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
Finally Some Relief for Memphis Bus Riders
The shameful state of Memphis's bus system is one of the more outrageous stories in American transit.
September 21, 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
Where Walkability and Affordability Overlap in the D.C. Region
Neighborhoods that are walkable, affordable for lower-income households, and provide access to jobs for people without a car are far too rare.
September 20, 2016
Paris to Return Its Great Public Squares to the People
If you look at paintings from the pre-automotive era, Paris's monumental public squares were full of people strolling comfortably. But over time, car traffic has consumed most of these squares.
September 19, 2016
Let Providence Decide the Fate of Its Aging Highway Relic
The campaign to remove a 1960s-era highway relic in Providence, Rhode Island, known as the 6/10 Connector looked like it could go the distance. Local advocates had built broad support for the idea of replacing the two-mile highway segment with an at-grade boulevard that makes room for transit and bicycling while mending the divide between neighborhoods.
September 19, 2016
Where Car Commuting Is Shrinking — And Where It’s Not
Where are Americans making the shift away from driving to work?
September 16, 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
FHWA’s New Goal: Eliminating Pedestrian and Cyclist Deaths in America
The Federal Highway Administration wants to eliminate pedestrian and cyclist fatalities "in the next 20 to 30 years." In a new strategic plan [PDF], the agency calls for reducing serious injuries and deaths 80 percent in the next 15 years, which would be an intermediate goal on the way to zero.
September 15, 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