“We know that vehicles driving closely to cyclists increases how unsafe people feel when riding bikes and acts as a strong barrier to increasing cycling participation. Our results demonstrate that a single stripe of white paint does not provide a safe space for people who ride bikes,” said Dr. Ben Beck, lead author of the study. Accident Analysis and Prevention, …
Crime is going down but fear is going up based on Next Door et al.
Violent crime levels have been going down in America. But people perceive those levels as going up. That contradiction is nothing new. But it could be dramatically exacerbated by the proliferation of a new kind of social network that connects you to your neighbors — without you ever leaving the house. Rani Molla in Recode: The rise of fear-based social media like …
Is Your Agency or City Really Serious About Road Safety? Look for These 3 Things
By Anna Bray Sharpin, WRI, May 06, 2019 While more than 40 cities in the United States and many more around the world have committed to Vision Zero, a global movement to end traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by taking a systemic approach to road safety, many are struggling to turn this vision into a reality. Research on 14 countries that set quantified road safety targets between …
Complete Streets Strategy and Networks for St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg, FL approves complete streets plan, by Katie Pyzyk, May 6, 2019, Smart Cities Dive The St. Petersburg, FL City Council approved its Complete Streets Implementation Plan, a guide for how the city’s streets will be designed and function over the next 20 years. The plan aims to help make streets safer and more accessible for users for all modes of …
We need safe places to walk and ride, not just safety theater
By Lloyd Alter, Treehugger.com April 29, 2019 CC BY 2.0 All dressed up for construction/ Lloyd Alter Do helmets and high-visibility vests on construction sites really do anything? Recently we wrote about the hierarchy of controls, where the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) suggests what should be done first to reduce injuries and deaths in workplaces. A lot …
Nuclear Disaster: Fukushima’s Final Costs Will Approach A Trillion Dollars + Permanent Land Contamination
There’s a reasonable case for an identifiable $800 billion in costs for the nuclear portion of the Fukushima disaster. It’s not hard to see that a 40-year recovery period along with costs excluded from this could add 25% to that without breaking a sweat. When all the costs of Fukushima are added in, it’s easy to see that it will …
Cities leading the way off cars and pollution
BY ADELE PETERS Fast Company, March 2019 In downtown Cairo, it’s not uncommon to see streets clogged with cars. But in a proposed redesign for a central thoroughfare, they’re hard to spot. Instead, in the concept illustration for what looks like the Egyptian version of Amsterdam, a two-way bike lane, a sidewalk, and a plaza filled with palm trees replace the sea of …
What Republicans and Billionaires Really Mean When They Talk About ‘Freedom’: Freedom to be homeless, jobless, and unable to access health care when you need it
Franklin D. Roosevelt when he proposed, in January 1944, a “second Bill of Rights” to be added to our Constitution. FDR’s proposed amendments included the right to a job, and the right to be paid enough to live comfortably; the right to “adequate food and clothing and recreation”; the right to start a business and run it without worrying about “unfair competition and domination by monopolies”; the right “of every family …
Report: Pedestrian deaths at highest level in nearly 30 years
Katie Pyzyk, Utility Dive, March 4, 2019 The number of pedestrian fatalities in 2018 is projected to be the highest since 1990, according to preliminary data from an annual report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). GHSA’s preliminary projection puts the year’s total fatalities at 6,227, a 4% increase over 2017 that continues an upward trend in fatality numbers. The number of pedestrian deaths increased …
Study of Antarctic sea ice collapse warns of potential 10-foot sea rise, with rate of ocean warming up 50% since 1991.
Gigantic hole two-thirds the size of Manhattan discovered in Antarctic glacier, Sheena McKenzie, CNN, January 31, 2019 (CNN) A massive cavity two-thirds the size of Manhattan has been discovered growing in an Antarctic glacier, signaling rapid ice decay that has shocked scientists. The huge hole — measuring almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) tall — was found growing at an “explosive rate” at the …