Bicycle Safety
Basics
Guest Commentary: Traffic Engineers Must Put Safety Over Driver Throughput
No other field would tolerate this level of death and destruction. The tragedy of West Portal is more evidence that the traffic engineering profession is fundamentally broken.
March 27, 2024
A Little Girl is Dead, But This Calif. Transportation Official Still Won’t Commit to Safety
On Wednesday OakDOT's Fred Kelley, during a SPUR interview, said that protected bike lanes should be the default, but then listed a bunch of exceptions and political considerations. Later that same day he told the grandmother of a four-year-old girl killed on Lakeshore that the city can't build protected bike lanes on the east side of Lake Merritt, even though they would have saved the girl's life.
September 7, 2023
Study: Some Paint-Only Bike Lanes May Increase Crashes
Sharrows and paint don't make anyone feel safe. But are they really worse than nothing at all?
September 7, 2023
Why Regulators Are Ignoring 90% Of ‘Underride’ Crash Deaths — And Not Counting Vulnerable Road Users At All
Every year, hundreds of people die horrific deaths in underride crashes U.S. roads. But a new documentary says regulators aren't counting the vast majority of them — or mandating a simple technology to save their lives.
June 15, 2023
Essay: Why Even The Most Progressive Cities Are Failing Their Car-Free Residents
As traffic violence has climbed over the past few years, a number of ostensibly progressive, climate-friendly cities have demonstrated that they are uninterested in taking even modest steps to support non-drivers.
May 18, 2023
Study: SUV Drivers Cause 55% Worse Injuries To Bicyclists They Hit
Just like pedestrians, bicyclists who are struck by SUV drivers endure significantly more severe injuries — particularly to the head — than those struck by the drivers of smaller cars, a new study finds, adding to a mountain of evidence that suggests regulators should do more to rein in deadly vehicle designs that are increasingly dominating U.S. roads.
April 13, 2023
What It Takes To Successfully Sue Over a Defective Bike Lane
Mike Bagg won a million dollars after a defective bike lane caused him to crash. But he won't actually see all of that money — and neither will the countless cyclists who get in crashes just like his every day.
April 12, 2023
New Law Would Honor Legacy of Slain Cyclist Sarah Langenkamp By Helping Cities Fill Bike Network Gaps
A new bill would encourage U.S. communities to use their federal safety dollars to fill the holes in city bike networks, and honor the legacy of an American hero who lost her life in one.
March 30, 2023
Three Things To Know About the National Lithium-Ion Battery Fire ‘Epidemic’
Sustainable transportation advocates are calling for common-sense trade regulations, consumer education, and other reforms to keep prevent fires involving defective lithium-ion batteries — while simultaneously fighting misinformation that threatens to explode into a culture war against electric microbility.
March 20, 2023
Essay: Sarah Langenkamp Loved Biking. She Shouldn’t Have Died Because of It.
"We can certainly turn around our deadly trends. Sarah, other victims, and so many families mourning this holiday season deserve at least as much."
December 1, 2022
