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IT'S NOT JUST AN ACCIDENT

BY NATHANIEL M. HOOD, Strong Towns

Car-centric policy dominates our legal system and the way police conduct business. And it's not holding people truly responsible.
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[A bunch of horrible things.]

You would expect the police to pull out the handcuffs and drag the 65-year old into the back of the squad car. If you thought this, you’d be mistaken. The police determined the woman seemed fine and let her go without issuing a traffic citation, more or less criminal charges. No charges were filed and her driver’s license has not been suspended. It was just an “accident.”

As City Pages reports:

[The jogger’s] injuries left her hospitalized for more than a month, and since her release she's been wheelchair-bound. Her life has been forever changed, says her lawyer … and it doesn’t appear as if police ever investigated the incident further.
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This is the system we've created; one that favors drivers at nearly every level. It's unfortunate that car culture dominates our system and law enforcement so much that it doesn't hold people responsible. And until it truly does, we're not going to see as much progress as we need. Changes to laws and public mindset must happen in tandem with changes to the design of our streets. We need to reorient our understanding of transportation to value the safety and rights of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users just as much as drivers.

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/1/24/its-not-just-an-accident
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Why are so many pedestrians getting killed in our roads?

By Lloyd Alter, TreeHugger

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Or as Brad Aaron of Streetsblog has noted,

"If your transport system has zero tolerance for anyone who isn’t a fit adult, the system is the problem, and ... By casting blame elsewhere you assume everyone is like you — can see, hear, walk perfectly. Arrogant & extremely unhelpful.”
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http://www.treehugger.com/walking/why-are-so-many-pedestrians-getting-killed-our-roads.htm
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The Absurd Primacy of the Automobile in American Life

Considering the constant fatalities, rampant pollution, and exorbitant costs of ownership, there is no better word to characterize the car’s dominance than insane.

By EDWARD HUMES, The Atlantic

The car is the star. That’s been true for well over a century—unrivaled staying power for an industrial-age, pistons-and-brute-force machine in an era so dominated by silicon and software. Cars conquered the daily culture of American life back when top hats and child labor were in vogue, and well ahead of such other innovations as radio, plastic, refrigerators, the electrical grid, and women’s suffrage.

A big part of why they’ve stuck around is that they are the epitome of convenience. That’s the allure and the promise that’s kept drivers hooked, dating all the way back to the versatile, do-everything Ford Model T. Convenience (some might call it freedom) is not a selling point to be easily dismissed—this trusty conveyance, always there, always ready, on no schedule but its owner’s. Buses can’t do that. Trains can’t do that. Even Uber makes riders wait.
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Accounting for all costs, from fuel to insurance to depreciation, the average car owner in the U.S. pays $12,544 a year for a car that puts in a mere 14-hour workweek. Drive an SUV? Tack on another $1,908.14
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[Even more examples on waste and absurdities of the Automobile.]
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/04/absurd-primacy-of-the-car-in-american-life/476346/
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Crashes are NOT accidents

By Chris Bortz, Kansas Department of Transportation

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I don’t believe that people get behind the wheel and say, “I think I will injure or kill someone in a car crash today.” Just because it was not intentional, doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been prevented. Most drivers rate themselves as great drivers and will say the problem is the other driver(s). However, driving is a privilege, not a right. You are sharing the road with all drivers and it is important for you to drive as if your life depends on it. Oh wait, it just might.
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http://ksdotblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/crashes-are-not-accidents.html
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MT DOT: LOWER SPEED LIMITS THAN ENGINEERING RECOMMENDATIONS

-> A Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) study examined the safety and operational effects of posting speed limits lower than engineering recommendations. (Speed Limits Set Lower than Engineering Recommendations: http://bit.ly/2eRZTpv) It involved a comprehensive literature review, a survey of other state transportation agencies, the collection of speed and safety data from a variety of Montana roadways, and an analysis of these data. MDT concluded that setting posted speed limits 5 mph lower may result in operating speeds more consistent with the posted speed and have overall safety benefits, while posting limits 15 or 25 mph lower does not appear to produce operating speeds consistent with the posted speed limit or provide safety benefits. http://bit.ly/2eS09o7

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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UN CALLS FOR 20% OF TRANSPORT BUDGET FOR WALKING & CYCLING

-> In a new report, the UN Environment Program calls on countries to invest at least 20 percent of their transport budgets in walking and cycling infrastructure to save lives, reverse pollution and reduce carbon emissions, which are rising at over ten per cent a year. (Global Outlook on Walking and Cycling: Policies & realities from Around the World: http://bit.ly/2fcs8h9) Lack of investment in safe walking and cycling infrastructure is contributing to the deaths of millions of people and overlooking a great opportunity to contribute to the fight against climate change. The report surveyed the progress towards safer walking and cycling infrastructure in 20 low- to middle-income countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, where compared with high-income countries, twice as many more people die in road traffic accidents. For example, in Malawi, 66 percent of all road fatalities were pedestrians and cyclists. http://bit.ly/2fcqgVz

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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Miserable at work? Your commute might be the culprit

By Tania Kohut, Global News


People who cycle to work or school are likely to have sunnier dispositions than those who drive or take transit, according to a new study out of McGill University.
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“We need to start having much stronger programs to encourage people to cycle,” said El-Geneidy.

“In some cases, cycling is not the best — not everybody is going to cycle in the winter — but let’s try for the rest of the year.”

Parents can start by encouraging their children to cycle, said El-Geneidy. Meanwhile, it’s a no-brainer for employers to offer incentives for employees to bike to work.
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http://globalnews.ca/news/3150222/miserable-at-work-your-commute-might-be-the-culprit/
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10 Things cyclists wish drivers understood

Via Cyclescheme

[Just the headings]
1. We're not meant to ride close to the kerb
2. Bike paths are optional
3. We do pay for the roads
4. Sometimes we wobble or swerve
5. We're not telepathic
6. We're moving faster than you think
7. Anger is often fear
8. Close passes are dangerous
9. That cyclist who annoyed you? We're not them
10. It's other drivers that slow you down

https://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/community/featured/10-things-cyclists-wish-drivers-understoof?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Cyclescheme-Social&utm_source=10-Things-cyclists-wish-drivers-understood
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RIDICULOUS LAWS FOR CYCLISTS

Bike Radar offers examples of ridiculous laws for cyclists from around the world. No gargling while cycling in Peridot, AZ. No "wanton or furious" cycling in the UK. No cycling without a shirt in Thailand. No cycling with a slingshot in your pocket in Bellingham, WA. http://bit.ly/2icDcio

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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NASHVILLE, TN: TEENS MAP ROUTES, IDENTIFY MOBILITY OPTIONS

-> To make the case for better neighborhood mobility, a class of middle and high school students in Nashville, TN mapped their movements around North Nashville, tracking the spaces they visited most and the barriers that kept them from getting around, such as the lack of crosswalks and paths. They developed suggestions for connecting North Nashville to the rest of the city, eventually sharing their findings with urban planners. After meeting with the class, city planners incorporated a new bicycle lane along Rosa L. Parks Boulevard. Although the lane stretched only 2 miles, it created a bicycle route across the interstate, connecting North Nashville to downtown. http://bit.ly/2j0DBBT

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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