Street engineering – after many years of prioritizing automobile speed here in the US – is evolving towards safe systems design that makes it difficult for drivers to speed or make a mistake that’s life threatening to others. But the narrative that pervades road safety education does not reflect these efforts.
Never mind toilet paper, COVID-19 has shown us that people haven’t forgotten about the humble bicycle. They have become the latest elusive product for commuting, recreation, and even business (deliveries, anyone?). Bike shops are out of stock, repairs are unstoppable, and according to Miami’s Coral Way Bicycle Shop, bike parts supplier J&B Importers sold 34,500 […]
During an uncomfortable and brilliant presentation last year, Shavon Arline-Bradley addressed a room of over 500 Safe Routes to School conventioneers, boldly bringing related racism, discrimination, injustice, segregation, and social isolation to the discussion of transportation and health. No euphemisms. No soft language. The presentation’s title? The Elephant in the Room. Ms. Arline-Bradley, former Director […]
For teachers, it can be a day without lesson plans. For kids, it can be like the book fair; an exciting outdoor happening that escapes the dreary boundaries of the four classroom walls. Walk to School Day can be so many things all at once. For us, it is a reminder that walking is a […]
Last October, we brought this point up on Twitter: The word “pedestrian” needs a rethink. Today, we are giving these thoughts a more permanent home on the WalkSafe blog. Perhaps it may seem odd for a walking advocacy organization to criticize the word pedestrian. Many advocates – including ourselves – use the word to promote […]
Not long ago, we found ourselves engaged us in a discussion on Twitter – as a follow-up to our sticky streets article – whether the best streets in history were intentionally built with human enjoyment in mind. While we never did come to a conclusion, the discussion did bring something to mind: Parks remain one of […]
There’s walking, there’s bicycle riding, and now, dockless electric scooters are joining the ranks as the latest option in urban micromobility. However, like anything new that challenges existing conventions, they are embroiled in controversy. Dockless scooter op-eds fill Twitter and Facebook, while journalists have been prolific in sharing the social media bombast as the “scooter scourge” […]
