-> The world’s great metropolises are seeing a shift in the moving patterns of their residents and businesses, prompted by forces such as mounting housing costs and startup clusters that are arising on the outskirts of the urban landscape. New modes of transit that can keep up with this rapid — and often unpredictable — change are crucial to sustaining cities’ growth. Adding to public transportation’s challenges, startups have also bred a work culture that upends the 9-to-5 workday; people are commuting to and from the office outside of normal peak hours. As more cities adopt the bike-share model as a solution to ever-evolving public transit needs, the influence of these programs are also having ripples beyond streamlining users’ daily commutes. Check out several bike sharing programs’ environmental and health outcomes, safety and infrastructure improvements, and plans for expansion. https://huff.to/1l6QQRD
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
From Level of Service for Cars to Level of Mobility for People
By Bryan Jones, PE, AICP
…
We could start out by creating more space for people on our streets and in our communities. And let’s strive for Level of Mobility (LOM) A this time!
LOM A 55%+ of the public right of way that is dedicated to people
LOM B 50%-54% of the public right of way that is dedicated to people
LOM C 45%-49% of the public right of way that is dedicated to people
LOM D 40%-44% of the public right of way that is dedicated to people
LOM E 35%-39% of the public right of way that is dedicated to people
LOM F 34% and less of the public right of way that is dedicated to people
…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-level-service-cars-mobility-people-bryan-jones-pe-aicp?forceNoSplash=true
[B’ Spokes: This is the first metric that I have seen that shows people should get more space then a 4′ wide sidewalk. Enough with always use the minimum width in all cases for pedestrians and bicyclists but for cars let’s try to give them an extra 4′ per lane (if the same method of determining minimum width for cyclists was applied to motorists.) ]
BAD STREET DESIGN KILLS PEOPLE
-> Traffic fatalities are on the rise up again, with an increase of 8.1 percent in the first half of 2015, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (https://1.usa.gov/1lWDhEr). NHTSA officials attribute the problem to driver (or passenger) error — drunk driving, speeding, failure to wear seatbelts — but did promise “new initiatives to protect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.” The hazards NHTSA flags are real, but Robert Steuteville at Better Cities & Towns says the agency is also overlooking another major culprit: dangerous street design, propagated by an engineering profession that’s still pushing a “bigger is better” agenda… https://bit.ly/1Q037E2
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
It’s blame the victim week in the War on Pedestrians
By Lloyd Alter, Treehugger
“In the early days of the automobile, it was drivers’ job to avoid you, not your job to avoid them. But under the new model, streets became a place for cars — and as a pedestrian, it’s your fault if you get hit.”
https://www.treehugger.com/walking/cost-war-pedestrians-69750-jaywalking-halifax.html
Ryan Dorsey – Transit Improvements On The Way
From Ryan Dorsey’s email (he is running for city council 3rd district.)
Today I’m proud to announce that every detail of the revisions I submitted to Baltimore City’s Department of Transportation concerning the Harford Road bridge at Herring Run project earlier this year has been adopted. Back in February, I wrote a petition asking the city to install protected bike lanes and sidewalks as part of the upcoming three year long project to completely replace this 104 year old bridge.
The plans will now include:
* a sidewalk height multi-use pathway with designated areas for cyclists and pedestrians, protecting both from car traffic on each side of the roadway
* bollard-protected cycle lanes along Harford Road approaching and leaving the bridge on both the North and South side
* an attractive handrail at the pathway curb, separating it from cars
As Baltimore continues to address inequality, this marks an important victory. A transportation system which provides users with safe, reliable choices will grow access to jobs and build a more equitable city. These improvements are an important part of breaking down systemic racial barriers to social equity and becoming a more united Baltimore.
Support progress for Baltimore City by donating to my campaign for City Council, endorsing this campaign through social media, and volunteering, so that in the years ahead I can continue to speak out and work for the interests of the 3rd District and Baltimore City.
https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/ryandorsey
Thanks to Caitlin Doolin and Chris Brown at DOT, Delegates Curt Anderson, Maggie McIntosh, and Cory McCray, Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, and many thanks to Bikemore.
Enjoy a nice walk or a bike ride when the weather is clear.
Best,
Ryan Dorsey
#ibikeivote
The Evolution of Stay-Right Laws
“Modern traffic laws define the slower-traffic-stay-right rule separately from the drive-on-the-right-half-of-the-road rule, but they originated as a single rule.”
As traffic deaths rise, blame engineering dogma
By Robert Steuteville, Better! Cities & Towns
US traffic deaths are rising again—fatalities jumped 8.1 percent in the first half of 2015, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports.
The NHTSA cites “drunken, drugged, distracted and drowsy driving; speeding; and failure to use safety features such as seat belts and child seats,” but omits any mention of another D—design of streets and communities.
…
https://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/robert-steuteville/21865/traffic-deaths-rise-blame-engineering-dogma
[B’ Spokes: I’ll note as cars were getting safer the road engineers were busy patting themselves on the back because they thought they were making the roads safer. Now that cars have peeked in there safety performance and the road engineers are still pushing their failed designs in more and more inappropriate places. Give that expressways are the safest per mile I will strongly assert that’s because of grade separated intersections and NOT the higher speeds, NOT wide turning radius so turning vehicles don’t even have to slow down, let alone stop and certainly NOT the wide lane width.]