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Road Design

Talking Headways Podcast: Urgency and Vision Zero

Vision Zero Network founder Leah Shahum on why it’s so hard to make change, the implicit biases around designing for cars and World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, coming up on Nov. 17.

October 24, 2024

Opinion: We Need More Consequences for Reckless Driving. But That Doesn’t Mean More Punishment

"Punishment" and "consequences" aren't synonyms — and when we confuse the two, we lose lives on our roads.

October 2, 2024

New “Anti-Stroad” Law Will Make Delaware Choose Between Car-Focused Roads and Human-Scaled Streets

...but advocates might not always agree on which one they should pick.

July 8, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Narrow the Lanes!

At 30 to 35 miles per hour, research shows that 12- and 11-feet-wide lanes have significantly higher number of crashes than 10- or nine-feet-wide lanes.

January 4, 2024

Feds, Advocates Talk About What’s In The New MUTCD (And What Isn’t)!

The new MUTCD isn't the revolutionary rethink advocates were asking for, but it does offer transportation officials more flexibility to design roads safely. The only question is whether they'll take it — or stick to the status quo.

December 19, 2023

New Bill Would Finally Rewrite the ‘Notorious’ MUTCD for Vulnerable Road User Safety

U.S. transportation engineers tend to treat the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices like a bible. A new bill would encourage them to treat it more like a recipe book — and sub out deadly design ingredients when they aren't safe for vulnerable road users.

November 15, 2023

Study: Wide Lanes Are Deadlier — So Why Do Many DOTs Build Them Anyway?

A 12-foot lane can expect roughly 50 percent more crashes than a 10-foot one. Yet many traffic engineers still pick the wider design.

November 13, 2023

Study: Yes, SUVs Are Deadlier Than Cars — But on Fast Arterials, Pedestrians Die No Matter What

In car-dependent Tennessee, SUVs and pick-ups aren't driving the pedestrian death surge — because roads are so fast that even the smallest cars will kill anyone they might strike.

October 25, 2023