Traffic Safety

Bicyclists and Sunday Drivers Clash in DC
To some, a protected bike lane saves lives; to others, it threatens the survival of a community.

Research Offers Lessons on Bicycle Planning
This past week at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning conference, planning academics shared their research on planning for bicycles including bike sharing, bicycle education, and the use of cargo bicycles.

Safe Routes for All Seattle Schools
Seattle continues to expand its efforts to improve walkability with the Safe Routes to School Program.
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.
DUIDs Rival DUIs as Cause of Driver Fatalities
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, be they prescription, illegal, or marijuana, now accounts for 40 percent of driver fatalities, about the same as alcohol-related deaths, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

As San Francisco Debates Idaho Stop, Gov. Brown Gives All Cyclists a Break
Regardless of how San Francisco's proposed Bike Yield Law fares, all California cyclists who are ticketed for not stopping at stop signs may have the option to pay a reduced fine if they opt to attend bike school thanks to a new law signed Sept. 21.
Traffic Safety Sea Change Underway in Texas
Streetsblog surveys the Texas cities adopting new standards of traffic safety as official policy.
Sprawl Connected to Traffic Fatalities in Louisville
A Louisville case study of the findings and recommendations of the World Resource Institute's "Cities Safer By Design" report.
Better Data Means Safer Streets
Open data can be a powerful tool for illustrating the risks to public safety that will have to be overcome as more cities adopt Vision Zero initiatives.
Studies Find Spike in Bike-Related Injuries and Deaths
A pair of studies finds separate but related evidence that as more people are biking, more people are getting injured while biking. What to do about it is still under debate.
Sign Most Likely to Send Mixed Messages: "Share the Road"
For some reason, many drivers think "Share the Road" means bikers should stay out of their way.
Speed Cameras Have Proven Record of Reducing Speeding, New Study Says
A study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on September 1 showed steep reductions in speeding in Montgomery County, Maryland, where speed cameras has been in effect since 2007, reducing fatalities and severity of injuries.
'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.
The Road Safety Upgrade the World Desperately Needs: Self-Driving Cars
The headline chosen here summarizes the argument put forward by Vox's Joseph Stromberg, who believes that self-driving cars will be a serious upgrade over the average human driver.

4 Examples of Road Diets
Jeff Speck and Spencer Boomhower created a video to illustrate how road diets work.
Legal Marijuana Still a Challenge for Road Safety
The state of Washington is finding that more and more fatal car crashes involve drivers under the influence of THC. But legal limbo, lack of research, and spotty detection makes the question of what to do very hard to answer.
Does it Matter if We Call Crashes 'Accidents'?
Safety experts, like NHTSA, and safety advocates, like bicycle and pedestrian organizations, have replaced the commonly used "accident" with "crash" or similar nouns. Kevin Drum of Mother Jones asks if it really makes a difference.
U.S. DOT Offers Guidance for Bike and Pedestrian Funding
Planning for new pedestrian and bike projects in your community? The federal government recently released a report providing guidance on the Safer People, Safer Streets Initiative.
Complex Traffic Signals Make for Dangerous Intersections
When it comes to intersections, adding more complexity can do more harm than good, according to a recent, detailed post on Greater Greater Washington.

The Protected Intersection for Bicycles Has Arrived
The city of Davis, California, a college town with extremely high commute mode share for bikes, made history last week as the first U.S. city to build a protected intersection for bikes.
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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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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