States are increasingly moving past the outdated “85th percentile rule” for setting speed limits, weighing factors other than the observed traffic flow in those calculations. The AP recently highlighted Ohio among a wave of efforts to consider roadway context and the presence of walkers and bikers in allowing lower speeds to ensure safer roads. For states looking to follow suit, a newly released report from the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety offers states a data-driven, objective framework to set speed limits based on roadway context, not just vehicle movement.
planning
State action spurs local parking reform
Earlier this month, Denver, Colorado eliminated minimum parking requirements from its zoning code for all developments across the city. We’ve promoted the benefits of reforming outdated parking policies, including lower construction costs and better traffic management. In Denver and many other cities, changes at the state level helped catalyze the city’s reforms.
California will let agencies pay for housing to offset increased driving
A new California law gives transportation agencies the option to pay into an affordable housing fund to offset the increased travel demand associated with major road projects. The approach could achieve several goals at once: mitigating emissions from highway expansions, creating a new funding stream for affordable housing, and helping more people live in accessible neighborhoods, reducing their transportation costs.
Webinar: Sidewalk Data For Detailed First- and Last-Mile Access Analysis
Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Walking routes to and from bus stops and transit stations are critical for riders, but sidewalk data can be hard to come by. Washington State DOT is wrapping up a two-year effort to build a unified pedestrian infrastructure dataset that is compatible with OpenStreetMap and geared toward accessibility-forward planning.
The best transit plan is a strong land use plan
Increasing the number and variety of destinations around a transit station can encourage more people to use that station, but a new study shows more destinations concentrated around one station can also lift ridership across the entire network.
For better mental health, researchers recommend walking and biking
Staying grounded and mentally fit can be challenging these days. While some people turn to meditation or self-medication, a large and growing body of research points to a simpler solution: walkable neighborhoods and bike-friendly streets. Not only can they improve physical health, but they also offer meaningful benefits to our social and emotional well-being. As we’ve noted, extended periods driving can have the opposite effect.
Resilient infrastructure, responsible development can reduce insurance risk
Carolyn Kousky, founder of Insurance for Good and longtime researcher on climate impacts and insurance markets, told MIP and SSTI widespread insurance protects local economies, as well as lenders and mortgage markets. “As a warming planet increases the risks of weather-related extremes, insurance becomes harder to get and more expensive. The only long-term solution is serious investments in risk reduction and climate adaptation,” Kousky said in an email.
Advanced models can’t replace sound judgment
The investments made by transportation agencies are often guided by increasingly sophisticated models and forecasts, which strive to account for more factors and become more accurate in predicting travel patterns. These improvements, while promising for the future, also highlight the many ways that most agencies’ existing models miss the mark. Values-based decision-making can help agencies achieve the outcomes they have set out in their long-range plans more effectively than relying on models alone.
SSTI Annual Meeting Highlights: Transportation leaders tackle cultural change and sustainability
Top officials from 14 state DOTs gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month for SSTI’s annual meeting, where they shared innovative ideas through roundtable discussions, tours, and informal networking. These connections help officials bring solutions back to their home states.
Setting up transportation engineers for success
Transportation engineering is a highly skilled job. Not only does it require the obvious technical expertise, but it also requires working closely with the public, speaking their language, and knowing how to assess tough tradeoffs in meeting their needs. Most engineers only learn these skills on the job, which raises important questions about how the educational system can leave them better prepared.