Pedestrian safety
Basics
Check Out Austin’s New Polka-Dotted Intersection Neckdowns
Safer streets for pedestrians don't have to be expensive, or boring, for that matter. That's the lesson from Austin's new polka-dotted intersection neckdowns.
February 1, 2016
What Happened When a Newspaper Became an Advocate for Bicyclists
In too many cities, newspaper coverage of bicycling has stoked some of the darker aspects of human nature. Opinion pieces about bike lanes tend to cater to the reactionary opposition, goading the trolls of the comments section, where casual death threats are standard fare.
January 6, 2016
Federal Report: Bad Street Design a Factor in Rising Ped/Bike Fatalities
A new report from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office [PDF] examines why people walking or biking account for a rising share of traffic deaths in the United States. While the conclusions aren't exactly earth-shattering, one culprit the GAO identified is street design practices that seek primarily to move cars.
December 11, 2015
“Adam Ruins Everything” Explains the Origins of “Jaywalking”
Think the origins of "jaywalking" in 1920s car industry propaganda are too esoteric for a mainstream audience? Watch this clip from truTV's "Adam Ruins Everything" that adapts research from Peter Norton's Fighting Traffic, a history of how motordom conquered American streets in the early 20th century. It's a good sign when productions backed by the entertainment industry start devoting attention to topics like this.
October 14, 2015
#DontBlockMyWalk Shows What Nashville Pedestrians Are Up Against
A Twitter campaign launched by Bike Walk Nashville is giving people a taste of what it's like to walk the sidewalks of the Music City -- and it's not pretty.
October 6, 2015
How to Make Big Box Stores Less Terrible for Walking: 8 Expert Tips
It's no coincidence that the most dangerous streets in many communities are the ones in front of big box stores.
September 8, 2015
Highway Safety Group Tells Pedestrians to Be Safe on Roads Built to Kill Them
The Governors’ Highway Safety Association wants you to know it's working really hard on pedestrian and bicycle safety. The coalition of state road safety agencies just put out another report in a series of well-intentioned but off-base attempts to draw attention to the issue.
August 27, 2015
Meet the Man on a Mission to Make Florida Walkable and Bikeable
Billy Hattaway just might have the most challenging job in any American transportation agency. As the Florida Department of Transportation's lead official on bicycle and pedestrian safety, he's charged with making Florida -- consistently rated among the deadliest states for walking and biking -- safe for people to get around under their own power.
March 30, 2015
AASHTO Chief: Don’t Blame Street Design for Cyclist Deaths
This is a pretty revealing (read: depressing) exchange between a U.S. representative and the president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which represents state DOTs.
March 18, 2015
Mother Jones Rang in 2015 By Blaming Drunk People for Getting Hit By Cars
This was the New Year's revelry advice from Mother Jones, the left-wing, reader-supported magazine: Whatever you do, don't walk anywhere after drinking. That's because, Maddie Oatman writes, it makes you more likely to be struck by a driver.
January 6, 2015