car-free streets

Oxford Street is poised for a pedestrian-friendly makeover. What can the U.S. learn from their journey to get there?

Popping up a protected bike lane to your city's next big event can cost more than you think — but it's worth it to build community support for more permanent infrastructure changes, a Connecticut advocate argues.

"There’s no element of social engineering or ideological weirdness or Brave New World to a city that doesn’t prioritize cars."

During the NACTO conference in Denver earlier this month, Streetfilms auteur Clarence Eckerson Jr. got to see the next generation in traffic circles — a design with a rotary so big that car drivers have to slow down. Check it out.

Since Pope Francis's visit this weekend, #pOpenstreets has become a rallying cry in Philadelphia. The hashtag has turned into a collective record of photos and insights about the surprising amount of fun and freedom that city residents enjoyed when 4.7 square miles of the city center went car-free.

The air was noticeably clearer yesterday over the city of Paris, where people walking, biking, skating, and otherwise getting around without a motor took over streets generally packed with cars, including the Champs Elysées. About a third of Paris was free of motorized vehicles from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., except for buses and taxis. Car speeds were capped at 20 kilometers per hour in the rest of the city. Mayor Anne Hidalgo, at the urging of activists, initiated the massive car-free event as a lead-in to the city hosting COP21, the United Nations' upcoming conference on climate change. Paris is plagued by diesel exhaust, and the skies over the city were noticeably bluer yesterday, according to the Guardian. The exhaust cleared. The rumble of traffic was gone. People seemed happier and less stressed. One of the tens of thousands who took to the streets told the Guardian it was "like a headache lifting." Camille Carnoz of the bike activist group Vélorution said she hopes the car-free day leads to permanent changes: