Pedestrian Infrastructure
Feds Propose Major Rule Changes to Eliminate Barriers to Safer Streets
Applying highway design standards to city streets has been a disaster for urban neighborhoods. The same things that make highways safer for driving at 65 mph -- wide lanes, "clear zones" running alongside the road that have no trees or other "obstacles" -- make surface streets dangerous and dreadful for walking, killing street life.
October 8, 2015
How to Make Big Box Stores Less Terrible for Walking: 8 Expert Tips
It's no coincidence that the most dangerous streets in many communities are the ones in front of big box stores.
September 8, 2015
Vote to Decide the Best Urban Street Transformation of 2014
If you're searching for reasons to feel positive about the future, the street transformations pictured below are a good start. Earlier this month we asked readers to send in their nominations for the best American street redesigns of 2014. These five are the finalists selected by Streetsblog staff. They include new car-free zones, substantial sidewalk expansions, superb bike infrastructure, awesome safety upgrades, and exclusive transit lanes.
December 17, 2014
Providence Will Transform Freeway Crossing Into Elegant Car-Free Bridge
Pretty soon, folks in Providence, Rhode Island, will be able to stroll casually over the Providence River on the same span once occupied by Interstate 195. Construction is set to begin in the spring on the Providence River Bridge, which will connect parks on both sides of the river.
October 3, 2014
“Safe Routes” Goes Global With the Model School Zone Project
This post is part of a series featuring stories and research that will be presented at the Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike/Pro-Place conference September 8-11 in Pittsburgh.
July 31, 2014
Talking Headways Podcast: How Does This Podcast Make You Feel?
This week, Jeff Wood and I get indignant about Miami-Dade County's misuse of transit funds for roads, and we speculate about why -- with the current success of pedestrian projects like Times Square -- old-style pedestrian malls are still going belly-up. And then we peek behind the curtain at an exciting new frontier for urban planning: connecting urban form with the feelings they inspire.
February 12, 2014
Turning Baltimore’s Streets Into an Indycar Track: Not So Fun for Pedestrians
Road closures began early this week in Baltimore for the city's annual Labor Day event: the Baltimore Grand Prix.
August 28, 2013
Guerrilla Crosswalk Turns Into Total Overhaul of New Haven Intersection
Some New Haven residents were fed up with a dangerous intersection near Yale University, where repeated requests for a crosswalk had gone ignored. So one night last May, they painted a zebra-striped crosswalk on Whitney Avenue near Audubon Street.
August 27, 2013
Guerrilla Crosswalk Painter Arrested by Vallejo Police, Cheered By Neighbors
This story falls into the unusual but persistent overlap between pedestrian advocacy and vandalism. In Vallejo, California, last week, one man saw the need for a crosswalk at a dangerous intersection, and decided it was his job to make it happen.
June 4, 2013
Walkonomics Sets Out to Create a New Way to Measure Walkability
Looks like Walk Score has some competition in the business of rating walkability.
February 19, 2013