Streetsblog USA
Top Categories
DC to Build a 12-Block Shared Space Neighborhood on the Potomac
Earlier this month, Streetsblog went on a streak about "shared space" -- the idea that some streets can work better when, instead of using curbs and traffic signals to separate users, pedestrians get priority using subtle but effective visual cues. We interviewed a key shared space messenger, Ben Hamilton-Baillie; we showed off built examples in Pittsburgh and Batavia, Illinois; and we discussed the potential of shared space to transform the narrow streets of New York City's Financial District.
July 14, 2014
UberFAMILY: Finally, a Taxi Option for People With Kids
Childless people, let me let you in on a little secret: Car seats are a huge pain in the ass. They're no big deal if you own a car, I guess, except for the fact that your kid probably squawks at the prospect of being immobilized in that iron maiden too long.
July 14, 2014
The Secrets of Successful Transit Projects — Revealed!
All across America, cities are investing in new transit lines. Which of these routes will make the biggest impact by attracting large numbers of new riders? A landmark report from a team of researchers with the University of California at Berkeley identifies the factors that set successful transit investments apart from the rest.
July 10, 2014
Be Jealous of São Paulo’s Precedent-Setting New Parking Policy
It may not be much consolation after yesterday's World Cup defeat to Germany, but Brazil should feel at least a twinge of national pride over the groundbreaking new parking policies its largest city has adopted.
July 9, 2014
Courtland Milloy’s Bike Hate Gets the Smackdown It Deserves
Bicyclists, pacificists, and reasonable people everywhere are up in arms today about Courtland Milloy’s outrageous column, published last night on Washington Post’s website, in which he suggests drivers should go ahead and intentionally hit cyclists if they feel like it. By somehow casting people on bicycles as “bullies” and “terrorists” -- for reasons that never become clear -- Milloy sees fit to justify bullying and terrorizing the cyclists themselves.
July 9, 2014
Moving Cars vs. Investing in Places — The Struggle for American Cities
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker and Mayor Tom Barrett are brawling in the press over a proposed highway project -- a fight that exemplifies the enormous rift in America about what transportation policy should accomplish.
July 9, 2014
Safety in Bike-Share: Why Do Public Bikes Reduce Risk for All Cyclists?
What if Yankees legend Yogi Berra had followed a season with 24 homers and 144 hits with one featuring 27 homers and 189 hits? Would the baseball scribes have declared “Yogi Power Shortage” because only one in seven hits was a homer instead of one in six? Duh, no. The headlines would have read, “Yogi Boosts Production Across the Board.” The fact that a greater share of base hits was singles and doubles would have been incidental to the fact that Yogi’s base hits and homers were both up.
July 8, 2014
The New Way to “Screw Obama” — Poisoning Your Neighbors’ Air
Warning: The crazies are getting crazier.
July 8, 2014
Why the Federal Funding Emergency Matters for Transportation Reform
Why does it matter if state departments of transportation get less money?
July 7, 2014
Talking Shared Space With Ben Hamilton-Baillie
"Recovering architect" and street design expert Ben Hamilton-Baillie launched a broadside against the rules of traffic engineering during a plenary speech to the Congress for the New Urbanism's recent annual meeting in Buffalo. Baillie urges widespread adoption of "shared space" -- a design concept popularized by Hans Monderman over the past generation in the Netherlands that has only just begun to make headway in the United States.
July 3, 2014