AASHTO
State DOT Engineers Say They’ll Do Better on Walking, Biking, Transit
In a welcome sign from an industry group that has been slow to embrace street designs that prioritize walking, biking, and transit, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) released a statement last week saying it intends to "better address multi-modal issues."
June 1, 2016
State Engineers Warm to Protected Bike Lanes for Next AASHTO Bike Guide
Michael Andersen blogs for The Green Lane Project, a PeopleForBikes program that helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets.
September 23, 2015
Biking and Walking Get About as Much Research Funding as Chicken Trucks
When traffic engineers don't want to install protected bike lanes, they'll often say that more research is needed to prove their safety (because any results from outside America don't count, of course). But then when opportunities arise to study the safety of protected bike lanes, the engineering establishment doesn't take advantage. And so the cycle repeats itself.
May 12, 2015
The American Highway Safety Establishment Warms Up Some Leftovers
A group of heavy hitters in the road building and traffic safety establishment recently came out with a plan called "Toward Zero Deaths" [PDF], presented as an ambitious strategy to cut traffic fatalities in America. But don't get too excited by the branding -- the ideas inside don't present much of a challenge to practices that have made the U.S. a shameful laggard on traffic safety compared to other affluent nations.
March 20, 2015
AASHTO Chief: Don’t Blame Street Design for Cyclist Deaths
This is a pretty revealing (read: depressing) exchange between a U.S. representative and the president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which represents state DOTs.
March 18, 2015
Engineering Establishment Sets Out to Purge Deviant Bikeway Designs
The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices might be the most influential group of American bike policy makers you've never heard of.
March 11, 2015
What AASHTO’s “Top Projects” Tell Us About State DOT Leadership
Who can build the biggest road slab the fastest? Those seem to be the major criteria used by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to determine the "best" projects by state DOTs across the country.
September 19, 2014
State DOTs Brazenly Request a Blank Check to Build More Highways
“This is a money and power grab.”
October 30, 2013
FHWA Endorses Engineering Guide for Walkable Urban Streets
Urban streets serve a much different purpose than rural ones: They're for walking, socializing, and local commerce, not just moving vehicles. Unfortunately, American engineering guides tend not to capture these nuances.
September 13, 2013
FHWA to Transportation Engineers: Use the NACTO Bikeway Design Guide
In a significant step forward for American bike infrastructure, the Federal Highway Administration issued a memorandum late last month essentially endorsing street designs like protected bike lanes.
September 9, 2013