Road Diet Seven Years in the Making—Was It Worth Every Minute?

This would-be simple road diet project faced an unexpected amount of pushback, and ended up taking seven years and a lot of money to complete. Was it worth the hassle?

#SlowtheCars, Engagement, Roads and Streets, Top StoryJay StangeJune 22, 2022road diet, Road Diet, STROADS, Street Design, streets, #SlowTheCars, Connecticut, success, success stories, public engagement, community engagement

We're Advocating for Safe and Productive Streets

It’s high time that we start building streets that prioritize safety and community over throughput of traffic.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Membership, Roads and Streets, Top StoryCharles MarohnJune 6, 2022Safe and Productive Streets, #SlowTheCars, streets, Street Design, member drive, design, Safety, safety, memweek strategic plan series

Grids Are Good

These observations from a morning detour demonstrate why small neighborhood side streets are better than big, wide highways, even when it comes to moving traffic.

Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StorySeth ZerenMay 12, 2022traffic congestion, streets, highways, grid, traffic engineering, congestion, Street Design

How to Calm a Street, Starting with Your Own Anger

Frustrated by cars speeding down your neighborhood street at 40 mph? Don’t blame the people driving the cars.

Reckless Road Design is Killing Us, Not Reckless Drivers

An epidemic of roadway deaths aren’t caused by random rule breakers. The cause is the rule followers. It’s time to change the rules mandating speed and volume over safety and cost.

NTSB Chair After Car Crash: “There’s a Problem With That Road Design”

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, recently survived a car crash. And she’s not blaming it on reckless driving.

#SlowtheCars, Quednau, Roads and Streets, Top StoryRachel QuednauApril 6, 2022Safety, car crash, cars, traffic engineering, streets, Street Design, #SlowTheCars

How Traffic Engineers Can Finally Tame Stroads

This engineer offers a strategy for slowing down cars that could be a bridge between what communities want and what engineers want.

#SlowtheCars, Engineering Profession, Roads and Streets, Strategies, Transportation, Top StoryMike BrownFebruary 15, 2022traffic engineering, engineers, engineering profession, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, STROADS, streets, Street Design, Brainerd MN, #SlowTheCars

It Ain't Easy Being Seen

Pedestrians don’t bear primary responsibility for road safety—but to an extent, neither do drivers. These photos illustrate why.

Roads and Streets, Walkability, Top StoryAddison Del MastroNovember 23, 2021Pedestrian Safety, pedestrians, Street Design, Safety, #SlowTheCars, design, walkability

Traffic Deaths Aren't "Meant to Be"

Our broken transportation system wasn’t pre-ordained; it was built out of the choices we’ve made. And we need to start making better ones if we want to fix it.

#SlowtheCars, Member Post, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodOctober 4, 2021Safety, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, STROADS, Street Design, streets, canada, Canada, Winnipeg, transportation, #SlowTheCars

Engineers Should Not Design Streets: A Programmer's Take

Software engineers don’t design user interface, so why do we let civil engineers design streets?

Let's Talk Great Streets

Abby and Chuck deviate from the norm a little on this week’s Upzoned by talking not about an article from the internet, but about one chapter of a particular book (hint: it’s Confessions).

Confessions Book, Planning Profession, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 8, 2021Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, Upzoned, Street Design, streets

Not Just Bikes: The Wrong Way to Set Speed Limits (New Video)

Not Just Bikes has put together another brilliant video, this time explaining why we cannot manage the speeds on our roads separately from the design of our roads.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Video, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 7, 2021Not Just Bikes, Street Design, speed, Speeding, Netherlands, traffic engineering

Iterating to Safety (Excerpt from Confessions of a Recovering Engineer)

We need to #SlowTheCars on every street that's been the site of an auto-related fatality. The best way to do so? Through an iterative approach.

#SlowtheCars, Confessions Book, Marohn, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 30, 2021iteration, streets, Pedestrian Safety, Safety, Street Design, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, #SlowTheCars, confessions excerpt

Beth Osborne: America's Roads are "Dangerous by Design"

With so much money and lip service (“Safety is our top priority”) paid to safety, why are pedestrian deaths higher than ever?

Transportation, Roads and Streets, #SlowtheCars, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 22, 2021#SlowTheCars, Transportation For America, Street Design

The Most Important Pedestrian Safety Document You've Never Heard Of

Engineers and transportation departments defer to it all the time, but “the Manual” isn’t actually making our streets safer.

Roads and Streets, #SlowtheCars, Top StoryAngie Schmitt & Mike McGinnFebruary 25, 2021pedestrian safety, pedestrians, MUTCD, Street Design, America Walks, Mike McGinn, Angie Schmitt, #SlowTheCars

Transportation Engineers Are Legally Obligated to Protect the Public. It's Time to Demand They Do So.

Transportation engineering profession is at a crossroads. The industry has not honored its ethical obligations. That must change.

Engineering Profession, Top StorySteffen BerrFebruary 18, 2021Street Design, traffic engineering, engineering profession, engineering ethics, engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, vision zero

Slowing the Cars in Austin

A new ordinance in Austin is trying to slow drivers and protect pedestrians. But does the city’s plan go far enough in addressing a key factor in creating safer streets: street design?

Top Story, #SlowtheCars, Roads and StreetsGabe ColomboAugust 18, 2020pedestrian safety, #SlowTheCars, Austin, Street Design

Want to #SlowTheCars? Don't Rely on Enforcement.

Enforcement treats the symptoms of risky driving, not the cause. Here’s how to get to the root of the problem.

#SlowtheCars, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJune 23, 2020speeding, enforcement, Street Design, #SlowTheCars

When Inclusive...Isn't

Why do we see so few people with disabilities in the conceptual designs of engineers and planners? Maybe it’s because people with disabilities aren’t at the design table to begin with.

Top Story, Roads and StreetsSteve WrightJune 4, 2020Disability, Complete Streets, Street Design

Your Voice at Strong Towns: A Weekly Roundup 5/15

Fifteen people joined the Strong Towns Movement this week, and our community shared some great resources for people who want to get connected with their local farmers.