Road Design
Basics
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
Friday Video: How to Redesign a Nasty Suburban Arterial for People
Yes, it can be done.
June 28, 2024
The Brake Podcast: The Real Reason Why Traffic Engineers Design Deadly Roads
Hint: they aren't deliberately trying to get us killed.
June 18, 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
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
