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

A Child Went For a Walk on a Rural Highway Alone. His Mom Got Arrested For It.

Should parents — or the state? — be liable when their children walk on dangerous roads?

January 27, 2025

Monday’s Headlines Smooth the Way

Sean Duffy, President Trump's nominee to head the U.S. DOT, breezed through Senate hearings.

January 27, 2025

Study: People Protected Bike Lanes Made a Difference

A new study by an NYU researcher shows that a type of protest invented in San Francisco has helped get protected bike lanes constructed in North America and beyond.

January 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines Quit the Space Race

Money for Acela, the D.C. Metro and other transit systems could have been spent on a moon base instead. Get a history lesson in today's headlines.

January 24, 2025

OPINION: Slow Down on Our Bike Paths!

Our bike lanes have become what social critic Ivan Illich once defined as degraded public space. Here's one possible fix.

January 24, 2025
See all posts