 NCBW Newsroom - The National & International SceneThe National & International Scene | Regional and Local Actions | The Research Beat | Resources | Jobs, Grants & RFPs WALK SCORE MEASURES & TRACKS DESTINATION PROXIMITY -> According to an April 22nd State Smart Transportation Initiative article, "For agencies that want to address the land use-transportation connection, Walk Score (http://bit.ly/YyZXJ8) now provides a new form of accessibility measure, as well as data to help measure trends over time. Walk Score, which actually produces measures for biking and transit as well as walking, has analyzed accessibility by the proximity of certain destinations, such as food stores and parks. Now the firm is offering a way to measure the depth of choices of such destinations as well, in a platform called ChoiceMaps. (See sample maps and descriptions: http://bit.ly/15ox3mJ.) In the map of Chicago..., for example, the green area indicates places where there are at least 10 grocery options in a 10-minute walk." "Perhaps more important, the firm now is providing trend data that can track accessibility over time. This will be useful in assessing progress toward goals such those in Washington's Sustainability DC plan, which calls for pedestrian accessibility of healthy food..." Source: http://bit.ly/142AFpL EXPANDED FEATURES IN RIGHTSIZING STREETS GUIDE -> According to an April 30th Project for Public Spaces article, "Today we are unveiling several new resources within the Rightsizing Streets Guide (http://bit.ly/XIXKrU). We're excited to share with you an interactive map featuring more than fifty successful rightsizing projects from around the US. We've also added two new full case studies to the guide. The case studies, contributed by the Congress for the New Urbanism, both illustrate the benefits of the removal of urban freeways--rightsizing at a grand scale!..." "While the Rightsizing Streets Guide's case studies are meant to focus in on projects that illustrate certain key aspects of the rightsizing process, we also saw a need to highlight the countless rightsizing projects happening in communities large and small, all across the US. To accomplish this, we've created an interactive map of rightsizing projects within the Guide (http://bit.ly/YtI5SD)..." "As of today, the map features 58 examples from communities in 22 states, everywhere from Georgia to Oregon, California to Iowa. By clicking on the pins, you can find basic information about each project, such as the type of conversion, (i.e. 4 lanes to 3 lanes), or what design elements were used (i.e. bike lanes, mid-block crossings). The most important feature of the map that it connects you directly with the agency that oversaw the project, allowing practitioners to reference precedents and seek out colleagues to provide guidance and support..." Source: http://bit.ly/18WFvGf [Ed Note: Email your rightsizing example to the map and case study to the Guide at transportation@pps.org, include "rightsizing" in the subject line.] NEW INTERNATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE PED SAFETY MANUAL -> According to the Pedestrian Safety: A Road Safety Manual for Decision-Makers and Practitioners released in 2013 by the World Health Organization, "Pedestrian Safety: A Road Safety Manual for Decision-Makers and Practitioners describes: the magnitude of pedestrian deaths and injuries; key risk factors; ways of assessing the pedestrian safety situation in a given setting and prepare an action plan; and how to select, design, implement and evaluate effective interventions. The manual stresses the importance of a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes engineering, legislation and enforcement as well as behavioural measures. It also draws attention to the benefits of walking, which should be promoted as an important mode of transport given its potential to improve health and preserve the environment..." "This manual provides information for use in developing and implementing comprehensive measures to improve pedestrian safety. The extent of pedestrian fatalities and injuries, and the importance of addressing the key associated risk factors for pedestrian injury, are examined. The steps outlined for conducting a situational assessment to help with prioritizing interventions and preparing a related plan of action, are intended to assist with the implementation of effective interventions, and evaluation of pedestrian safety measures. While the focus of the manual is on subnational administrative units, the strategies presented can be applied at the national level. It is hoped that the modular structure of this manual enables adoption to suit the needs and problems of individual countries. The manual is applicable worldwide but specifically targets decision-makers and practitioners in low and middle income countries..." Source: http://bit.ly/12hW6kb via TRB News: http://bit.ly/11hYs8L STATE BICYCLE FRIENDLY RANKINGS -> According to a May 1st League of American Bicyclists release, "We're celebrating the first day of National Bike Month with our new Bicycle Friendly States ranking. For the sixth year in a row, Washington continues to lead the nation, with high performance in all categories. But up-and-coming states--including Delaware, Illinois and Arizona--charged up the ranking in 2013, shaking up the top 10..." "The 2013 Bicycle Friendly State ranking is now even more comprehensive, capturing more information than ever before and delving more deeply into the issues embedded in becoming a more bicycle friendly state." See the ranking chart: http://bit.ly/10FYnE6. Source: http://bit.ly/143cSGp THE NEW TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PARADIGM -> According to a May 6th Victoria Transport Policy Institute article to be published by the ITE Journal, "Demographic and economic trends, and new community concerns, are changing the way practitioners define transportation problems and evaluate potential solutions. A new paradigm expands the range of modes, objectives, impacts and options considered in transport planning. This article (The New Transportation Planning Paradigm) discusses this paradigm shift and its implications on our profession..." "The old paradigm evaluated transport system performance based primarily on the speed, convenience and affordability of motor vehicle travel, and so favored automobile-oriented improvements. The new paradigm is more comprehensive and multi-modal. It considers a broader range of modes, objectives, impacts and transport system improvement options..." Source: http://bit.ly/10ak9Ei COLLEGE CURRICULUM TO TEACH BASICS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION -> According to a recent Progressive Railroading article, "To help bolster industry-wide recruitment of a younger workforce, a group of academic, transportation and government officials are drafting a standard curriculum that would teach college students the basics of public transportation." "Since 2011, the National Transit Curriculum Advisory Committee--an Eno Center of Transportation affiliate--has been developing a semester-long course that universities nationwide could offer. Committee members hope to have the curriculum ready by December so that campuses could offer it as soon as 2014, says Jill Hough, the committee's chairwoman and program director of the Small Urban and Rural Transit Center at the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University..." Source: http://bit.ly/10oAIsU WHY THE DROP IN YOUNGER DRIVERS -> According to an April 22nd Washington Post article, "Ever since the recession hit in late 2007, Americans have been driving less and less. Was that because of the horrible economy? To some extent, perhaps. But it's striking that Americans are still cutting back on driving even though the economy is growing again." "Doug Short, who charts financial data, has put together a nice graph that uses the latest Transportation Department data on vehicle-miles driven and adjusts for population growth. Looked at this way, the plunge in driving is even more startling and began back in June 2005..." "Since June 2005, vehicle miles driven have fallen 8.75 percent. The decline has persisted for 92 months and there's no sign it's abating..." "... [Y]oung Americans are driving much, much less. Between 2001 and 2009, the average yearly number of miles driven by 16- to 34-year-olds dropped a staggering 23 percent..." Source: http://wapo.st/17Lazd6 CELLPHONES CAUSE FAR MORE CRASHES THAN RECORDED -> According to a May 7th Washington Post article, "Cellphone use is a factor in far more fatal crashes than anyone realized, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Safety Council. (Crashes Involving Cell Phones: Challenges of Collecting and Reporting Reliable Crash Data: http://bit.ly/YFafMJ)" "The council found that even when drivers said they were using their cellphones at the time of a crash that admission was not recorded in accident reports that have been compiled for use in the national debate on distracted driving..." "Researchers reviewed 180 fatal crashes over a three-year period where there was evidence that the driver was using a cellphone. In one of those years, 2011, only 52 percent of the crashes were recorded in the national data base as cellphone-related." Source: http://wapo.st/10nCJWn Get a jump start on this news by subscribing to CenterLines. |
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