NACTO
Streetsblog Basics
California Endorses the NACTO Urban Street Design Guide
It wasn't a total surprise, but exciting nevertheless for bicycle advocates gathered at the NACTO "Cities for Cycling" Road Show in Oakland last night. Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty announced that the agency will endorse the use of the National Association of City Transportation Officials Urban Street Design Guide, giving California cities the state DOT's blessing to install modern infrastructure like protected bike lanes.
April 11, 2014
Washington DOT Officially Adopts NACTO Street Design Guide
One state down, 49 to go.
December 18, 2013
Charlotte and Denver Join Urban Innovators at NACTO
The group that brought you the Urban Bikeway Design Guide and the Urban Street Design Guide is expanding.
October 28, 2013
NACTO Urban Street Design Guide Sets Out to Change the DNA of Our Cities
In a direct challenge to the long-standing authority of state DOTs to determine how transportation infrastructure gets designed, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) yesterday launched its Urban Street Design Guide.
September 24, 2013
FHWA to Transportation Engineers: Use the NACTO Bikeway Design Guide
In a significant step forward for American bike infrastructure, the Federal Highway Administration issued a memorandum late last month essentially endorsing street designs like protected bike lanes.
September 9, 2013
Rewriting the Manual: How Safe Streets Will Be the Rule, Not the Exception
Cities and towns have been leading the charge for safer streets, incorporating design elements like protected bike lanes and sidewalk extensions. But design guidance from state highway officials often gets in the way when agencies don't have the technical or political heft to deviate from "the rules" that have long held sway in the field of street engineering. Last night, a panel of experts discussed how progressive best practices can be codified and included in the guidelines that shape decisions about street design across the nation.
April 24, 2013
U.S. DOT to Challenge AASHTO Supremacy on Bike/Ped Safety Standards
For years, the federal government has adopted roadway guidelines that fall far short of what's needed -- and what's possible -- to protect cyclists and pedestrians. By "playing it safe" and sticking with old-school engineering, U.S. DOT allowed streets to be unsafe for these vulnerable road users.
February 28, 2013
Highlights from NACTO’s 2012 “Designing Cities” Conference
The National Association of City Transportation Officials' 2012 Designing Cities Conference drew hundreds of city transportation officials from around the U.S. to New York City last fall to share ideas and learn about the latest innovations from places around the country.
January 24, 2013
NACTO 2012: Leading City DOT Commissioners Talk Transportation Politics
"To me, the single most fascinating element of politics is the alchemy by which something becomes an issue," said Chris Hayes, MSNBC host and moderator of the commissioners' panel on the politics of transportation at the October NACTO Designing Cities conference.
December 17, 2012
NACTO Previews a Progressive Design Guide for City Streets
One of the interesting developments to come out of the National Association of City Transportation Officials "Designing Cities" conference (currently in its second day) was the announcement of a wide-ranging new design guide to be released next year. NACTO's "Urban Streets Design Guide" will show how streets of every size can be re-oriented to prioritize transit, safe walking and biking, and public activity.
October 25, 2012