John Hennessy III,
P.E.
UDOT’s Walking School Bus app is a forward thinking tool that allows parents to create and plan walks to and from school. It allows parents to search by elementary school for existing walking groups, create walking groups and invite neighbors to join, plan walks to and from school, assign parent leaders to walk with students, group text within the app, and greatest of all, alerts parents when students have arrived safely at school!
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UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU
Bicycling and walking make up a relatively small portion of commuting activity in the United States, but these nonmotorized travel modes play important roles within many of the nation’s local transportation systems. Infrastructure that supports bicycling and walking expands transportation options and may complement other forms of transportation by supplementing segments of trips. Several state and local agencies have taken steps to promote pedestrian and bicycle travel.
FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION
The program was intended to “demonstrate the extent to which bicycling and walking can carry a significant part of the transportation load, and represent a major portion of the transportation solution, within selected communities.” Throughout the program to date, the four communities, each with unique physical and demographic characteristics, identified and implemented a locally devised strategy to significantly increase the use of nonmotorized transportation, along with the accompanying safety, environmental, and health benefits. This report represents the culmination of that initial implementation and analytical effort.
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Minority pedestrians are more likely to be killed in a motor vehicle crash even after controlling for increased traffic exposure in urban areas, socioeconomic status, and alcohol use (CDC, 2013). One potential and unexplored contributing factor to these disparate outcomes is whether driver behavior differs toward pedestrians by race. Similar to other types of intergroup interactions, roadway interactions between drivers and pedestrians are likely influenced by drivers’ subtle racial attitudes and biases. The current study focuses on pedestrians’ street crossings, as pedestrians are most vulnerable when crossing traffic lanes.
SMART GROWTH AMERICA
American communities are poised for a renaissance in walking. We’re walking more often, for fun and to get to places in our neighborhood. We turn to WalkScore.com when figuring out where to live and our most walkable places often are among the most economically vibrant in the country. Hundreds of cities have adopted Complete Streets policies to ensure walking is at the forefront of our decisions regarding street design. Public health organizations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Office of the Surgeon General to the local doctor’s office are encouraging us to get out for a walk for physical activity and to combat chronic disease. And indeed, we are walking: six out of 10 people walk for physical activity, and the share of adults who said they walk for transportation grew 6 percent from 2005 to 2010, according to the most recent data available. But we are still dealing with a legacy of roadways that fail to account for the safety of people on foot.
For a very long time, Streetfilms has wanted to profile Jason Roberts and the amazing work of The Better Block. It was destiny that a few weeks ago we were able to sync up to be present for the fourth anniversary of The Better Block in Oak Cliff. This temporary pedestrian plaza was adjacent to the site where they first debuted their innovative ideas to change a street.
You’ll see some of the behind-the-scenes set up and preparation. But I already know the visuals people will be talking about most is their transformation of a dangerous intersection in to a safer one using only temporary materials – especially a really inventive way of re-purposing decals as crosswalks!
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ALLIANCE FOR BIKING & WALKING
For government officials and advocates who promote bicycling and walking in the U.S., it is clear that active transportation is gaining momentum. Protected bicycle lanes are popping up on more city streets, Open Streets initiatives are being organized in communities of all sizes, public bicycle sharing programs are finding success even in sprawling car-centric cities, and business owners are scrambling to install bicycle parking near their front door. In order to meet the growing desire for more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly communities, policy makers and advocates need a comprehensive analysis of current trends and trials. The Alliance for Biking & Walking’s Benchmarking Project strives to meet this need by tracking and measuring these efforts across the country.
SMART GROWTH AMERICA
Some places in the United States are sprawling out and some places are building in compact, connected ways. The difference between these two strategies affects the lives of millions of Americans.
Better Block OKC created a pop-up cycle track at the first ever Open Streets event in Oklahoma City. Over 20,000 people showed up to the event to experience NW 23rd St by walking and biking. We hoped to encourage more people to ride their bike and to teach them about the different types of cycling infrastructure that is possible in OKC.
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