Major transit investments like new light rail lines or stations can transform neighborhoods and cities — in certain respects, that’s the point. The new infrastructure can make a city more vibrant and accessible to all, while encouraging the development of more walkable neighborhoods that make it easier to get around without a car, reduce emissions, and improve safety. But planners can take steps to ensure those benefits are shared among everyone, not just younger professionals or affluent newcomers.
Equity
Mobility hubs can increase access for disadvantaged groups
For DOTs looking to create a more connected and multimodal transportation network, mobility hubs are an emerging piece of infrastructure that can make changing modes and traveling across a region more convenient and environmentally friendly. But not everyone has the same ability to access and use these hubs. State DOTs looking to build mobility hubs can incorporate the needs, ideas, and feedback of disadvantaged groups to better plan, design, and build these spaces for everyone who might use them.
The scramble for larger vehicles is putting more Americans’ lives in danger
As vehicles grow ever larger in the United States, their “safety” benefits for drivers diminish while the danger for pedestrians and other drivers rises. From SUVs to oversized pickup trucks, the shift toward heftier cars has become normal for many drivers seeking a sense of security. But beyond a certain weight, these vehicles offer no extra safety to drivers and make the roads more hazardous for others. Removing just the heaviest vehicle fleet could save many lives on the road.
Climate change, equity factor into recent litigation against state DOT projects
Pursuing statewide or agency climate and equity goals isn’t just preferable for state DOTs, it can also be a matter of risk management. Several lawsuits targeting major transportation infrastructure projects, most recently in Wisconsin and Oregon, have taken aim at alleged failures to consider alternatives to capacity expansion that would reduce harm to the environment or inequitable project outcomes.
Many residents would prefer to pay for parking separately from rent
Parking reform advocates, backed by urban policy researchers, have long argued for “unbundling” the cost of parking from residential leases, rather than including it in the cost of rent. This is usually so that households with fewer cars don’t get stuck paying for parking they don’t need. According to new research, however, the policy is also popular among those with more cars than average, who would often happily pay for the extra spaces they need.
Pedestrian deaths often occur at “safe speeds”
Guest post by Chris McCahill, featured in Smart Growth America’s latest Dangerous by Design report. Read the full report here People in vehicles often die in high-speed crashes when speed limits are being ignored. Pedestrian …
Black households pay more per vehicle regardless of income
People of color already face disproportionate health risks, pedestrian deaths, and discrimination directly related to our car-dependent infrastructure. A new study finds the cost of owning and maintaining a vehicle is also grossly inequitable.
Focusing on EV charging along corridors exacerbates equity issues
Federal initiatives to fund electric vehicle infrastructure, like the NEVI program, encourage EV chargers along highway corridors, and also promote equitable distribution of the infrastructure. According to a new study, however, these two goals may be at odds. Evidence suggests the corridor-based approach is not leading to particularly equitable outcomes.
People walking are often blamed for crashes when roads are designed for driving
A pedestrian’s location at the time of a crash often determines who (whether driver and pedestrian) is found at fault, says a new study. Even with a lack of pedestrian infrastructure nearby, pedestrians who cross high-speed arterial roads with bus stops are more likely to be blamed.
Independent businesses struggle to survive highway improvement projects
While past research has explored the impacts that new, large-scale highway construction projects have on local businesses, a recent study investigated the effects of smaller improvement projects, such as repaving and bridge replacements, and who tends to benefit from such improvements. The study found these types of projects are more common in higher-income neighborhoods, but that local, non-chain businesses were most likely to be negatively impacted by ongoing construction and altered traffic patterns compared to nearby multi-location, chain businesses.