Beyond Fitness: The Social Benefits of Open Streets Events
It's a beautiful thing to witness just how much neighborhood streets can change when you remove car traffic. As open streets events, modeled after Bogotá's Ciclovía, have spread across the U.S. in the past several years, they've brought not just opportunities for physical activity, but a joyful new way to use streets as public spaces.
June 20, 2016
What Gun Violence and Traffic Violence Have in Common
The horrific mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando has prompted some soul-searching about America's ability to take significant steps to curb gun violence. Congress did nothing to control guns after dozens of young kids were massacred at Sandy Hook. Will the loss of 49 innocent lives finally lead officials to take action?
June 17, 2016
Anthony Foxx to Local Officials: Transport Policy Should Tackle Segregation
Local transportation officials should actively work to reduce segregation and promote equal access to quality schools, three Cabinet members say in a "dear colleague" letter released last week [PDF].
June 16, 2016
A Bike Bell That Maps Where Cyclists Feel Unsafe and Pings the Mayor
London cyclists who encounter stressful, dangerous conditions can crowdsource a map of weaknesses in the city's bike network by simply tapping button on their handlebars. Brandon G. Donnelly at Architect This City has more:
June 16, 2016
Walkable Cities Are More Affordable Than You Think – We Need More of Them
People living in walkable cities may have high housing costs, but they also tend to have low transportation costs and better access to jobs, according to a new study from Smart Growth America [PDF].
June 15, 2016
Philly Advocates Rally to Demand 30 Miles of Protected Bike Lanes
Philly residents can't wait any longer for safe bikeways. Yesterday, at a rally in the central city, dozens of people gathered to demand 30 miles of protected bike lanes, and soon.
June 15, 2016
Goodbye to the Era of Big Infrastructure?
Despite the occasional feature story about America's "infrastructure crisis" and the campaign platforms for increased investment, the "era of big infrastructure is over," argues University of Minnesota engineering professor David Levinson at the Transportist.
June 14, 2016
Texas DOT Seems Open to a Downtown Dallas Highway Removal
Will Texas embrace a model of mobility that works well for cities, instead of tearing them up with wider highways?
June 13, 2016
New Jersey May Finally Do the Responsible Thing and Raise the Gas Tax
For a long time now, New Jersey politicians -- first and foremost Governor Chris Christie -- have been playing a high stakes game of chicken with transportation funds, doing practically anything to avoid raising the gas tax. Only one other state in the nation has a lower fuel tax than New Jersey. Thanks to inflation, drivers pay less and less for the roads, but transit riders are paying as much as they ever have following a fare hike last year.
June 13, 2016
Car Dependence and the Troubling Rise of Subprime Auto Loans
There have been warning signs about the growth in subprime auto loans for years now. But the issue got some very high-profile attention last week when JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon raised concerns that there may be a bubble in the auto lending market.
June 10, 2016