety Advocates Call for Action From the City

Mayor Parker’s administration is proposing massive cuts to the city’s Vision Zero program while pedestrian and cyclist deaths remain high.

July 29, 2024 - Billy Penn

Bike lane marked with white paint on asphalt street.

Zeroing in on California’s Incomplete Streets

A report highlights the lack of enforcement of Caltrans’ Complete Streets policy in projects around the state.

July 24, 2024 - Streetsblog California

25 mph speed limit sign with "Your Speed" digital sign above it.

Survey Indicates Strong Support for Anti-Speeding Tech

More than half of drivers would be comfortable with speed-limiting technology or audio and visual signals warning them they’ve gone over the speed limit.

July 24, 2024 - GovTech

Intersection in Pittsburgh, PA with pedestrian bumpouts and delineators.

Pittsburgh Improves Road Safety With ‘Quick-Build’ Solutions

The city’s efforts to reduce crashes through traffic calming and crosswalk improvements is yielding positive results.

July 24, 2024 - Pittsburgh Union Progress

Group of people and kids biking through small roundabout in Long Beach, California.

Long Beach Has Installed Nearly 100 Traffic Circles

They range from large traffic circles that reduce congestion to small neighborhood roundabouts designed to slow local traffic.

July 16, 2024 - Streetsblog LA

Aerial view of wide multilane road intersection.

Fixing the Notorious ‘Stroad’

Why roadways that try to serve everyone can be some of the most dangerous.

July 15, 2024 - The Conversation

Freeway interchange with traffic in Austin, Texas.

Report: Vision Zero Saving Lives in Austin

Safety improvements at major intersections led to a 22 percent reduction in deaths and severe injuries and saved the city over $28 million.

July 11, 2024 - Community Impact Newspaper

Aerial view of downtown Spokane, Washington.

Spokane City Council Calls for ‘Safe Streets Now!’

The Washington city approved a resolution aimed at improving pedestrian safety.

July 10, 2024 - Longview News Journal

Close-up of white 20 kph speed limit sign in Europe with cartoon turtle and '20 is plenty' sticker underneath.

EU Speed Limiter Law Kicks In

All new cars sold in Europe and Northern Ireland will include speed limiting tech, among other new safety features.

July 10, 2024 - The Guardian

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.