Safety
Streetsblog California
How Ethical Is Your Driving?
Most of us who drive don't spend much time weighing the morals of our behavior as motorists, but we should. Otherwise, by the time the ethical implications of our behavior are clear, it's probably going to be too late.
July 14, 2017
We Don’t Appreciate the Vulnerability of Pedestrians Until It’s Too Late
Data suggests we generally don't appreciate how vulnerable others are or how much power we have to hurt each other until it's too late - and pedestrians and cyclists tend to pay the steepest price for that.
July 6, 2017
Eyes on the Street: New Painted Curb Extension Across from L.A. City Hall
New pedestrian safety improvements spotted at the intersection of First Street and Main Street in downtown L.A.
June 30, 2017
Peter Flax L.A. Times Editorial Nails Playa Del Rey Controversy
Peter Flax has penned a must-read editorial on recent Playa Del Rey street safety controversies. He concludes: "When cars race through neighborhoods where people live, shop and play, speed kills. Taking steps that force us to slow down isn’t an outrage or a conspiracy, it’s making L.A. a better place to live."
June 29, 2017
What About Bike Safety During Paving and Construction Projects?
Construction crews tend to see bike lanes as a place to plant detour signs, rather than recognizing them as travel lanes.
June 28, 2017
What Do Drivers Really Think of Cyclists?
There's ample research out there backing up the safety benefits of streets with protected bikeways and slow car speeds. But what about the critically important yet less tangible factor of individual attitudes -- how does the mind of the person behind the wheel affect driver behavior toward cyclists? A new report from Portland State University looks at the question.
June 28, 2017
Why Looking at Crash Stats Alone Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story About Pedestrian Safety
Some intersections are riskier to cross than others, but looking at the number of pedestrian injuries alone doesn’t tell the whole story. A new study from Minneapolis combines crash data with pedestrian counts to deliver a more nuanced picture of traffic dangers for people on foot. Among the findings: There’s safety in numbers for pedestrians.
June 21, 2017
Playa Del Rey Street Safety Improvements Court Driver Backlash
Several street safety improvements are underway in the L.A. neighborhood of Playa Del Rey. These include lane reduction road diets that have already been criticized by driving commuters who are experiencing delays.
June 8, 2017
Can Algorithms Design Safer Intersections?
Cities and tech firms are deploying new technology to gauge risks at dangerous intersections. These sensors, cameras, and machine-learning algorithms are promising, especially when it comes to measuring close calls that don't result in crashes - but cities are still figuring out how they can use this information. In the meantime, there's no reason to wait on designing safe streets.
June 8, 2017
Blaming People for Wearing Black Wins the Prize for Anti-Pedestrian Idiocy
It takes a special kind of callousness to say that pedestrians are making city streets dangerous by wearing black. And yet, that's exactly what the Seattle Times did this weekend.
May 31, 2017
