Around the Block
Streetsblog Basics
Oregon DOT Challenges Drivers to Avoid Using Their Phones Behind the Wheel
The state is promoting an app that turns the act of driving without distraction into a competition.
August 2, 2017
Cell Phones Don’t Make Walking Dangerous — Car-Based Cities Do
Forget mobile devices or dark clothing. What makes walking dangerous are streets and cities that were shaped during the heyday of auto-sprawl.
August 1, 2017
Florida DOT Gets Much-Deserved Mockery for Failing to Make Bridges Safe for Cycling
A protected bike lane on every bridge. That's the kind of policy that could make a real difference for Florida and improve the state's terrible bike safety record. But it's still just a dream.
July 31, 2017
Seattle Council Member Asks Whether “Jaywalking” Laws Do More Harm Than Good
The concept of "jaywalking" has become deeply embedded in American culture, but if you go back just a few generations, the idea that your mere presence in the street could be illegal was a novel idea. Now one elected official in Seattle is suggesting that laws penalizing people outside of cars have gone too far.
July 28, 2017
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Needs Safer Access, Not More Flash
Light Street, a 10-lane road on the edge of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, is a remnant of the Interstate era that functions like a surface highway, cutting off the waterfront from the rest of the city.
July 26, 2017
How “Distracted Walking” Hype Puts Pedestrians at Risk
It's easier to blame pedestrian deaths on victims than to confront our responsibility to create a safer transportation system.
July 25, 2017
Portland Launches Public Adaptive Bike Rental for People With Disabilities
The rental bikes will be available at affordable fares and can be checked out with a transit pass, but won't be distributed in a network of stations like bike-share.
July 24, 2017
Elon Musk Has No Idea How Infrastructure Projects Get Built
Tunneling under major cities, as Musk proposes for his Hyperloop, requires a lot more than "verbal govt approval."
July 21, 2017
Richmond, Virginia, Shows How Smaller Cities Can Get Serious About Transit
The city has started work on its first BRT route, which could be the beginning of an 80-mile network.
July 20, 2017
Atlanta Erases Major New Bike Lane Segment, Replaces It With Parking
After a city installs a bike lane, there's typically some pushback for a while from people who object to the change. What's unusual is when a city loses its nerve and decides to remove the bike lane. But that's what Atlanta has done on a 1,000-foot stretch of Westview Drive.
July 19, 2017
