Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

Did you wear your helmet when you biked to work this morning? Whether you did or you didn't, it's up to you. So why are there so many people shrieking about it? On one side, the 85-percenters, overstating the protection helmets offer against head injuries. On the other side, the 3-footers, claiming that it's actually safer to go helmetless because drivers give you more space and a host of other reasons. Some recent hysteria around bike-share and head injuries fueled this fire. I'm not sure Jeff and I put that fire out with our discussion, but we at least tried to make some sense of it.

Speaking of fiery discussions, did you see the back-and-forth between Colin Dabkowski, a Buffalo News journalist, and walkability guru Jeff Speck after the most recent Congress for the New Urbanism? We clear up once and for all some misconceptions about how New Urbanism's winners-and-losers strategy does and doesn't address social equity.

And in between, we take a moment to celebrate a small victory in San Francisco, where a community pushed back against the fire department's push to widen streets.

Subscribe to the Talking Headways Podcast on iTunes or Stitcher or by signing up for our RSS feed.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Follow That Robocab!

Wired writes about a day in the life a self-driving Waymo taxi, and more in today's headlines.

November 22, 2024

California’s Federal Dollars Will Increase Emissions

In almost every state, federal funding on highway expansions far outstrips spending on transit, active transportation, electrification, and all other programs that aim to reduce emissions. And the Golden State is no exception.

November 22, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: City Tech with Rob Walker

Author Rob Walker on how technology has progressed transportation policy in the last decade.

November 21, 2024

One Hidden Reason Why Your State DOT Isn’t Building Protected Bike Lanes

"Proven safety countermeasures" might sound like a wonky engineering term, but it could hold the key to unlocking money to save lives.

November 21, 2024
See all posts