Traffic Safety
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.
Another Study Shows That Narrow Is Safer Than Wide for Traffic Lanes
Better Cities & Towns gives its imprimatur to the "narrower is better" approach to lane width for traffic safety thanks to a study by Toronto transportation planner, Dewan Masud Karim, presented at the Canadian ITE annual conference.
Safety Improvements Needed for Pacific Coast Highway Through Malibu
A consistently miserable record of crashes and fatalities, including pedestrians and collisions with parked cars, is compelling the city of Malibu to undertake a large number of safety improvement projects along the Pacific Coast Highway.
San Francisco Bikers Score a Point for the Idaho Stop
Last week, along a popular San Francisco bike route, a group of protestors took to their bikes to advocate for new laws, such as the Idaho Stop, that make it easier to bike in the city.
More Rational Analysis Of Seniors' Driving Risks And Safety Strategies
A new American Automobile Association study argues that efforts to reduce driving by higher-risk seniors threaten their health. This analysis is backward: seniors benefit most from reduced driving and improved transport options.
Downtown Pittsburgh Stakeholders Pitch Shared Streets
It's an early idea, but Pittsburgh, with support from transportation planners and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, could be the next U.S. city to consider the shared streets concept.
Uber Vehicles are Not Taxis, Even When They Want To Be
A June 16 vote by the San Francisco MTA to improve safety will allow taxis, along with bicycles and Muni buses, but not ride-hailing services to make turns onto the downtown's main thoroughfare, Market Street, has upset San Francisco-based Uber.
San Francisco to Prohibit Cars From Turning Onto Market Street
The Safer Market Street project is one of a package of traffic safety projects underway in San Francisco to achieve a Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths by 2024.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee Pushing for Speed Camera Legislation
If Lee has his way, San Francisco will join other cities like New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. by employing speed cameras to issue citations to offending motorists in school zones. But first he needs to find a legislator to draft a bill.
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.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
