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City Streets in State Officials’ Hands Can Be a Recipe for Disaster
Cities shouldn't have to fight with state departments of transportation to ensure streets are safe for their residents. But too often that's exactly the case, and when cities lose, the result can be deadly.
September 27, 2016
More Evidence That Speed Cameras Work
The evidence is clear: Speed cameras save lives.
September 26, 2016
Restrictive Housing Policies in a Few Cities Hurt the Whole U.S. Economy
It's no secret that major coastal cities are dealing with a housing shortage that's causing runaway rents. What's less well understood, however, is how low-density zoning not only limits the supply of housing but affects the U.S. economy more broadly.
September 23, 2016
The Threat of Racial Profiling in Traffic Enforcement
Can urban police forces with histories of racial profiling and brutality be entrusted to carry out traffic enforcement as part of Vision Zero initiatives? In a Twitter chat yesterday, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership asked how to ensure that "law enforcement doesn't profile or discriminate" when asked to uphold traffic laws.
September 22, 2016
What Can a Mileage Tax Tell Us That a Gas Tax Can’t?
Can taxes on driving mileage replace gas taxes as a source of transportation funds? Right now the state of Oregon is testing a mileage tax with an opt-in pilot program called "OreGo." Participants install a device that tracks their driving and pay 1.5 cents per mile, which is assessed from a special account.
September 21, 2016
Seattle’s Decade-Long Shift Away From Solo Car Commuting
New Census data is out on how Americans commute, and the standout success story is Seattle, where the rate of people who drive alone to work dropped 8.8 percent over the last decade.
September 16, 2016
Complete Streets Won’t Work Without Complete Bridges
Networks of safe walking and biking infrastructure won't work very well if they're interrupted by bridges that are dangerous or stressful to cross. But when transportation agencies fix up bridges, their instinct is often to do the least for walking and biking that they can get away with.
September 15, 2016
Seattle’s Plan to Woo Neighborhoods Into Adopting Smart Parking Prices
Seattle has a housing affordability problem. One way to address that is to reduce the amount of parking required in new residential buildings, lowering construction costs and increasing the number of apartments that can be built.
September 13, 2016
Austin Plans a Bus Network Redesign of Its Own
It's hard to overstate the influence of Houston's bus network redesign -- an overhaul of the city's bus routes that aimed to expand access to frequent service. Cities all over the country have taken note and many are reimagining their own bus networks.
September 9, 2016
Rhode Island Gov Tries to Snuff Out Grassroots Push for Highway Removal
A movement has been building in Providence, Rhode Island, to replace the aging 6/10 Connector -- an elevated urban highway -- with an at-grade surface street that prioritizes transit and bicycling. It's a solution that other cities have pursued to brilliant effect (intentionally or otherwise), with highway slabs giving way to walkable places.
September 8, 2016