""The further you put people from necessities, the more you create the circumstances that make people demand wide roads," says @BethO. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/opinion/are-we-there-yet-newsletter-transit-20th-century-road-building/

#RoadDesign #TransportationPlanning #TransportationPolicy

Florida's #CompleteStreets guidance tells road designers how to translate context into target speeds, including transitions through rural town centers.

It also tells local governments what their built environment should look like.

via @NewUrbanism @cnupublicsquare
#RoadDesign #TrafficEngineering #NewUrbanism

“Speed is so central to what generates mistakes and what makes them deadly,” says @BethO on CB Sunday Morning. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-rise-in-pedestrian-fatalities/

#VisionZero #SafeStreets #RoadDesign

Chicago offers lessons in automated traffic enforcement:

1. Fines and late fees can be a huge burden for some.

2. Disadvantaged communities may bear the brunt.

3. It can seem like a money grab (or actually be one).

4. Safe road design is also important.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-automated-speed-cameras-disproportionately-affect-black-and-brown-drivers

#VisionZero #SafeStreets #RoadDesign #Policing

When someone is hit by a car, says @kmralph on @freakonomics, we often ask: What were they wearing? Where were they crossing?

But if we focus on drivers, we see that while they hit 284 people in Edmonton one year, they hit 5,500 other stationary objects. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-is-the-u-s-so-good-at-killing-pedestrians/

#VisionZero #RoadDesign #Pedestrians #Walkability

Traditionally, speed limits were set based on how fast the top 15% of drivers travel. State agencies in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Washington, and others are leaning into new approaches that prioritize safety and speed management. https://ssti.us/2023/05/30/state-dots-are-helping-locals-set-lower-speed-limits/

#SafeStreets #VisionZero #TrafficEngineering #RoadDesign

On Twitter, @boenau points out the AASHTO Green Book is more flexible than some road designers seem to think. https://twitter.com/Boenau/status/1661335068063809536

But a 2010 article found:

30 states require wider lanes than in the Green Book.

9 require a larger minimum turning radius.

12 require design speeds 5-10mph above the speed limit. https://t.co/kRBLdd5hYZ

Chicago reached a deal with the IDOT to use design vehicles smaller than 65'. https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.25918.html

#RoadDesign #TrafficEngineering #CompleteStreets

Australia’s rising road toll
“Data shows an increase in #speeding and running red lights in NSW and Victoria. ‘People have less patience with #traffic now after the #roads were much quieter for years.”

“There were 1,204 deaths on Australian roads in the 12 months to 31 March, an almost 6% increase. Of the total deaths, 557 were drivers, up 2.2%, while 189 were passengers, up 3.8%. #Pedestrian deaths increased by 22.6%, rising to 163, while motorcyclist deaths climbed 7% to 246.”

“People in regional Australia were almost five times more likely to die in road #crashes than those living in cities last year, the latest statistics show.'

“#Children involved in a fatal crash are eight times more likely to have been struck by an SUV than a standard car.”

“The exponential rise in freight truck and heavy vehicle movements that has far outstripped population growth.”

Reduce #RoadFatalities> “Design roads to appear riskier, which would slow down traffic and force users to consider each other. As driving becomes automated and requires less constant attention, it has de-skilled us as drivers.”
#Infrastructure for #walking and #cycling would help. Meanwhile, #Bellingen widens country roads..

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/21/australias-rising-road-toll-how-the-pandemic-and-a-love-of-big-cars-are-putting-lives-at-risk
#SUV TaxPerks #Trucks AngryMotorists #RoadDeaths #RoadTrauma #RoadDesign #AutomaticDrivingModes #MobilityDesign

Last Saturday, MCDOT held it's first in-person meeting with the 2023 #VisionZero Youth Ambassador Program participants.

The goal of the program is to equip young adults to be the next generation of #trafficsafety leaders in #MontgomeryCoMD

Program details▶️ http://bit.ly/3IpmB5r

#visionzero #Maryland #safety #walking #pedestriansafety #students #roadways #school #trafficsafety #roaddesign #communities

A major proponent of #sharrows in the 90s says, “I was wrong.”

“Simply put, sharrows don’t do what we hoped they would. Studies back up that claim.”

https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/we-were-wrong-about-sharrows #RoadDesign #TrafficEngineering

You know about "induced demand", where you build or widen roads/highways and then you have more cars, more congenstion it just keeps filling up with cars it never ends? WELL! Allow me to introduce to you "traffic evaporation" in which you make the car traffic GO AWAY, POOF! GONE! How? Make transportation better for other kinds of traffic!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213624X22002085

#traffic #roads #urbanism #Traffic #design #RoadDesign

This article is spot in. I only took one Transportation Engineering course in my undergrad program.

My masters program was much better, including a Sustainable Transportation course by Norman Garrick that completely changed my thinking.

https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/america-has-no-transportation-engineers #RoadDesign #TrafficEngineering #Engineering #HigherEd #STEM

Excoriating letter to Irish Times about Irish road design, Garda enforcement of driving laws, and willing to institute proven solutions to save cyclists and pedestrians from dangerous drivers https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2023/01/13/protecting-pedestrians-and-cyclists/ #RoadLaw #RoadDesign #Councils #Gardaí #Ireland

#MadisonWI recently adopted a new #CompleteStreets policy.
https://smartcitiesdive.com/news/madison-wisconsin-complete-green-streets-policy/639736/
#TransportationPolicy #RoadDesign #TrafficEngineering #SafeStreets

The first story in this episode of 99% Invisible talks about the importance of deciding whether something is a #street or a #road.

https://overcast.fm/+yIOyDLUbI

#Stroad #RoadDesign #TrafficEngineering

"To create a Vision Zero plan in Maine, GPCOG hosted four public forums last fall drawing roughly 100 people. An online survey has generated 150 responses, and people have marked 120 “hazards” on a map of area roads. The agency hopes to gather more feedback in the coming weeks to inform a draft report that will go to the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System board for approval." #Maine #Bikes4Climate #RoadDesign #Walkable
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/01/09/caution-drivers-portland-area-study-looks-to-pinpoint-danger-zones/

I’m happy to say I just overheard someone say “we pretty much have the pedestrian stuff solved” on diverging diamonds at #TRBAM

#RoadDesign #Highway #Walkability

At #TRBAM Carlos Braceras, head of the #Utah DOT, says a project’s Purpose & Need should look beyond movement and safety for cars. He mentions four pillars: 1) improve health, 2) connect communities, 3) provide mobility, 4) help economy.

He also mentions the I-15 EIS process, which is an impressive effort. https://i15eis.udot.utah.gov/

#Transportation #TransportationPolicy #TrafficEngineering #RoadDesign

Blind B.C. woman files discrimination complaint over city roundabouts, bike lanes | CBC News https://bit.ly/3WNNbKm #Blindness #Discrimination #RoadDesign #SystemicDiscrimination #BikeLanes #Roundabout #bcpoli @cdnpoli

It's not that #AdvisoryBikeLanes won't work in the US. It's that we won't implement them in a way that would work. Just like so many other #RoadDesign ideas that we try and copy from Europe without actually understanding or definitely not embracing the contexts in which they work.