Video: Zeroing in on Nighttime Traffic Deaths Diana Ionescu Sun, 05/05/2024 - 11:00 Primary Image In a webinar from 24 Hour Nation, a group of experts including Streetsblog’s Kea Wilson weighs in on the structural causes of nighttime pedestrian deaths, which make up three-quarters of pedestrian deaths in the United States. Wilson highlights some factors, such as dangerous road design and high speed limits, which apply at all times of day, but whose effects are magnified after dark. “Then, Paris's Pedestrian Policy Manager Chiara Molinar reveals how the city of lights is charting a far diff ..read more

Op-Ed: How ‘Useful’ Businesses Boost Walkability Diana Ionescu Sun, 05/05/2024 - 09:00 Primary Image Urbanists make a lot of hay of ‘mixed use,’ writes Erin Caldwell in an op-ed for Next City. Neighborhoods need diverse businesses and services to thrive, urbanists frequently say. But what about the types of businesses? According to Caldwell, “A neighborhood dense with businesses that do not meet the weekly needs of residents is no better than a neighborhood absent businesses with respect to walkability. Walkability depends, at least in part, on having comprehensive retail.” For Caldwell, t ..read more

E-Bikes Contributing to Bike Share Growth Diana Ionescu Sun, 05/05/2024 - 07:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption Electric bikes at a Divvy bike share station in Chicago, Illinois. The rise of e-bikes is driving the growth of U.S. bike share systems, according to an article by Daniel C. Vock in Route Fifty. E-bikes make cycling more accessible and help riders reach more destinations.“Other modes of transportation—including for scooter shares and traditional bikes—saw declines during the early days of the pandemic, but there has been a ‘steady increase’ in the use of e-bikes ever since ..read more

April’s Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month Mary Hammon Sun, 05/05/2024 - 05:00 April brought a diverse array of news from across the planning spectrum. Below we’ve compiled a list of Planetizen’s most popular content published last month. A groundbreaking solar project in Ohio, mall revitalization efforts in Pennsylvania, and bad news for California EV owners came in at the top, along with a Supreme Court Decision that tightens the screws on development fees. Parking and California’s declining population were also popular topics. Happy reading! 1. Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Ag ..read more

Sea Level Rise Prompts Closure of San Francisco’s Great Highway Diana Ionescu Fri, 05/03/2024 - 08:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption Segment of San Francisco's Great Highway blocked by sand. Part of San Francisco’s Great Highway will be permanently closed to cars due to threats from sea level rise, reports Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle. Cano notes that the city has foreseen the closure of the roadway between Sloat and Skyline boulevards since 2012. “The city has used stopgaps, such as a giant sand berm, in recent years to stabilize its rapidly deteriorating shoreline ..read more

Anchorage to Install First Protected Bike Lane Diana Ionescu Thu, 05/02/2024 - 12:03 Primary Image Cyclists in Anchorage, Alaska will get to ride on the city’s first protected bike lane this summer, reports Lex Yelverton in Alaska’s News Source. “As part of a pilot study already underway, a temporary protected bike lane (PBL) will be installed on Sixth Avenue and A Street from the end of May through September.”  If the summer pilot is successful, city officials say they could finance year-round projects. “Anchorage Assembly member Daniel Volland says the project is being federally fun ..read more

Faith-Based Housing Brings Light Density With Less Resistance Diana Ionescu Thu, 05/02/2024 - 11:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption Church in Riverside, California. Writing in The New York Times, Conor Dougherty describes the growth of the ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ (YIGBY) movement that is making a small but significant impact on the housing and homelessness crisis in California and elsewhere. As Dougherty explains, building housing on vacant or underused land can benefit the organizations that own it, too. “In Los Angeles and around the country, faith organizations are often on prime ..read more

New Colorado Fossil Fuel Fee Will Fund Transit Diana Ionescu Thu, 05/02/2024 - 10:05 Primary Image Primary Image Caption An RTD train in Denver, Colorado. Colorado lawmakers have agreed to drop one set of air quality legislation and propose two new bills to “codify agency rules that cut smog-forming compounds from drilling operations into state law and establish a new fee for oil and gas production” in an effort to prevent a lengthy ballot process and legislative back-and-forth and to create a new source of transit revenue. “Kelly Nordini, the CEO of Conservation Colorado, said the agree ..read more

Houston Road Safety Project at Risk Diana Ionescu Thu, 05/02/2024 - 09:00 Primary Image Houston Mayor John Whitmire is threatening to derail a major road redesign project due to his recent opposition to vehicle lane reductions and bike infrastructure, reports Adam Zuvanich for Houston Public Media. “would rehabilitate the aging roadways, provide stormwater drainage improvements, bolster safety by reducing the incidence of fatal crashes and better accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit users.” The $100 million Shepherd and Durham Major Investment Project, Zuvanich explains, “wou ..read more

Portland Gas Tax Renewal Up to Voters Diana Ionescu Thu, 05/02/2024 - 08:00 Primary Image This month, voters in Portland, Oregon will decide whether to renew a local gas tax that would fund the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s road maintenance budget, reports Alex Zielinski for OPB. “Voters first approved the 10-cent-per-gallon tax in 2016, to address a mounting road maintenance backlog. It was renewed in 2020. The tax has generated nearly $150 million for PBOT over eight years.” Zielinski explains that the tax funded pedestrian crossing signals, sidewalks, speed bumps, lighting, and ot ..read more