How to Frame the Urban Speed Limit Issue
When the state has authority to regulate speed limits, local authorities — who are more attuned to local circumstances — have limited leverage.
Category: Safety
We Read the Speed Limit Comments So You Don’t Have To
When controversy happens…when tempers flare…we read the comments, so you don’t have to. Perhaps it’s a slow news cycle, but the news has hit that the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota plans to seek a change in the state law that sets a “floor” of 30 MPH on city streets. (Yes, city speed limits are set […]
Map Monday: US Road Fatalities, 2004 – 2013
Via Citylab, here’s an interactive map showing all the deaths on roads for the entire country for a decade. A data researcher named Max Galka made it, and it has over 370,000 data points, one for each fatality. Wow. I zoomed in on Central Minnesota here. Duluth and Lake Superior are at the top right. […]
The Star Tribune presents “The Pedestrian Menace”
I like the Star Tribune. They do good work, and have had a lot of quality articles on urban design over the last year. But this last weekend, the front page of the Star Tribune had a big headline front and center, the prime A1 slot, declaring “A Deadly Year for Distracted Walkers in Minnesota.” […]
This Intersection Needs Work
Having recently moved away from downtown, I’m spending more time in other parts of the city, which means I find new things to critique/complain about. Case in point, a problematic intersection that stands between my new home and the closest grocery store: Cedar Ave & East Minnehaha Parkway. Let’s set aside for the moment how […]
Lesser of Three Evils for my Saint Paul Bike Commute
Commuter cyclist Dana DeMaster reflects on the choices from “bad” to “worst” after being hit by a car just weeks into her new commute.
The Importance of Bicycle Lighting
It’s The Crank again, and today I’m going to talk about bicycle lighting or the lack of it, and the various ways I find it annoying. When I ride at night or in low-light situations, I like to have at least a rear light to make me more visible to motorists. A front light is […]
Jefferson Crashes Rekindle Bicycle Boulevard Debate
Obviously, it was sad. Last week I had the ill fate of attending a police press conference at the corner of Cleveland and Jefferson Avenues in Saint Paul’s Mac-Groveland neighborhood. I had no pressing business that afternoon and, because I’d always wanted to see what one of these pressers was like, I scooted across town. […]
Walker Street’s New Mystery Lanes
Walker Street in Saint Louis Park is one of the oldest streets in the suburb. Walker Street and Lake Street are Saint Louis Park’s original “main street” district. A block from that intersection is the city’s high school, varsity stadium, and an elementary Spanish language immersion school. With the TH 7/Louisiana Avenue intersection reconstruction complete, […]
Texting While Driving is Illegal and Dangerous, but People Still Do It
As Minnesota works to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to traffic crashes, one of the biggest challenges is the growing number of crashes caused by distracted driving, especially texting and driving. In the last four years, almost a quarter of all crashes that resulted in a death or serious injury were attributed to […]