Road deaths are declining around the world, even as more than 1 billion additional vehicles have been added since 2011. The U.S., however, is not following this trend, highlighting shortcomings in how we measure and approach road safety. Other countries are taking different strategies, and those that have produced systemic changes in how vehicles, roads, and land use are designed are seeing better results.
Environment
North Carolina’s new parking law could reshape its transportation landscape
Under a new law in North Carolina, most cities and towns will not be allowed to set minimum parking requirements for new developments or changes in building use. This change comes amid a growing recognition that burdensome parking mandates worsen traffic, drive up development costs, and sometimes stifle development altogether. This shift opens the door for transportation agencies to harness parking management as a valuable tool for taming traffic and improving transportation options.
Bigger isn’t always better: The hidden costs of larger vehicles
Vehicles in the U.S. have gotten much larger over the past few decades, and research suggests that this shift has had far-reaching consequences, making roads more dangerous for everyone while increasing emissions and other environmental impacts. A recent New York Times analysis estimates that between 200 and 400 pedestrian deaths each year could have been avoided if cars had remained roughly the same size as they were 25 years ago. While the rise of SUVs and pickup trucks is often treated as the result of a cultural shift or consumer preference, researchers argue that policy has also helped shape today’s vehicle market. If policy helped encourage this shift, it could also help reverse it.
Transportation disrupted: Building a more resilient system
Recent spikes in gas prices expose a fragile system that financially strains car-dependent households. When prices rise, however, people adapt in surprising ways, especially when they have reliable options. Transportation leaders can seize this moment to take steps toward reducing car dependency and building systems that are resilient by providing more affordable travel choices before the next disruption occurs or if the current trends continue.
Transportation disrupted: Rising prices expose a vulnerable system
When gas prices spike, millions of Americans have little choice but to pay the bill. That is not just a cost problem. It is a sign that the U.S. transportation system rests on a fragile foundation shaped by land use and infrastructure that require a car for most everyday trips. At the same time, the transition to electric vehicles remains slow and uneven.
Roads less traveled: the safety surprises of big cities
The most effective way to stay safe on city streets is remarkably simple: drive less. A new report from StreetLight Data suggests that the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is the single most important factor in determining how safe a city’s streets are for everyone. Risk is not solely caused by bad drivers; daily driving habits and city layouts play a significant role as well. With U.S. crashes resulting in 2.4 million injuries or deaths in 2023, one of the best safety strategies for planners and engineers is to help people spend less time behind the wheel of a car by making walking, biking, and transit easier to use.
States DOTs can lead in cutting emissions. Our latest report explains how.
More states are now tracking harmful carbon emissions, setting ambitious goals to reduce those emissions, and exploring opportunities to meet those goals, even as the federal government walks back its commitment to public health and well-being. With transportation accounting for around 30% of emissions, more than any other sector, state DOTs play a key role. Several states—California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington—have set an early example of what’s possible.
Bus lanes make busy roads work better
In almost every urban area, congestion has been rising for years despite expensive efforts to widen roads and add lanes for private vehicles. But a new study shows that when demand is high, repurposing the road space already available can boost system performance without any expansion. Creating dedicated lanes for buses and bikes can optimize space – and failing to do so can start a vicious cycle of congestion.
One year into congestion pricing, every DOT can learn from New York City
New York City shares many of the same goals as state and local transportation agencies: cutting traffic, improving travel times, making roads safer, and improving quality of life. Yet decades of investment in highway capacity have failed to deliver on those goals. Commute times have increased 7.5% since 2010, congestion has reached an all-time high, and U.S. roadways have become more dangerous than those of any other wealthy nation.
New research shows where low stress streets make the biggest difference
Making streets less stressful for walkers and bikers is strongly associated with more walking and biking, and new research from Maryland helps clarify where those effects are most pronounced. Building on prior research showing that lower-stress street environments are linked to more walking and biking, this study found that reducing traffic stress has the biggest impact for shorter trips and in places where alternatives to driving already exist. for shorter trips and in places where alternatives to driving already exist.