policing
Basics
Colorado Program Fixes Broken Streetlights Instead of Arresting People for Broken Windows
A new Colorado program is seeking to curb crime by investing in safer, more accessible streets — and not just the crimes committed by drivers.
April 6, 2023
How Bike/Walk Laws ‘Arrest’ the Mobility of Black Americans
Black pedestrians, bicyclists and micromobility users are subjected to a far wider array of dangerous laws than many sustainable transportation advocates may realize, a new report finds — and repealing them alone is not enough to guarantee them the freedom of mobility they need and deserve.
March 28, 2023
Police Car Stops Alienate Communities and Lead to Violent Deaths Like Tyre Nichols’s — Should They Be Rethought?
The killing of Tyre Nichols has raised new questions about the use and risks of a routine part of U.S. policing: the traffic stop.
February 20, 2023
Walkable City 10 Years Later: How Car Culture Takes Away Our Freedom
We are often told that America’s car culture is integral to its freedom. But let’s parse that one out a little bit. Three factors— road policing, car dependence, and street design — would together seem to conspire otherwise.
November 18, 2022
Three Common Types of Bike Laws That Are Overdue for an Overhaul
There is almost no evidence that cycling regulations are making U.S. streets safer, and more than enough evidence that they should be overhauled to prevent disproportionately harmful impacts against people of color, a new study finds.
August 24, 2022
Study Seeks To Get Cops To Write Better Crash Reports
Researchers polled 45 New Jersey cops for clues about why their press releases were so incomplete and victim-blaming — and suggested better language.
August 22, 2022
THE BRAKE: Why ‘Automobility’ Is About So Much More Than Automobiles
Is car culture really just about vehicles, roads, motorists and violent commercials on TV, or is it is a political system that's deeply entrenched in cultures around the world?
July 26, 2022
Op-Ed: Why Decarceration Must Be A Part of Transportation Reform
Transit agencies can move from a policing model that seeks to detain, arrest, and imprison people to a system that carefully considers accessibility, affordability, mental health, public health, reentry, safety, and healing. Here's how.
June 15, 2022
New L.A. Ordinance Cracking Down on Bicycle “Chop Shops” Ghost of Defunct Mayoral Campaign
In a brief and anticlimactic session yesterday, City Council tentatively* approved a controversial ordinance cracking down on so-called “bicycle chop shops,” which advocates say targets unhoused people.
June 15, 2022
When Should Cities Take Away Dangerous Drivers’ Cars?
How many dangerous driving infractions should one motorist be able to rack up before he loses his car — and will taking it from him really make streets safer if the design of those streets isn't safe itself?
March 25, 2022
