Cities and Countries
Streetsblog Basics
Will Vehicular Cyclists and the “Right to Park” Trump Safer Streets in Boston?
Beacon Street in Somerville, just outside Boston, is perhaps the most biked route in the state of Massachusetts. It also has a terrible safety record. There have been 154 collisions involving cyclists on the corridor between 2002 and 2010, according to the state Department of Transportation [PDF].
March 19, 2013
London Mayor Unveils Ambitious, $1.3 Billion Bike Plan
In some ways, London and New York have each leapfrogged the other when it comes to bike policy in the past few years. London's bike-share program launched back in 2010, but its bike lanes remain largely sub-standard, with little in the way of physical protection. Here in New York, the bike lanes are gradually forming a safe, useful network, while bike-share is a few years behind London.
March 8, 2013
AAA Still Up to Its Old Tricks Fighting Progressive Transport Policy
A representative of the American Automobile Association was a keynote speaker at this week's National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C., the annual gathering of bicycle advocates. There the organization debuted a heartwarming new video reminding drivers to share the road with cyclists.
March 6, 2013
Did “Anti-Cyclist Bias” Let a Hit-and-Run Killer Off the Hook in Boston?
A hit-and-run truck driver has escaped prosecution for killing a cyclist in Massachusetts after a grand jury failed to indict on vehicular homicide charges. Alexander Motsenigos, 41, was killed last August while riding his bike along a suburban road in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where he lived with his wife and six-year-old son. The driver never stopped.
February 26, 2013
Chicago Unveils Proposed Designs for Downtown BRT Corridor
Chicago just got a step closer to first-class bus rapid transit. Today the CTA and the Chicago Department of Transportation released proposed lane configurations for the Central Loop East-West Transit Corridor, a downtown circulator route connecting Union Station with Navy Pier, as well as renderings for a new transit center next to the train station. The corridor would include bus-priority lanes on two miles of streets: Canal, Washington, Madison and Clinton. This downtown BRT service is slated to launch next year.
February 21, 2013
St. Louis Mayoral Contender Lewis Reed Hopes to Bike to City Hall
Via the Kansas Cyclist, here's a campaign ad from St. Louis mayoral hopeful Lewis Reed that would seem strangely inconceivable in NYC's current political climate.
February 20, 2013
Illinois DOT Blocks Protected Bike Lanes on Many Chicago Streets Until 2014
An interesting example of state DOT interference in local street safety policy, from our team in Chicago...
February 5, 2013
How Mayor Mick Cornett Fought Oklahoma City’s Brain Drain and Weight Gain
Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City's Republican mayor, has made it his mission to make his city healthier and less obese, in part by improving its walkability. The city lost a million pounds during his weight-loss campaign -- and then they took a freeway out of the middle of downtown and overhauled its built environment.
January 25, 2013
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett: We Have to Build This City For People
In 2008 Mick Cornett, the Republican mayor of Oklahoma City -- ranked as one of the fattest cities in the country -- stood in front of the elephants at the zoo and announced he was going on a diet, and taking the rest of the city with him. Oklahoma City lost a million pounds, 37 of which were his.
January 24, 2013