Why a Struggling Industrial City Decided Bikes Are the Way Forward
Reading, Pennsylvania, isn't your stereotypical biking mecca. It's a low-income, largely Latino, post-industrial city of almost 90,000 people.
September 23, 2016
Restrictive Housing Policies in a Few Cities Hurt the Whole U.S. Economy
It's no secret that major coastal cities are dealing with a housing shortage that's causing runaway rents. What's less well understood, however, is how low-density zoning not only limits the supply of housing but affects the U.S. economy more broadly.
September 23, 2016
Will US DOT’s Self-Driving Car Rules Make Streets Safe for Walking and Biking?
This week, U.S. DOT released guidelines for self-driving cars, a significant step as regulators prepare for companies to bring this new technology to market. Autonomous vehicles raise all sorts of questions about urban transportation systems. It's up to advocates to ensure that the technology helps accomplish broader goals like safer streets and more efficient use of urban space, instead of letting private companies dictate the terms.
September 22, 2016
The Threat of Racial Profiling in Traffic Enforcement
Can urban police forces with histories of racial profiling and brutality be entrusted to carry out traffic enforcement as part of Vision Zero initiatives? In a Twitter chat yesterday, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership asked how to ensure that "law enforcement doesn't profile or discriminate" when asked to uphold traffic laws.
September 22, 2016
Finally Some Relief for Memphis Bus Riders
The shameful state of Memphis's bus system is one of the more outrageous stories in American transit.
September 21, 2016
What Can a Mileage Tax Tell Us That a Gas Tax Can’t?
Can taxes on driving mileage replace gas taxes as a source of transportation funds? Right now the state of Oregon is testing a mileage tax with an opt-in pilot program called "OreGo." Participants install a device that tracks their driving and pay 1.5 cents per mile, which is assessed from a special account.
September 21, 2016
Where Walkability and Affordability Overlap in the D.C. Region
Neighborhoods that are walkable, affordable for lower-income households, and provide access to jobs for people without a car are far too rare.
September 20, 2016
Paris to Return Its Great Public Squares to the People
If you look at paintings from the pre-automotive era, Paris's monumental public squares were full of people strolling comfortably. But over time, car traffic has consumed most of these squares.
September 19, 2016
Let Providence Decide the Fate of Its Aging Highway Relic
The campaign to remove a 1960s-era highway relic in Providence, Rhode Island, known as the 6/10 Connector looked like it could go the distance. Local advocates had built broad support for the idea of replacing the two-mile highway segment with an at-grade boulevard that makes room for transit and bicycling while mending the divide between neighborhoods.
September 19, 2016
Where Car Commuting Is Shrinking — And Where It’s Not
Where are Americans making the shift away from driving to work?
September 16, 2016