Traffic
Streetsblog Basics
SSTI to Transport Officials: Start Planning for a Future With Less Driving
For a long time in the United States, driving activity moved in step with the economy. Since economic growth was fairly steady, consistent growth in driving was built into all the traffic modeling the engineers used to plan and build streets and transportation infrastructure.
October 2, 2013
After the Addition of Bike Lanes and Plazas, Manhattan Traffic Moves Faster
After several blocks in the heart of Times Square were pedestrianized and protected bike lanes were added to five avenues in the middle of Manhattan, motor vehicle traffic is actually moving more smoothly than before, according to the latest release of NYC DOT's annual Sustainable Streets Index [PDF].
September 5, 2013
More Evidence That Unemployment Doesn’t Explain the Decline in Driving
For those who say driving rates will pick right back up again when the economy's really humming, here’s something to chew on: In a report released this morning, “Moving Off the Road,” U.S. PIRG presents further evidence that unemployment rates and driving rates have changed independently of each other.
August 29, 2013
Car Ownership May Be Down in the U.S., But It’s Soaring Globally
Two weeks ago, transportation researcher Michael Sivak brought us the news that there are fewer cars per person in the U.S. now than there were a few years ago – and that the number isn’t expected to rise again.
July 5, 2013
How Better Traffic Models Can Lead to More Mixed-Use Development
Here's another obscure but significant obstacle to building walkable places in America: the Institute of Transportation Engineers' shoddy traffic generation models for mixed-use development.
June 4, 2013
Seven Ways Technology Is Rendering the Automobile Obsolete
As we try to understand why young people are so much less jazzed about driving than previous generations, one possible explanation always comes up: Kids today just love their smart phones.
May 15, 2013
Millennials Will Drive More as They Age, But Still Less Than Their Parents
At some point over the past few years, a lot of my friends started moving to Silver Spring and Takoma Park and Falls Church. These inner-ring, transit-connected suburbs of DC are still far less compact and walkable than the neighborhoods my friends moved from. So they bought cars.
May 15, 2013
U.S. PIRG: The Driving Boom Is Over But the Road-Building Binge Continues
The driving boom is over.
May 14, 2013
How Green Is Grocery Delivery in Cities?
In a recent study out of Seattle, researchers Erica Wygonik and Anne Goodchild found that having groceries delivered by truck can cut mileage by up to 85 or 95 percent compared to driving a car. "It's like a bus for groceries," Goodchild told NPR. "Overwhelmingly, it's more efficient to be sharing a vehicle, even if it's a little larger."
May 10, 2013
Counting Bikes and Cars Without a Clipboard
Liberate yourself from government transportation data that doesn’t tell you what you need to know!
April 12, 2013