traffic
Streetsblog California
Streets and Highways Are Becoming a Big Roadblock to Free Speech
Protests against Israel's assault on Gaza may shift from college campuses to roads — and most Americans like their cars more than free speech.
May 29, 2024
American-Dutch Engineer Calls Out Root Problem with American DOTs
There's a big problem at SFMTA and other American DOTs. And it starts with the education and licensing of engineers
March 6, 2024
How One City Used Transit to Cut Traffic During a Taylor Swift Mega-Concert
Building highway lanes will never, ever, ever get America's traffic problems under control — but a new study suggests that investing in other modes will, even when a massive pop star is in town.
August 16, 2023
Talking Headways Podcast: All Possible Commutes
Measuring car travel more accurately, how micromobility can improve accessibility, and a bit about transportation in Cairo.
July 6, 2023
Traffic Studies Are Junk ‘Science’
Community leaders and the courts are putting too much faith into dubious traffic studies that always seem to predict more and more driving, a new study argues — but that could all change.
April 4, 2023
Caltrans D4 Gets Another “Environmental” Award for Highway Widening
Why actually try to fight global warming and make a more sustainable future when you can just lie about it?
February 23, 2023
A Reporter’s Guide to ‘Congestion Cost’ Studies
Every year or so, one or more traffic-counting organizations trots out a report claiming that congestion is costing us tens of billions dollars each year. Despite the “big data” and elaborate estimates, the results are simply bunk, because they’re based on a flawed premise.
January 17, 2023
America Has a Terrible Traffic Safety Record Because We Drive Too Much
Even though the U.S. traffic fatality rate per mile driven has fallen by two-thirds in the last 50 years, America today still has the deadliest road system per capita in the developed world. Much of the improvement from safer driving and better emergency care has been wiped out by increases in total traffic.
September 8, 2016
Earth to U.S. DOT: Streets Succeed When They Do More Than Move Cars
What makes a street successful?
August 24, 2016
Study: High-Traffic Arterial Roads Reduce Quality of Life, Even Blocks Away
Seminal research by Donald Appleyard in the 1970s found the volume of traffic on a street affects quality of life for residents in profound and unexpected ways. For example, the amount of social contact people had with their neighbors was curtailed for those who lived on high traffic streets compared with those living on quieter streets. People even defined their "home area" much more narrowly if they lived on a busy road.
August 17, 2016