Biking advocacy organizations are moving away from police enforcement as a strategy to improve roadway safety in light of the dangers and disproportionate financial burdens those strategies place on Black and Brown people.
Equity
DOTs Can Take Steps Toward Antiracist Policies and Practices
From our virtual Community of Practice Meeting: State DOTs are wrestling with a long history that has often marginalized and underserved communities of color. For some agencies, that means rethinking how to approach decision making through an antiracist lens and taking steps to reverse past damage.
Sexual Harassment Is an Underreported Safety Issue on Transit
Although deterring sexual harassment in the overall public realm goes beyond the scope of a transit agency, there is still a lot that policy makers and transit agencies can do to make public transit safer for all.
Oakland Redefines Its Open Streets Program During the Pandemic
Oakland, CA, has added a new component to its Slow Streets program in order to address the concerns of vulnerable communities: Essential Places.
Is Armed Law Enforcement the Best Solution to Keep All Transit Riders Safe?
A new study highlights innovative and creative ways of making public transit safe and civil that do not involve armed policing.
Rural America needs a new transportation policy, and broadband is key
Rural areas have unique transportation needs that national transportation policy hasn’t always successfully addressed, as we’ve previously covered.
ADA and other programs to protect vulnerable groups benefit everyone
By Rayla Bellis July marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, prompting cities and organizations around the country both to celebrate the hard-fought local advocacy efforts that grew into a national movement …
Getting transportation equity right
The American equity conversation has turned to law enforcement, but we know that racism also resides in the history of the built environment, and that current practice is not anti-racist enough to achieve equity. Fortunately, a lot of scholars, reporters, practitioners, and advocates—including many people of color whose voices are urgently worth seeking out in a white-dominated field—have been working to point out the problems and possible solutions.
New study finds AV tech less likely to detect darker-skinned pedestrians
A recent study found that the leading automated detection systems are less accurate in detecting pedestrians with darker skin tones. On average, the study found that detection was five points less accurate for dark-skinned pedestrians than for light-skinned ones.
Post-COVID travel patterns—a survey by the MassINC Polling Group
In a recent public opinion survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group, Massachusetts residents expected to travel less in the future due to COVID-19’s impact. However, many residents expect to increase their trips by car and decrease trips by transit. A majority of residents polled are open to the idea of drastic changes to the transportation system.