Caption Contest: A Bench for Adrenaline Junkies
It's time for another caption contest! This oddly placed bench at the intersection of Patton Avenue (US74) and Florida Avenue in Asheville, North Carolina, offers the kind of view only a traffic engineer could love, and probably very few have stuck around long enough to find out.
February 26, 2016
Portland Figured Out How to Get Kids Walking and Biking to School Again
In a relatively short amount of time -- a generation or two -- the number of American kids walking or biking to school has plummeted. This isn't the result of some natural law -- it's the product of public policy decisions about how to design streets and build schools.
February 26, 2016
Sober Non-Partisan Analysis: America Wastes a Ton of Money on Highways
A good deal of the $46 billion the federal government pours into highway spending each year is going to waste, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report [PDF].
February 24, 2016
Cutting Social Services to Pay for Highways, and Other Bad Road Lobby Ideas
Missouri lawmakers are really grasping for ways to keep the highway money flowing, after voters rejected a regressive sales tax hike backed by road builders in 2014.
February 23, 2016
The Highway Project That Could Change Traffic Management in the U.S.
In almost every state, politicians beat the drum for hundreds of millions of dollars to "solve congestion" by widening highways. After spending the better part of a century doing this, we know that thanks to induced demand, soon after the asphalt sets on the new lanes, people will drive more and congestion will return. The whole exercise is a bit like a dog chasing its tail.
February 19, 2016
A Bigger Transit Benefit Is No Match for America’s Parking Tax Perk
Late last year Congress finally moved to boost the maximum commuter tax benefit for transit riders to the same level that car commuters receive. That means transit riders can buy up to $255 in fares each month with pre-tax income, just like drivers can pay for $255 in parking expenses with pre-tax income.
February 12, 2016
Traffic Engineers Still Rely on a Flawed 1970s Study to Reject Crosswalks
When St. Louis decided not to maintain colorful new crosswalks that residents had painted, the city's pedestrian coordinator cited federal guidance. A 2011 FHWA memo warns that colorful designs could "create a false sense of security" for pedestrians and motorists.
February 12, 2016
Where Are the Best Places for Protected Intersections in Your City?
Protected intersections are the best new thing in American bike infrastructure since, well, protected bike lanes. They greatly reduce the potential for turning conflicts between drivers and cyclists -- left turns on a bike, especially, become easier and less stressful -- and they make pedestrian crossings much safer too.
February 11, 2016
Get Real — Colorful Crosswalks Aren’t Endangering Pedestrians
In the summer of 2014, residents of Tower Grove in St. Louis painted crosswalks with patterns like a fleur-de-lis to add some neighborhood character. Now city officials say the crosswalks should fade away, citing safety concerns.
February 10, 2016
More Driving, More People Dying on America’s Streets
On Friday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration released new data [PDF] showing that traffic deaths are up. Up quite a bit.
February 10, 2016