Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

Streetsblog Network member blog Greater Greater Washington has been ramping up coverage of crashes that result in pedestrian and cyclist injuries and fatalities (they've got a new safety beat reporter, Stephen Miller), and in a recent post they highlighted the car-centric thinking of local law enforcement:

545214901_43c7f41ebb.jpgPhoto by sirwiseowl via Flickr.

DC police officer David Baker thinks pedestrians aren't paying enough attention,
writes Michael Neibauer in the Examiner. They cross the street while listening to iPods or checking their Blackberries, contributing to crashes like those on Connecticut and Nebraska. He's probably right.

Still, Baker's quote shows one small sign of the auto-oriented thinking so endemic in our society (besides Neibauer using the common but dangerous term "accidents" to refer to 15 pedestrian deaths):

Some vehicles do speed through that busy crossing, Baker said, but most average 34 to 7 mph. The speed limit there is 30 mph.

If most cars go 34 to 37, that sounds like most vehicles are speeding. Sure, they're only speeding a little, and I admit I often go 34 to 37 on roads like Connecticut. Still, let's be clear: most vehicles are speeding.

As the recent study by Transportation Alternatives shows, speeding is a huge problem in New York as well. How can we change attitudes like the one expressed by the police officer above? Through advertising campaigns like the ones in the UK and Ireland? We've been talking about this a lot lately, but it's worth bringing it up again: If even police officers like the one quoted above don't think speeding is speeding, how are we ever going to get anywhere in our efforts to slow people down?

More from around the network: Hugh Bartling says urbanists are liking new Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan; Discovering Urbanism looks at the appointment of Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión as director of the new Office of Urban Affairs; and just for fun, Austin on Two Wheels posts a Miller ad that uses a fun bike ride to sell some beer.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: The Annual Yonah Freemark Show, Part II

Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute is back again for Part II of his annual "Talking Headways" discussion.

March 13, 2025

What if the ‘Tesla Takedown’ Is Only the Beginning?

Tesla's cars have become symbols of Elon Musk's controversial role in U.S. politics — but they're also instruments of a violent system that long predates his time in the White House.

March 13, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Hard-Driving

To paraphrase Billy Idol: Get out of my car, get into my dreams. Wired shows us examples of cities cutting down on driving that most of us can only fantasize about.

March 13, 2025

How Climate Change Is Hurting Transit Ridership

Transit isn't only a key solution to confronting climate change; it's also one of its victims.

March 12, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are About Elon-ed Out

While President Trump tries to pump up Tesla stock prices, Elon Musk wants to privatize Amtrak.

March 12, 2025
See all posts