The Death of a Car City

Michel Durand-Wood takes us on a hilarious walk through the stages of grief as he puts a financial spike in the heart of his beloved city’s unsustainable 2050 Master Plan.

Transportation, #NoNewRoads, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodJanuary 3, 2022car culture, induced demand, Winnipeg, car dependency, canada, cars, transportation, financial solvency, local government, #NoNewRoads

How Do You Actually Fix a Stroad?

We respond to a question posted for us on Reddit about a stroad that seems unfixable—and maybe that’s because it is.

Marohn, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnDecember 3, 2021STROADS, strong towns approach, Not Just Bikes, roads, strip malls, transportation

Which Wins Out: An Engineer's Discretion or a Book of Standards?

Chuck holds a Q&A session with Confessions of a Recovering Engineer readers.

Confessions Book, Engineering Profession, Podcast, Transportation, Top Story, ST PodcastStrong TownsNovember 29, 2021Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, transportation, engineering profession, engineers, engineering ethics

ODOT Needs to Stop the I-5 Bridge Con

Next month, the Portland Metro government is being asked to approve $36 million in additional funds for further planning of a massive freeway project. It should say no.

City Observatory, Environment, Infrastructure, Transportation, #NoNewRoads, Top StoryJoe CortrightNovember 12, 2021DOT, Portland OR, Oregon, transportation, transportation spending, highways, highway spending, freeways, freeway widening, City Observatory, Infrastructure

More Highways, More Driving, More Emissions

Fact: New roads always produce new driving. Say hello to “induced demand.”

2 Things Local Leaders Can Do to Fix Their City's Broken Transportation

#1: Stop framing every problem as a transportation problem.

Local Government, Podcast, Confessions Book, Transportation, Top StoryStrong TownsOctober 14, 2021transportation, localism, public transportation, leadership, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book, Podcast, guest podcast, Institute for Local Self-Reliance

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

The School Bus Driver Shortage is a Problem We Didn't Have to Have

Schools across the U.S. are experiencing a bus driver shortage, but the root cause of this issue has less to do with the COVID pandemic than one might think.

Coronavirus, Herriges, Schools, Transportation, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesSeptember 23, 2021buses, schools, children, transportation, suburban transit, suburban experiment, suburban development pattern, coronavirus, Coronavirus

CDOT's Proposal for Transit-Induced Pollution

CDOT drafts a rule that intends to address both greenhouse gas emissions and Colorado’s spreading development pattern. But can this kind of top-down solution work?

A Highway Cap in El Paso: False Road to Equity?

El Paso and TxDOT are using concepts aimed at making things better for people impacted by urban highway projects...to justify something that makes them worse.

CNU, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation, Top StorySito NegronSeptember 3, 2021local government, El Paso, Texas, transportation, race, highways, CNU

American Cities, Through European Eyes (and Vice Versa)

Seeing your own place through the eyes of an outsider can reveal some uncomfortable—but necessary—truths.

Podcast, Upzoned, Transportation, Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 1, 2021Europe, Italy, traditional development pattern, Upzoned, transportation, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, confessions book

"Does Induced Demand Apply to Bike Lanes?" and Other Questions

And what this tells us about what the common buzzword really means.

#NoNewRoads, Herriges, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesAugust 25, 2021induced demand, traffic congestion, roads, highways, transit, transportation, bike lanes, traffic engineering

The Projections Fallacy

We spend billions every year on our transportation network, large percentages of it based on traffic projections—despite the fact that we don’t accurately project traffic.

Engineering Profession, Mistakes A Town Makes, Roads and Streets, Marohn, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 16, 2021traffic projections, traffic congestion, engineers, engineering profession, transportation, traffic engineering

The Key to Slowing Traffic is Street Design, Not Speed Limits

Two simple photos show the difference between a street simply designated as 20 mph, and one actually designed to be safe. We can't regulate our way to safety.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Greatest Hits, Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 5, 2021speed, traffic engineering, engineers, transportation

Traffic Congestion Was Last Century’s Problem…but It Is This Century’s Solution

Our national transportation obsession has been about maximizing the amount that you can drive. We now need to focus on minimizing the amount you are forced to drive.

Marohn, #NoNewRoads, #SlowtheCars, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 29, 2021congestion, gas tax, traffic congestion, #SlowTheCars, transportation, #NoNewRoads

One Billion Bollards

If the federal government wants to fund transportation, skip the megaprojects. Start with a billion bollards.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Transportation, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 26, 2021Safety, Pedestrian Safety, public safety, transportation, pedestrians, #PedestrianUnfriendly

One Centuries-Old Trick Can Solve Your City’s Problems

Does YOUR city have problems? Learn how to solve them with one WEIRD, simple trick!

Transportation, Walkability, Top StoryBill LindekeJuly 13, 2021walkability, biking, Streets.MN, pedestrians, transportation

A Preview of Bi-Partisan Compromise on Infrastructure (Sorry, It's Not Good)

We should not be cheering on simulacrums of reform when the majority of spending is going to programs that are making us weaker as a country, as cities, and as neighborhoods.

#InfrastructureCrisis, #NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, Local Government, Marohn, Politics, Transportation, Top StoryCharles MarohnJuly 6, 2021MoveMN, Infrastructure, transportation, walkability, bikeability, #NoNewRoads, infrastructure cult, local government, Minnesota

Aligning Transportation with a Strong Towns Approach

At every level of decision-making and across the political spectrum, everyone agrees: our transportation system is broken. There is a better way.

Strong Towns Academy, Transportation, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 28, 2021Strong Towns Academy, transportation

Are Self-Driving Cars a Solution Looking for a Problem?

Are automated vehicles a solution looking for a problem—or perhaps the wrong solution for problems (traffic deaths, traffic congestion, etc.) that could be solved in better, easier ways?

Podcast, Upzoned, Membership, Transportation, Top StoryStrong TownsJune 9, 2021Podcast, Upzoned, car dependency, cars, autonomous vehicles, automated vehicles, transportation, member drive

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