Traffic Calming
California Bill Sets Its Sights on Lower Speed Limits
A proposed bill in the California State Assembly would make it easier for local jurisdictions to set lower speed limits, sidestepping the controversial 85th percentile rule.
University of Pittsburgh Settles for Pedestrian Improvements on Adjacent Street
The university wanted to limit a section of Bigelow Boulevard to pedestrians, but the city pushed for a compromise: better crosswalks and traffic calming features. Now the challenge is finding the funds.
Federal Highway Administration Bureaucrat Says Rainbow Crosswalks Are a Liability
An administrator for the Kentucky division of the Federal Highway Administration informed the city of Lexington that its rainbow crosswalk does not meet federal safety standards.
Los Angeles Councilmember Chooses the Side of Traffic Safety
Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin sent a clear message to commuters upset about traffic calming projects in his district: "We don’t have to lose one more precious life."
Resources for Creating a Pop-Up Traffic Calming Demonstration
A how-to guide for concerned citizens and tactical urbanists interested in slowing down traffic in their community.
New York Court Ruling: Cities Are Liable for Unsafe Streets
Traffic safety and Vision Zero advocates scored a major victory recently at the New York Court of Appeals.
Dallas Mixes Residential Development With a Road Diet, Gets Controversy
The Dallas City Council approved a road diet for Knox Street in Dallas, where 1,000 residential units are under construction on an already thriving commercial corridor.
Study Finds Speed Humps May Have a Pollution Problem
The forced slow-and-go caused by speed humps may have the unintended consequences of increasing the release of the tiny particles that have proven harmful to health within a concentrated area.
Boston Lowers Speed Limits to 20 MPH—Columnist Sees Opportunity for Satire
A Boston Globe columnist met the news that the city would reduce speed limits to 20 mph on some residential streets with scorn and snark.
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.
Pavement Parks: a Better Parklet Alternative
Too often, street-side parklets become little more than semi-private patios for the businesses that sponsor them. Pavement parks, replacing dangerous intersections, may be a more worthwhile option.
Houten, Netherlands: Where Cars and Bikes Coexist
Well-known in transportation planning circles, Houten's suburban multi-modality can be found almost nowhere else. Perimeter ring roads, train access, and bike-friendly features have cut car trips down to 44 percent.
Op-Ed: Los Angeles Walkability Needs More Crosswalks
Although Los Angeles isn't famous for its walking culture, many neighborhoods are actually quite suited for it. That is, if streets could be made friendlier to the pedestrians they currently repel.
Narrower Lanes, Safer Streets
A new study indicates that the safest urban streets have lanes that measure 10-10.5 feet wide. Narrower and wider lanes have higher crash frequencies, and wider lanes have higher crash severity.
Bold Plans Unveiled for Converting Durham's Historic Downtown Loop
The city of Durham hosted a public workshop this week to discuss urban design plans for converting a circuitous couplet to a two-way street grid.
On the Pros and Cons of Driveways
Whether driveways are anti-urban or 'anti-pedestrian' depends on how we segregate street uses. As shared spaces where they cross sidewalks, driveways inform the wider question: what makes for a good street?
Florida Backs Miami Complete Streets Initiative
The Florida DOT has approved Miami's plan to rework busy Biscayne Boulevard. In the spirit of Complete Streets, vehicle lanes will be reduced and pedestrian/bike spaces expanded.
Study: Dynamic Road Signs Make for Better Drivers
A psychological experiment finds that warning signs depicting more movement gain more attention, making drivers navigate more carefully.
Golden Gate Bridge Safety Measures Inspire Drivers to Speed
In more proof of how far perceived safety goes in establishing the speed of drivers, the California Highway Patrol is dealing with the unintended consequences of changes on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Kansas City Proceeding with the First of (Possibly) Many Road Diets
Mike Hendricks reports on road diet plans for Grand Boulevard in Downtown Kansas City.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
