A new study further illustrates the trend that the streets of the U.S. are becoming more gridded since the 1990s, and that, as streets become more gridded, car ownership declines.
Outcomes
Oregon DOT Plans Improved Outreach to Diverse Stakeholder Groups
An audit by the Oregon Secretary of State shows successes and suggestions for ODOT, including shifting its stakeholder process to include more bicycle and pedestrian groups.
In a Commuting Utopia, Efficient Housing Location Could Cut Travel by One-Third
A new theoretical study shows the importance of transit oriented development in reducing automobile trips.
Traffic fatalities stayed high even as people drove less
A recent analysis by the traffic engineering firm Sam Schwartz shows a sharp spike in 2020 for fatality rates in most states across the country.
Crash prediction tools target high-speed roadways
These approaches—in addition to filling a data gap for many agencies and helping them target high risk locations—could lead many road designers to look more closely at the role of speed and speed management in highway safety.
The troubles with traffic forecasts
A new Vice report analyzes transportation models ―conceived more than fifty years ago in the early days of national highway building― as the “broken algorithm that poisoned American transportation.”
Cleveland MPO worries about costs of continued freeway expansion
By Chris McCahill The greater Cleveland area is coming to terms with the sometimes-messy impacts of repeated highway expansions. For decades, highway capacity investments have caused the area’s dwindling population to simply move around and …
NACTO releases safe speed limit guidance
As the transportation field gradually moves away from its singular focus on high motor vehicle speeds and its reliance on motorist behavior to set speed limits, NACTO has just released comprehensive guidance on speed limits on surface streets in metro areas.
85th percentile rule was supposed to be a starting point in setting speed limits
The longstanding tradition of setting speed limits at the 85th percentile of observed vehicle speeds is increasingly under scrutiny, with some agencies moving away from it. A new paper from Brian Taylor and U Hong …
Major roads undercut safety benefits of highly accessible places
In working with transportation agencies across the U.S., our team often faces questions about the role of safety in accessibility analysis. While we know the safety and comfort of streets clearly impacts access for people on foot or bicycle, the effects of accessibility on overall safety haven’t been clear. Fortunately, leading experts in both accessibility and traffic safety recently teamed up to answer this question.