USA

Portland Launches Public Adaptive Bike Rental for People With Disabilities

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 24, 2017

Portland's program will offer a mix of tandems, hand-cycles, and three-wheeled bikes.

Want People to Bike? Skip the Sweet Talk and Build

By Michael Andersen, PlacesForBikes | Jul 21, 2017

Don't waste time trying to convince people to feel warmly about bicycling.

Why Are Florida’s Streets So Deadly for Cycling?

By Stephen Miller | Jul 21, 2017

A recent study funded by the Florida Department of Transportation takes an in-depth look at why the state's streets are so deadly -- and what can be done to change that.

NYC

There’s No Excuse to Keep NYC Bus Riders Waiting for Smarter, Faster Traffic Signals

By Ben Fried | Jul 24, 2017

Giving buses priority at traffic signals has improved speeds by an average of 18 percent on the five MTA routes where the technology is live, according to a new DOT report [PDF]. "Transit signal priority" (TSP) could reverse a citywide decline in bus speeds that has caused riders to abandon bus service in droves -- but only if DOT and the MTA apply it at scale.

NYPD Defends Perp and Tickets Cyclists After Garbage Truck Driver Kills Neftaly Ramirez and Flees Scene

By Brad Aaron | Jul 24, 2017

Early Saturday morning a driver believed to be operating a private sanitation truck struck and killed Neftaly Ramirez, 27, as he biked on Franklin Street in Greenpoint. The driver fled the scene and has yet to be apprehended. Nevertheless, NYPD defended the perpetrator in the press and the 94th Precinct was out ticketing people on bikes hours after the collision.

Andrew Cuomo’s Shameless MTA Propaganda

By Ben Fried | Jul 21, 2017

NYC transit service is starting to earn comparisons to the bad old 1980s, and Governor Cuomo wants you to know one thing -- it's not his fault.

LA

Metro Bike-Share Expands to Pasadena

By Joe Linton | Jul 14, 2017

This morning Pasadena's new bike-share system opened. The system includes 375 bikes at 34 docking stations.

Mar Vista Community Council Votes to Keep Venice Boulevard Redesign

By Joe Linton | Jul 12, 2017

Last night, before a standing room only crowd, the Mar Vista Community Council voted to keep in place recent Venice Boulevard safety improvements, including protected bike lanes and a road diet.

That’s Right. My Church Is Throwing a Family-Friendly Transit Party

By Damien Newton | Jul 7, 2017

Tonight at five, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church (11555 National Blvd, 90064) is throwing a transit-themed “First Friday Family Fun Night” featuring games, field trips on the Big Blue Bus, safety talks from Metro and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and even a giant “Thomas the Train” set built by a former Streetsblog editor who […]

CHICAGO

Are Reckless Driving and Biking Morally Equivalent? An Ethicist Weighs In

By John Greenfield | Jul 6, 2017

Cars have exponentially more potential for death and destruction than bikes, but all road users are capable of harming others. How should these facts influence government policy, as well as personal conduct?

End of Illinois Budget Crisis Could Be the Start of Better Transportation Policy

By John Greenfield | Jul 5, 2017

Representatives of Active Trans, MCP, and CNT discuss what the good news will mean for sustainable transportation in the Chicago region and the state.

What If Atlanta Taxed Parking to Keep Housing Affordable?

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 3, 2017

A tax on parking could generate funds for affordable housing and transit in Atlanta. The question is whether the city has the political appetite to enact it.

SF

Eyes on the Street: Pedalfest Celebrates Everything About Bikes

By Roger Rudick | Jul 24, 2017

The 7th annual Pedalfest in Jack London Square took place on Saturday, and was packed with bikes and bike lovers of all stripes. Presented by Bay Area Bicycle Law and Drake’s Brewing, Pedalfest is billed as Bike East Bay’s celebration of cycling, family, food, and fun. An amphibious bike race set the tone: homemade bikes […]

YIMBY Conference Debrief

By Roger Rudick | Jul 20, 2017

Last week Oakland hosted the YIMBYtown conference, described as a “… three-day gathering for grassroots community organizers, political leaders, educators, housing developers, and everyday people to identify problems, create solutions, share resources on the issues that impact housing on local, state, and national levels.” YIMBY, or “Yes in My Back Yard,” is an association of […]

‘Shops at the Ridge’ Create Suburban Dystopia at 51st and Broadway

By Roger Rudick | Jul 19, 2017

The intersection of 51st/Pleasant Valley and Broadway in north Oakland lies at the confluence of three of Oakland’s most walkable and bikeable districts – Temescal, Rockridge, and Piedmont Avenue – adjacent to Oakland Technical High School, California College of the Arts, and several senior housing complexes. Yet, it has always been a barrier to connecting […]

DENVER

Cycling Soared on Denver’s New Protected Bike Lanes

By David Sachs | Jul 24, 2017

After Denver Public Works installed the Arapahoe and Lawrence Street bike lanes in 2015, people who used them felt safer, and a lot more people biked on the streets. That's according to early results from a Denver Public Works study documenting the effects of the city's first parking-protected bikeways [PDF].

That Was Fast — Ray Scott Backs Down from Colorado Bike Tax

By David Sachs | Jul 21, 2017

Scott, a Republican from Grand Junction, now has cold feet.

Kansas City Takes Its Sidewalk Network More Seriously Than Denver

By David Sachs | Jul 21, 2017

Right now Denver's bond includes just $30.7 million dollars for sidewalks, meaning KC's bond outspends Denver's 5 to 1 on the most basic form of transportation infrastructure.

CALIFORNIA

Will California Add New Perspectives to Its Old-Guard Transportation Commission?

By Melanie Curry | Jul 21, 2017

A.B. 179 tries to ensure that the concerns of people affected by transportation projects—not just those who use them—will be represented on the California Transportation Commission. But the bill has been softened to a statement on the need for diversity.

CA Legislature Passes Cap & Trade Bill; Questions Remain

By Melanie Curry | Jul 18, 2017

California reauthorized its cap-and-trade program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It's a landmark victory and a rare bipartisan accord; it brings some certainty to California climate change policy-- and it leaves a lot of open questions.

Cap-and-Trade Extension: It’s a Compromise, But It’s All We Got

By Melanie Curry | Jul 14, 2017

Many of the bill’s opponents at this hearing agree that there is no time to waste. They have been arguing that cap-and-trade is not working as intended—that its emission reductions are inadequate, and that in some cases the program has led to an increase in local emissions of other harmful pollutants by allowing industries to buy their way out of cleaning up their practices.

SOUTHEAST

Protected Bike Lane Removed, Replaced With Parking in Atlanta

By ATL Urbanist | Jul 18, 2017

A section of a bike lane recently installed in southwest Atlanta — and funded in part by a grant — was suddenly removed and replaced with parking spaces.

Luxury Housing Dominates in Atlanta, the Most Unequal U.S. City

By ATL Urbanist | Jul 12, 2017

Nearly all of the new apartments built in Atlanta in the last couple of years have been in luxury buildings. That means the share of overall housing that’s available for middle-to-low income people is shrinking.

What Would Make Southwest Florida More Walkable?

By Nick Whitaker | Jul 6, 2017

There are a number of obstacles to overcome, some manmade and some natural. The natural issues are obvious, at least this time of year… it’s hot and it rains a lot some days. However, there are many places where weather can be an issue for walkers, and yet people walk just the same. Why? Because the manmade issues are less of an impediment, giving people more reason to brave the elements.

OHIO

CSX, Wall Street Want a Steel Wall Across Ohio

By Ken Prendergast | Jul 24, 2017

A CSX plan would likely clog the Chicago-Albany freight rail line and prompt more rail shippers to use trucks.

How Can Bike-Share and Car-Share Increase Job Accessibility in Cleveland?

By Tim Kovach | Jul 20, 2017

To what extent is job access greater by car than via transit in low-income areas? How does this gap change when we improve access to and from transit stations?

It’s Official: Mexico City Eliminates Mandatory Parking Minimums

By Angie Schmitt | Jul 19, 2017

The new regulations will make housing more affordable, transit more convenient, and streets less congested.

STL

What Should Be: Delmar and Skinker

By Richard Bose | Jul 3, 2017

The Ferris wheel idea is dead. So What should be at Delmar and Skinker? Another auto-oriented fast-food joint a la Taco John’s? A parking lot? A park? A traditional building?

The Gravois. (An Ode to a St. Louis Stroad)

By joe | Jun 21, 2017

Note: This goofy poem tells the story of a very cool grassroots effort called the Greater Gravois Initiative, which advocated…

We Built a Transit-Compatible Place and Removed the Transit

By Richard Bose | May 24, 2017

Transit works best when it delivers you to and takes you from the middle of things instead of the edge.