Enough With the Gondolamania Already
In American cities, gondolas have mainly served as a distraction from bigger problems facing urban transit systems.
April 10, 2017
Parking Madness Championship: Denver vs. Poughkeepsie
Readers have delivered a David vs. Goliath match-up in the final, with Poughkeepsie taking on Denver for the rights to the Golden Crater and -- we hope -- a blistering round of local press coverage calling attention to the shame of parking blight.
April 7, 2017
Who’s Gonna Get Stuck With the Bill for Seattle’s Highway Tunnel Misadventure?
Seattle's massive downtown highway tunnel, originally slated at $3.1 billion, is now expected to cost at least $4 billion when all is said and done. Who's going to pay?
April 7, 2017
The Traffic Safety Establishment Needs to Take More Responsibility for Soaring Pedestrian Deaths
America's traffic safety establishment has long been focused on "behavioral" explanations for traffic deaths -- things like seatbelt usage and drunk driving. By ignoring the role of the high-speed, car-centric transportation systems they've created, they don't have to face their own culpability.
April 6, 2017
3 Steps to Fight Street Harassment
Cat calls, patronizing enjoinders to "smile," and more aggressive forms of harassment can make walking or biking uncomfortable or threatening. Katie Matchett, an urban planner who writes about pedestrian issues at Where the Sidewalk Starts, still recalls getting harassed on the streets of San Diego as she was beginning her career 20 years ago. She says it's up to everyone -- men and women -- to combat it.
April 6, 2017
Today’s Headlines
Trump Talks Infrastructure With the Times, Knows Nothing About Transit At the Moment, an “Infrastructure Bill” in Washington Is a Fantasy (Brookings) St. Louis Voters Okay Metrolink Expansion, Shoot Down MLS Stadium (St. Louis Public Radio) It Sure Looks Like the Car Insurance Industry Discriminates Against People of Color (ProPublica) Tulsa Will Use a Combined Pass … Continued
April 6, 2017
The Elephant in the Room
Transportation engineer Ian Lockwood is not only a leading voice within the profession for safer, multi-modal streets, he's also an amateur cartoonist known for skewering the absurdity in the modern transportation industry. Streetsblog is pleased to announce that we'll be featuring a new cartoon from Ian every month.
April 5, 2017
Parking Madness Final Four: Atlanta vs. Denver
This semi-final pits central areas in two major American cities against each other. Only one will have a shot at everlasting shame in the championship match.
April 5, 2017
Is Portland Losing Its Resolve Against Highway Expansions?
In the 1970s, some American cities revolted against highway expansion and kept the worst excesses of the interstate construction spree in check. Those cities tend to be the most walkable and transit-oriented places in the nation today. But in Portland that legacy is in jeopardy.
April 5, 2017
Today’s Headlines
Trump Tries to Convince Investors His Infrastructure Plan Is Legit (Reuters) Boston’s Green Line Cleared to Award Construction Contracts This Fall (Boston Globe) Bertha Is Almost Done Boring Seattle’s Big, Expensive, Wasteful Highway Tunnel (Seattle Times) Seattle Moves to Curb the Power of NIMBY Homeowners (NextCity) Study: One in Four Drivers Who Crash Were Using the Phone … Continued
April 5, 2017