Tag: United States
Public transport cuts CO2 emissions by 40%
Public transport is capable of reducing pollution by a staggering 40%, according to a recently released report from the University of California and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), reports Nature World News. Opting for bikes, buses and walking over driving cars is key, as are improvements to existing transport, such as by […]
Americans don’t walk – but it’s not because we’re lazy
Most Americans don’t walk for one reason: In most communities, walking is both inconvenient and unsafe. At least that’s what F. Kaid Benfield, Special Counsel for Urban Solutions, Natural Resources Defense Council, argues in a recently published excerpt from his book of essays, People Habitat: 25 Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities. Americans lose […]
Bike ambulances deliver healthcare in rural Africa
In rural or inaccessible areas, bicycle ambulances aren’t just practical, they can also be life-saving… and perhaps even economy-boosting. As Co.Exist reports, organizations such as FABIO (First African Bicycle Information Organisation) in Uganda, and CA Bikes, in three East African countries, are providing bike ambulances (and in some cases, other non-motorized transport for a variety […]
Survey finds drivers open to self-driving vehicles
A new poll suggests that drivers are very interested in self-driving vehicles, reports USA Today. More than three of four American licensed drivers questioned are “very likely” to consider or to purchase a driverless car, notes the poll, conducted by Insurance.com, a car insurance website. Of the 2,000 drivers surveyed, 86 percent said that driverless […]
Bikes’ image problem in low-income communities
Most urbanites are familiar with the stereotypical bike commuter: white, wealthy, yuppie. Yet, as the Atlantic’s CityLab blog reports, there are significant reasons underlying the unfortunate (yet often true) stereotype — and three lessons for working towards making cycling a viable, reliable option for diverse, low-income communities. First, the positive news: U.S. Census Bureau data […]
Is it better to wear a helmet or bike with a pack?
While it may seem to be a question out of the “Would you rather…?” game, it’s a query that poses important safety implications: Is it more dangerous to bike helmetless in a city packed with cyclists, or to ride, donning a helmet, as a single cyclist on a lonely route? Bikers and safety advocates have […]
Study: Cars more dangerous than natural disasters
Floods, tornadoes and earthquakes are not as dangerous as simply being a pedestrian in America, according to a report by the National Complete Streets Coalition, a nonprofit safety advocacy group. More than 47,000 pedestrians died in vehicle collisions in America over 2003 to 2012, a number which tallies to 16 times the amount of Americans […]
Is there a zoning remedy for car-dependent towns?
Towns are largely car-dependent because we design them that way, claims blogger Andrew Price with Smart Towns, a blog devoted to American town growth, in a recent post. Price analyzes the zoning system in Conway, Arkansas, as an example of Euclidean zoning and its role in creating car-dependent towns. What exactly is Euclidean zoning? Also […]
How to argue with a traffic engineer about speed limits
It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it’s actually a valid question: How do you argue effectively with a traffic engineer? For safety-conscious civilians, certain elements of traffic design are especially confusing. When infrastructure blog Strong Towns recently asked for reader submitted questions, an interesting question came from Adam of Miami, FL, who […]
Why we’re less likely to die in car wrecks today
Fewer people are dying in car crashes, Vox recently reported, and some of the reasons behind this positive trend are surprising. First, the facts: Since the 1970s, fatalities from traffic accidents have decreased 40 percent. Deaths have been on a steady decline after peaking in 1969 at 55,043. By 2012, the figure stood at 33,561, […]
