Month: March 2014

Abstract
This study examined the effects of a 1-year high-visibility pedestrian right-of-way enforcement program on yielding to pedestrians at uncontrolled crosswalks, some of which received enforcement and some of which did not. The program included four 2-week enforcement waves supported by education and engineering components that increased the visibility of enforcement. The study produced five results: (a) enforcement led to a slow and steady increase in the percentage of drivers yielding the right-of-way to pedestrians over the year; (b) the program produced a large change in yielding over the course of the year; (c) the program produced higher levels of yielding to natural pedestrian crossing than to staged crossings, and the changes in both were highly correlated; (d) the effects of the program generalized to crosswalks that were not targeted for pedestrian right-of-way enforcement; and (e) the amount of generalization to unenforced sites was inversely proportional to the distance from sites that received enforcement.
https://trb.metapress.com/content/4674380022131506/?p=fefc4e0168fd4b73a109ff63418aaa2a&pi=4
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[B’ Spokes: Just something I would love to see around here rather than harassing just pedestrians for wearing headphones (not illegal) and jaywalking (not necessarily illegal). You can NOT improve safety by addressing only one side of the problem.]

by Steven, Cycle Space
The other night I tweeted: “Since the end of conscription, it has been the offices of traffic engineers causing the deaths“. A fellow blogger and cyclist, but from the civil engineering side of the fence, objected that engineers are just servants of politicians. As we all know politicians represent a public that wants to go faster in cars and are blithely accepting of the daily movement of ambulances attending the deaths of pedestrians, cyclists and indeed, many car users. But in this do engineers really have no volition?
I’m imagining how the medical profession would respond if politicians passed a law requiring them to deny treatment to certain kinds of patients.
…
https://cycle-space.com/what-went-wrong-with-the-traffic-engineering-profession/

By Chris McCahill, State Smart Transportation Initiative

Estimates released by FHWA on Friday suggest that per capita vehicle miles of travel dropped again in 2013, making it the ninth consecutive year of decline (Figure 1). Total VMT in the United States increased by 0.6 percent from 2012, hovering just below 3 trillion, and per capita VMT dropped to 9,402 (the prior year’s initial estimate was revised to 9,412).

Figure 1. VMT trends for the United States through 2013. Source: FHWA and Census Bureau.

…

Maryland is an example of this trend. In 2009, the state’s long-range plan projected statewide VMT growth of 2 percent per year through 2030 (Figure 2). The plan dismissed the recent decline as a temporary consequence of high fuel prices and the economic downturn, asserting, “there is no clear evidence that Marylanders will continue to drive less in the future.” However, in its updated plan released just last month, the agency has left out projections entirely, declaring that “a return to strong annual VMT growth is unlikely and per capita VMT […] is actually decreasing.” A handful of other states have either dampened their projections or shifted their focus toward VMT reduction goals and transportation demand management efforts.

Figure 2. VMT in Maryland and projected VMT from state long-range plans. Source: FHWA and Maryland Department of Transportation

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https://www.ssti.us/2014/02/vmt-drops-ninth-year-dots-taking-notice/

by Kristin Butcher, People for Bikes debunks these myths:
MYTH: Roads were created for cars.
MYTH: Riders are safest on the sidewalk.
MYTH: You can’t get a decent bike for less than a gazillion dollars.
MYTH: Bicyclists think they own the road.
MYTH: Bikes are just kids’ toys.
https://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/bike-myths-debunked

by Walker Angell, Streats MN

The good news is that the trend has indeed continued downward since the number killed peaked in 1972. Nationally, only 33,561 people were killed in 2012 and 2.36 million were injured.

This all sounds pretty good. Until we stop being insular and comparing ourselves to only ourselves.

This chart shows the rate of children under 15 killed by motorists per year averaged over a 5 year period. Bars indicate the number of deaths per 100,000 total population for each country for each year.

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https://streets.mn/2014/03/25/why-are-we-letting-drivers-kill-our-children/

Why do dangerous drivers receive more protection from the law than their victims do?
By Bob Mionske, Bicycling
When a dangerous driver injures somebody, or takes another person’s life, we pretend that it’s somehow normal. We’re all so aware of our own driving mistakes that we do everything we can to avoid holding other drivers—even dangerous drivers—accountable when somebody dies. We call it “an accident.” We blame the victim. We worry about how the driver must have suffered. Our system of traffic justice is so broken that, for the victims of dangerous drivers, there is often no justice at all.
Instead, our legal system shields dangerous drivers from any real consequences. With the exception of DUI, motorists can get away with just about anything. Consider a few recent examples.
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[B’ Spokes: Things he points out make my blood boil.]
https://blogs.bicycling.com/blogs/roadrights/2014/03/26/no-crime-no-punishment/

By Sam Dansie, Bike Radar
Whether you wear a big notice saying you’re a total cycling newbie, look like a Tour de France pro or just put on a straightforward high-viz jacket, the distance at which UK cars will overtake remains roughly the same: 117.5cm.
That’s the result of an academic study investigating what difference a cyclist’s clothing choice may have on how close motorists pass them when overtaking during peak rush hour.
It means, say the researchers, there is little cyclists can do with their wardrobe to influence motorists’ behaviour once they’ve been seen.
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The only jacket that appeared to make a meaningful difference to the average passing distance was a jacket with the word ‘police’ written on it.
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"It’s those close buzzes that make cycling feel unsafe," said Walker. "If it doesn’t feel safe people won’t do it."
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https://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/news/article/high-viz-jackets-dont-affect-how-close-motorists-pass-cyclists-39136/