Experts at the Urbanism Next conference advise city leaders not to overlook basic, "mundane" infrastructure that underpins the success of cities and transportation systems.
Opinion: U.S. Traffic Deaths are a Regulatory Failure
One writer argues that rules that prioritize driver safety and ignore pedestrian infrastructure have led to a sharp increase in fatalities on U.S. roads. April 6, 2021, 6am PDT | Diana Ionescu |
Despite the COVID-induced reduction in miles driven in 2020, the number of people killed in vehicle crashes rose by 8% over 2019, with 42,000 people dying on U.S. roads, according to the National Safety Council. Calculated on a per-mile basis, writes Sara Bronin in Bloomberg CityLab, this amounts to a 24% increase in deaths the highest year-over-year jump in 96 years.
According to Bronin, outdated, industry-written laws lock in street designs that encourage excessive speed, and we drive vehicles known to be deadly to non-drivers. While distracted driving and the rise of smartphones plays a small role, other countries have managed to keep their fatalities low. Compare us with Germany, for example, where a love for speed and wi
Pamplin Media Group March 16 2021
Local readers sound off on issues like bicycle safety, saving Oregon s dairy farms and preventing youth suicide through gun safety.
On March 4, the Oregon Legislature Joint Transportation Committee received 93 Oregonians testimony about the Bike Bill 2021 bill, Senate Bill 395. Only three were adversarial against its passage and one was semi-adversarial. The remaining 30 plus were positive.
We still have a crisis on the streets. Pedestrian deaths have increased. As a reminder, Portland, 2020 had its deadliest year since 1996 with a total of 54 traffic deaths. This city s fatalities included five cyclists & 18 pedestrians. Oregon had a total of 67 fatalities in 2020 which was up by 6% from 2019.
Portland had an Unusual and Tragic Year for Traffic Deaths
The Portland Bureau of Transportation s annual traffic crash report highlights the city s slow progress towards its Vision Zero goal. March 4, 2021, 10am PST | Diana Ionescu |
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) just released its annual report on traffic crashes for 2020, an unusual and tragic year for traffic deaths despite a reduction in driving due to the pandemic. In the report, the agency acknowledges that 2020 was a tragic year of loss and continues to stay committed to eliminating traffic fatalities. Jonathan Maus for Bike Portland reports that PBOT tallied 54 traffic deaths, although the Portland Police Bureau recorded 58 total fatalities on Portland s roads and parking lots.