Here’s a handy chart that shows how the USA ranks a set of against other peer countries like Canada, Japan, Australia and a bunch in Europe. Red is the color the chart uses to denote its “worst” ranking. Voila: Some of the data is newer, some is older. Not much to add about this one. […]
What is the cost, both human and financial, of devoting so much valuable urban land to cars — be it streets or parking?
At streets.mn, contributors talk a lot about how to create cities where personal automobiles take on a less primary presence, and the needs of other street uses – pedestrians, cyclists, and transit-users – can rise to the forefront. However, today I’d like to take an opportunity to discuss the vehicles that we do have, and […]
When controversy happens… when tempers flare… we read the comments, so you don’t have to. Perhaps you have heard it is road construction season in Minnesota? Exits from I-35W northbound into downtown Minneapolis are closing for important bridge work. Local media has been hyperventilating about the project for days. We are getting regular Star-Tribune coverage of […]
Don’t accept the argument that roads are congested (and can’t handle new development) without looking at the data.
You might remember a rash of people on social media becoming suddenly interested in “the Trolley Problem” a few years ago. A classic ethical thought experiment about the dilemma posed by a runaway trolley, contemporary interest in it has been revived as corporations and engineers (PDF) begin grappling with programming and design decisions that will govern […]
If you don’t know about Saint Paul’s Maryland Avenue, you really should. To catch up, take a look at these past Streets.MN articles: June 20, 2016 – Maryland Avenue Pedestrian Safety Meeting Recap May 19, 2017 – So Much Depends on the Next Six Weeks on Maryland Avenue July 12, 2017 – Maryland Avenue: The […]
Road salt eats away at concrete in multi-story parking garages in a process known as “Spalling”. Salt accelerates the rate at which water gets into cracks, causing the concrete to pull away from its Rebar reinforcement. This is what happened to the River Center parking garage in downtown Saint Paul. A section of the garage […]
When a self-driving car kills a pedestrian, for the first time, we humans are left to ponder whether the machine is at fault — or our road rules.
Aiming to speed up bus trips on busy Hennepin Avenue, Metro Transit and the City of Minneapolis are trying bus-only lanes. Can they work long term?