State, City DOT Agreement Gives Chicago More Control Over Streets

Conflicting priorities between city transportation departments and their state counterparts is one of the biggest barriers to pedestrian safety improvements. Chicago is taking a step toward mending that relationship.

Safe & Productive Streets, News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoMarch 2, 2023transportation, Safe and Productive Streets, Illinois, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, DOT, bikeability, pedestrians, car crash, Safety, safety

Whose Responsibility Is It To Ensure That Buildings Interact With the Public Realm in a Delightful Way?

It’s important to build safe and productive streets, but how do we ensure those streets are a place people want to be and live in?

Podcast, Upzoned, Safe & Productive Streets, Urban Design, Top StoryStrong TownsMarch 1, 2023Podcast, podcast, Upzoned, Safe and Productive Streets, aesthetics, architecture, design, urban design

Gross Negligence by St. Louis County Contributes to Man’s Death

If St. Louis County cares about the lives and safety of its residents, then why has it turned a blind eye to this deadly street?

Safe & Productive Streets, Member Post, Top StoryRichard BoseMarch 1, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, Safety, safety, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, Street Design, streets, car crash, missouri, Missouri

The Sensitivity That Killed Frank Radaker

We’ve become desensitized to the car crashes—and the factors that cause them—that kill people like Indianapolitan Frank Radaker every day on our streets. It’s time to change that.

Marohn, Safe & Productive Streets, News, Top Story, TrendingCharles MarohnFebruary 20, 2023bicycling, cycling, Crash Analysis Studio, Safe and Productive Streets, STROADS, car crash, Indiana

America Has No Transportation Engineers

If all a nation can provide are civil engineers who are given a crash course in transportation studies, what do we get?

End Highway Expansion, Safe & Productive Streets, Member Post, Transportation, Top StorySteffen BerrFebruary 17, 2023End Highway Expansion, Safe and Productive Streets, engineers, engineering profession, traffic engineering, transportation

Five Simple Fixes for a Deadly Intersection in Indianapolis

A cyclist was killed at this intersection in Indianapolis. Here are five low-cost, easy fixes to prevent additional tragedies in the future. City officials, take note.

Edward Erfurt, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryEdward ErfurtFebruary 17, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, Crash Analysis Studio, how to, streets, STROADS, intersections, Indiana

Why Is It So Difficult To Build Walkable Places?

A recent report from Smart Growth America highlights the extent to which zoning laws (in a staggering percentage of U.S. communities) stifle our ability to create walkable, human-centered places.

Incremental Housing, Safe & Productive Streets, Walkability, Top StoryBen AbramsonFebruary 14, 2023zoning, walkability, Safe and Productive Streets, Incremental Housing, Smart Growth America, urbanism, suburban experiment, Development

Jeff Speck on the 10th-Anniversary Edition of Walkable City

Jeff Speck joins Chuck Marohn on the Strong Towns Podcast to talk about the latest edition of his book, Walkable City, which features 100 new pages of information for anyone wanting to make their city stronger.

Podcast, Marohn, ST Podcast, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryStrong TownsFebruary 13, 2023Podcast, podcast, Safe and Productive Streets, walkability, books, Jeff Speck

Philadelphia Embraced Outdoor Dining. Until It Didn’t.

Philadelphia is a great place to visit, but not because it’s a great place to park. City officials don’t seem to see it that way, though, given the recent restrictions placed on its outdoor dining program.

End Parking Mandates, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoFebruary 8, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, parklet, restaurants, local business, small business, Parking, parking, local regulation

What’s Behind PBOT’s $4.4 Billion Street Maintenance Backlog Excuse?

The maintenance backlog excuse should not be the end of the conversation—it should be the start of a new one.

Infrastructure, Safe & Productive Streets, Transparent Accounting, Top StoryJonathan MausFebruary 2, 2023maintenance, Maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, street repair, Transparent Local Accounting, Safe and Productive Streets, Oregon

Activists Demand Change After Fatal Crash in Indianapolis

Indianapolis has seen record-breaking highs in traffic violence in recent years, and one particularly dangerous intersection has advocates calling for its redesign—before another innocent person gets killed.

Bikeability, Safe & Productive Streets, News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoFebruary 1, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, Crash Analysis Studio, biking, bikeability, bike lanes, Safety, safety, car crash, advocacy, Indiana

Pedestrian Safety Gets Big Boost From New Cincinnati Initiative

Cincinnati's new five-member pedestrian safety team is making their streets safer—all while saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars every year!

News, Safe & Productive Streets, Tactical Urbanism, Success Story, Top StoryBen AbramsonJanuary 26, 2023tactical urbanism, Tactical Urbanism, Ohio, success, success stories, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, pedestrians, Complete Streets, Street Design, streets, Safe and Productive Streets

Are National Parks for Commuting? DC Decision a Big Win for Human Power

During the pandemic, streets across the U.S. were reclaimed for human activity—but now, many cities are undoing those changes. Not so in DC's Rock Creek Park, where road closures have been made permanent.

Bikeability, Safe & Productive Streets, Walkability, News, Top StoryBen AbramsonJanuary 20, 2023Parks, parks, Washington DC, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, bikeability, walkability, Safe and Productive Streets, #SlowTheCars

Cutting Corners

What if we told you that by cutting a few corners, you can actually make your community a better and safer place?

Edward Erfurt, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryEdward ErfurtJanuary 20, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, design, Street Design, #SlowTheCars, Pedestrian Safety, traffic engineering, intersections

5 Telltale Signs You’re on the Stroad From Hell

Stroads are everywhere in North America—but since they don’t come with any labeling, this handy guide will help you identify when you’re on one.

Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryBen AbramsonJanuary 19, 2023STROADS, Safe and Productive Streets, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, streetscape, Street Design, Safety, Pedestrian Safety, transportation

This City Knows How to Talk to Residents!

This video about a recent street redesign project in Selkirk, Manitoba, shows just how cities should be communicating with their residents.

Engagement, Safe & Productive Streets, Van Eeden Petersman, Top Story, Community StoriesNorman Van Eeden PetersmanJanuary 11, 2023Safe and Productive Streets, public engagement, community engagement, canada, Canada, Street Design, public investment

Roundabout Woes in North Denver

Design flaws in these Denver roundabouts are undermining their potential as tools for calming traffic.

Sheppard, Safe & Productive Streets, Transportation, Top StorySeairra SheppardJanuary 11, 2023Roundabouts, Safe and Productive Streets, Safety, safety, traffic engineering, colorado, transportation

Vaccines Reduce Auto Crashes...?

The Reckless Driver™ narrative reaches a whole new level of absurdity, associating reckless driving with failure to vaccinate against COVID-19.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Coronavirus, Safe & Productive Streets, Top StoryCharles MarohnJanuary 9, 2023coronavirus, Safe and Productive Streets, car crash, STROADS, politics, Street Design, #SlowTheCars

The Power of Paint in Street Transformation

With some simple, low-tech tools, the street next to a neighborhood park can be transformed in a way that’s friendly to both city budgets and residents wanting to access the park.