Now the Feds Want to Reform the Cult of “Level of Service”
"What you measure is what you get," the saying goes.
January 29, 2016
Designing City Streets to Suit 47 MPH Drivers Is a Recipe for Failure
Gravois Avenue is an important commercial street in St. Louis that also happens to be designated a state highway. It's currently slated for a redesign, providing a huge opportunity to make the street work better for walking and biking.
January 29, 2016
10 Cities Chosen to Help Model Vision Zero Policy in the U.S.
What is Vision Zero? Simply put, it's a recognition that traffic fatalities are preventable, and a commitment to ensure that no one is killed in traffic. Cities that adopt Vision Zero set out to end traffic deaths within a specific time frame.
January 28, 2016
Enrique Peñalosa Back as Bogotá’s Mayor. Can He Do It Again?
After a 15-year hiatus, Enrique Peñalosa is beginning a new term as mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. Peñalosa's leadership during his first three-year term has been a global inspiration for cities. His administration reclaimed sidewalks from cars, created dozens of miles of new bikeways, and launched TransMilenio, setting a new standard for high-capacity bus rapid transit.
January 27, 2016
The Feds Aren’t Crowing About the Record Amount of Driving in America
Gas is as cheap as ever, and cumulatively, Americans are driving a record amount.
January 27, 2016
Dallas Highway Will Generate a Million Miles of Driving Per Day
The question of whether to build the Trinity Parkway, a $1.5 billion toll road that would run along the Trinity River from roughly West Dallas to Oak Cliff, has divided leaders in Dallas.
January 26, 2016
Caption Contest: TxDOT’s Shiny Happy People Sucking in Highway Exhaust
This rendering of State Highway 45 Southwest in Austin -- one of 12 highway boondoggles singled out by U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group this year -- inspired some mockery on Twitter:
January 22, 2016
5 Things States Can Do to Bring Transportation Policy Out of the Stone Age
On its page commemorating the 50th anniversary of President Eisenhower signing the Federal Aid Highway Act, the Federal Highway Administration offers a "Then and Now" chart showing how much America has changed since 1956. It's a little corny, but in 1956 Chuck Berry was a chart-topper, hula hoops were the new craze, and Cold War tensions were very high. The point is the country has changed a lot since then.
January 22, 2016
High Stakes for Cities as Feds Start Regulating Self-Driving Cars
Last week as part of his State of the Union Address, President Obama announced a $4 billion investment over the next 10 years to test autonomous vehicles and get them ready for the market. Two days later at the Detroit Auto Show, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that federal regulators would begin to develop coherent safety regulations for autonomous vehicles -- something industry leaders have been pushing.
January 21, 2016
Chris Christie Sticks It to Pedestrians for No Discernible Reason
In 2014, 170 people were killed while walking on New Jersey streets, accounting for 31 percent of total traffic deaths in the state (about double the national share). In addition, 13 people were killed while biking that year.
January 20, 2016