Angie Schmitt
Recent Posts
Community Pushing Back Against Plan to Widen Interstate Through Asheville
| | No Comments
Will the state of North Carolina and the Federal Highway Administration insist on widening an interstate highway through west Asheville to eight lanes? Right now, it looks like there’s a very good chance of that — and that’s what frightens a lot of locals.
Eight lanes through urban neighborhoods in a city of 85,000? Many residents say [...]
Milwaukee’s Clever Parking Crater Repair Strategy: A Colorful Mural
| | No Comments
A couple of surface parking lots in Milwaukee were dragging down downtown so the city applied a fresh coat of paint to make the space feel inviting again. Photo: PPS Placemaking
Here’s a creative fix for the parking crater problem plaguing so many American cities: Milwaukee recently transformed part of one of its craters with a [...]
Every Traffic Fatality in the U.S. — Mapped
| | No Comments
This map, developed by NYC-based data scientist Max Galka, shows every traffic fatality in the U.S. between 2004 and 2013. Click to access the interactive version.
What is the most dangerous street in your region? Which one most needs improvements to protect cyclists? Where do drunk drivers do the most damage? Thanks to a new tool from New [...]
How Is Houston’s Big Bus Network Redesign Working Out?
| | No Comments
It’s been two months since Houston debuted its redesigned bus network, with routes and schedules intended to make the bus appealing to more people. Jarrett Walker, who blogs at Human Transit, consulted on the project, and today he shares his take on the early ridership numbers.
Houston’s bus network overhaul is designed to get more bang for the buck. Map [...]
There’s a Nod to Complete Streets in the House Transportation Bill
| | No Comments
Let’s be clear: The House transportation bill would be a big step backward for federal transportation policy. But it does include some ideas worth cultivating, including a nod to the idea that road projects should take walking, biking, transit, and access for people with disabilities into account. The problem is that the provision has no muscle [...]
Feds Propose Major Rule Changes to Eliminate Barriers to Safer Streets
| | No Comments
By eliminating outdated design standards, the feds can make it much easier for local governments to design streets like Fifth Street in Dayton, Ohio. Photo: APA
Applying highway design standards to city streets has been a disaster for urban neighborhoods. The same things that make highways safer for driving at 65 mph — wide lanes, “clear zones” running alongside [...]
More Transit Agencies Adding WiFi on Buses
| | No Comments
Photo: Streets.mn
Escambia County, Florida announced WiFi on its buses last week. So did Charleston, South Carolina. Kansas City had it months before. And Atlanta‘s working on it too.
It’s a trend that’s gaining speed quickly among transit agencies intent on luring young people to their service, according to Chad Chitwood, a spokesperson for the American Public Transit Association.
For several years, the shares of [...]
3 White Elephants That Help Explain America’s Infrastructure Crisis
| | No Comments
America spends billions of dollars widening roads that don’t need widening, like Wisconsin State Route 23. Image: Google Maps
A new report by the Center for American Progress zeros in on an under-appreciated culprit in America’s much ballyhooed infrastructure crisis: All the money we waste on useless roads.
CAP highlights three “white elephant projects” that illustrate how billions of dollars in federal infrastructure [...]
North Carolina Lawmakers May Quickly Reverse Anti-Light Rail Measure
| | No Comments
The last-minute legislative sneak attack on light rail plans for Durham and Orange counties in North Carolina was an example of politics at its worst. Thankfully, it may not have staying power.
Light rail between Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina, is expected to draw 23,000 riders a day. Image: Triangle Transit
Lawmakers who still won’t identify themselves inserted language into [...]
North Carolina Lawmakers Try to Sabotage Durham-Orange Light Rail
| | No Comments
A rendering of the proposed Durham-Orange light rail. Image: Our Transit Future
State lawmakers in North Carolina launched a sneak attack this week on plans for light rail between Durham and Orange County — and nobody’s sure exactly who’s behind it or why they did it.
Leaders in Durham and Orange are counting on the state to deliver about 10 [...]
How America’s Staggering Traffic Death Rate Became Matter-of-Fact
| | No Comments
How did more than 30,000 annual motor vehicle deaths become something that most Americans accept as normal? A new paper by Boston University professor Itai Vardi tries to answer that question.
A 1933 publication by Traveler’s Insurance Company pins the blame for traffic deaths on individual decisions without noting structural factors like the skyrocketing rate of driving [...]
Two Highway Lanes Won’t Fix Baton Rouge’s Traffic Problem
| | No Comments
Louisiana’s prescription for traffic congestion in Baton Rouge is to widen a highway and generate more traffic. Image: Louisiana DOTD
Everyone agrees there’s a traffic problem in Baton Rouge, but not everyone is sold on the state’s plan to address it.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s solution, presented this week, is to add two lanes to Interstate 10 [...]