Posts about Roads
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Opinion: We need a safety makeover for Montgomery’s state highways
Just weeks ago, a driver hit and injured four high school students who were waiting for their school bus to arrive on Georgia Avenue. This tragedy followed three other pedestrians deaths on Georgia Avenue this year. Sadly, this is not a new phenomenon. Keep reading…
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Heard of “road diets?” Here’s why fewer lanes can actually be faster—and safer.
Ford pumped out a lot of cars in the early 1900s, and by the '60s there were so many vehicles on US roads that traffic engineers decided to add more lanes. Unfortunately, they were a bit overzealous, and many roads were expanded even when there was really no need. That left the country with a lot of overbuilt and unsafe roads that persist to this day. Keep reading…
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Push for changes to a Capital Crescent Trail intersection where a cyclist died
Two years ago, a cyclist was tragically struck and killed by a driver at the intersection of the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) and Little Falls Parkway. After this incident, the local parks service reduced car lanes to one each way and lowered the speed limit. It has worked incredibly well, and Montgomery County should make the changes permanant. Keep reading…
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Fairfax risks forgetting transit as an option for the Fairfax County Parkway
Fairfax County wants input and ideas for the future of Fairfax County Parkway, a major road that connects communites spanning from Lorton to Herndon. It's an important road that sometimes sees a lot of congestion, so many people want to fix it. Keep reading…
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Pedestrian crash rates are highest in the District’s poorest areas
Last week, Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed a reset of her Vision Zero campaign, acknowledging the unpleasant fact that fatalities have risen over the past several years. Drilling down by ward, it’s clear that the poorest parts of the city have the most crashes compared to the number of people who walk or ride transit. Keep reading…
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There are powerful community reasons to invest in walkability
Greater Greater Washington is pleased to present two excerpts from Jeff Speck's highly-anticipated book, Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places. Keep reading…
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Housing and transportation are the same, these graphs show
Housing and transportation are two different issues, right? Some places have dense urban forms, while others are suburban or rural. Meanwhile, in some places there's a lot of walking or biking or transit use, and in others, people drive everywhere. Right? Not really, this graph demonstrates. Instead, the two are one. Keep reading…
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Scooters are taking cars off the road, a survey says
For DC and other cities concerned about rising traffic, a new study in Portland suggests scooters could be a solution. Residents and tourists are using e-scooters in place of car trips, and scooters are drawing people who've never ridden a bike or never traveled in a bike lane. Keep reading…
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Vision 31 and counting: we’re tracking how many people have died on DC streets
Vision Zero should be an urbanist’s dream: it marries the ideals of transportation safety with accountability. Safer roads and sidewalks mean residents are more likely to visit businesses, homes, schools and libraries via foot, bike, and even public transit. But here’s the reality: each week people are being struck and killed by drivers on DC roads. Keep reading…
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Getting a ‘D’ grade is actually pretty good for highways
Listen to any discussion of highway congestion and you will inevitably hear about Level of Service (LOS), which assigns a letter grade to the congestion level of road segments. Letter grades start with ‘A’ for free flow and run down to ‘F’ for “failing” (congested) roads. Simple enough…except that it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Keep reading…