Safe Routes to School

Even the capital of Albania has more school streets per capita than New York City.

A horrific crash on National Walk to School Day is prompting advocates in Washington to demand a sixth "E" to the the five "E's" of Vision Zero: the exigency to radically reimagine District streets and put the safety of vulnerable road users first. 

We need to change the way we think about kids and about our cities. We need to think of kids as full members of society and we need to design our neighborhoods for kids to have full, rich childhoods that let them grow into well-rounded members of our communities. So what do we do?

Will the Biden infrastructure plan address how our students get to school? 

A shift in messaging about how America gets from one place to another is emerging. At his confirmation hearing, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg pointedly called out the auto-centrism and inequities of our transportation system and noted the economic success cities like his own South Bend have had by making transportation options like biking and walking safer and easier to access. Could we possibly be on the verge of a transportation system that actively serves all Americans, whether they drive or not? Is it finally time to provide real mobility to those that have been denied and harmed by policies of the past? Could transportation infrastructure actually become part of the solution to climate change instead of a liability?

Short trips. Masks for everyone. Far fewer passengers than before.

A land-use ordinance passed by Seattle City Council marks a first step in increasing access to childcare across the city.

Cities should consider barring cars from certain streets and taking some space away from drivers as part of a comprehensive strategy to get children safely to school during COVID-19, a leading national organization recommends.

As school re-openings loom, the school bus industry is organizing support for the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act, a $10-billion Senate bill that would provide relief to transportation providers — including school-bus operators — that earlier federal relief packages overlooked.