DC Streetsblog
Streetsblog LA
How Better Traffic Models Can Lead to More Mixed-Use Development
Here's another obscure but significant obstacle to building walkable places in America: the Institute of Transportation Engineers' shoddy traffic generation models for mixed-use development.
June 5, 2013
Guerrilla Crosswalk Painter Arrested by Vallejo Police, Cheered By Neighbors
This story falls into the unusual but persistent overlap between pedestrian advocacy and vandalism. In Vallejo, California, last week, one man saw the need for a crosswalk at a dangerous intersection, and decided it was his job to make it happen.
June 4, 2013
Attacking the Language Bias in Transportation Engineering
"Improvement." "Upgrade." "Level of Service." The traffic engineering profession is full of buzzwords laden with meaning -- and, for the most part, the embedded meaning is something to the effect of "cars are king."
June 3, 2013
Cyclists of Color: Invisible No More
Let’s get one thing clear: People of color ride bikes. They commute to work on bikes. They ride for pleasure. It saves them money and time, and it keeps them healthy.
May 30, 2013
Following NYC’s Historic Launch, Bike-Share Poised to Pop Up Everywhere
Yesterday was a momentous day for sustainable transportation: New York City launched its Citi Bike system, logging a record-breaking 6,050 trips and 13,768 miles on its first day. Already the biggest bike-share system in the country, it's on track to expand to nearly twice its current size.
May 29, 2013
Q&A with Elly Blue, Feminist Bike Activist and Independent Media Titan
Elly Blue's latest publication, "Bikes in Space," is a feminist sci-fi zine about her favorite mode of transportation. "I realized that because I work for myself, I can do anything I want," she says by way of explanation. The amazing truth is that she makes a living writing whatever strikes her fancy about the intersection between bicycling and feminism.
May 28, 2013
Does the Gender Disparity in Engineering Harm Cycling in the U.S.?
A study published in this month's American Journal of Public Health finds that highly influential transportation engineers relied on shoddy research to defend policies that discourage the development of protected bike lanes in the U.S. In their paper, the researchers point out that male-dominated engineering panels have repeatedly torpedoed street designs that have greater appeal to female cyclists.
May 20, 2013
With Less Driving, Can We Tone Down the Hysteria About Congestion?
There’s so much to unpack in the landmark report released by U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group earlier this week on transportation trends. Tuesday, we focused on the disparity between government transportation forecasts and recent realities. We also took a look at a few reasons to believe that the millennial generation – those aged 13 to 30 right now -- will continue to drive less than previous generations. One of those reasons is that technology has reduced our need to drive in many different ways.
May 20, 2013
There’s No Doubt: Traffic Enforcement Cameras Save Lives
Gawker dished out some richly-deserved ridicule to Tennessee State Senator Jon Lundberg yesterday, following reports that he is co-sponsoring legislation to outlaw the specific speeding camera that nabbed him doing 60 in a 45 zone last October. Lundberg denied that the incident had any impact on his decision to sponsor in the legislation, and contested the violation to boot.
May 17, 2013