State DOTs
Basics
The Bible Belt Should Really Be Called ‘The Carnage Corset’
Eight of the 10 most dangerous metro areas in the U.S. for pedestrians are in Florida, according to a new study by Smart Growth America. Of the remaining 12, eight are in the Deep South.
January 23, 2019
New Mass. Pedestrian Safety Plan Includes Snow Removal
If states stop ignoring pedestrians, and get serious about protecting them — like Massachusetts has proposed — enormous resources would be available to improve safety.
September 19, 2018
States are Losing Millions in Biking and Walking Funds
Hundreds of million of federal cash that could have built thousands of miles of sidewalks and bike lanes has been forfeited or used for highways.
September 5, 2018
North Carolina DOT Needs a Culture Change to Translate Complete Streets Policy Into Action
Changing the entrenched practices of transportation agencies is easier said than done.
July 19, 2018
Advice for Turning Dangerous State Roads Into Safe City Streets
It's extra challenging to redesign a city street for safe walking and biking when that street is controlled by the state DOT. That's the case with Memorial Drive in Atlanta, a dangerous state road that runs more than five miles across the city.
August 7, 2017
Why Are Florida’s Streets So Deadly for Cycling?
A recent study funded by the Florida Department of Transportation takes an in-depth look at why the state's streets are so deadly -- and what can be done to change that.
July 21, 2017
State DOTs to Feds: We Don’t Want to Reveal Our Impact on Climate Change
Every year state DOTs receive tens of billions of dollars in transportation funds from the federal government. By and large, they can do whatever they want with the money, which in most states means wasting enormous sums on pork-laden highway projects. Now that U.S. DOT might impose some measure of accountability on how states use these funds, of course the states are fighting to keep their spending habits as opaque as possible.
August 18, 2016
4 Ways Road Builders Game the Numbers to Justify Highways
The people who make the case for highways often present themselves as unbiased technicians, simply providing evidence to an audience subject to irrational bias.
June 23, 2016
U.S. DOT Wants States to Disclose Climate Impact of Transportation Projects
The Obama administration wants state DOTs to report on the climate impact of their transportation policies, reports Michael Grunwald at Politico, and the road lobby is dead set against it.
April 18, 2016
The Complete Case Against Highway Widening in Detroit
Michigan DOT wants to spend $1 billion rebuilding and widening I-75 to Detroit's sprawling northern suburbs, at the expense of the city and close-in suburbs. Royal Oak, a walkable suburb that borders the city, is not having it.
March 1, 2016