Angie Schmitt
Angie is a Cleveland-based writer with a background in planning and newspaper reporting. She has been writing about cities for Streetsblog for six years.
Recent Posts
Pokémon Go — Americans Are Walking Again Because of a Video Game
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Hundreds of reporters — and all of your Facebook friends — are talking about Pokémon Go, the “augmented reality” game that lures people to go outside and explore in search of virtual critters. A zillion takes have been published about the game in the week since it was released, including some disturbing accounts of how people mix Pokémon Go […]
The Right to Peaceful Assembly vs. the “Right” to Convenient Motoring
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Demonstrations against police brutality spilled onto streets and highways in American cities this weekend, with protesters stopping traffic in Baton Rouge, Memphis, St. Paul, Los Angeles, and Oakland. NPR reports 102 people were arrested in St. Paul and another 120 in Baton Rouge, including prominent Black Lives Matter organizer DeRay Mckesson, who was arrested while walking along […]
Milwaukee Bike-Share Teams Up With Housing Authority on System Expansion
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As Milwaukee’s Bublr bike-share system expands, how well will it work for lower-income residents? The system launched two years ago with a mere 10 stations. But it is gradually expanding, and by the end of this year, officials are looking to have 58 stations in operation. With a $62,000 grant from People for Bikes’ Better Bike Share […]
“Investigatory” Traffic Stops Need to End
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The images are excruciating — Philando Castile, bleeding to death as his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter look on. A cafeteria supervisor in the St. Paul School District, Castile was pulled over by officer Jeronimo Yanez in the neighboring town of Falcon Heights for having a broken taillight. Yanez fatally shot Castile after he informed the officer […]
CDC: America Falling Behind Other Nations on Traffic Safety
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How is the U.S. doing on traffic safety? To hear a lot of people tell it, we’re making great strides. President Obama recently referred to the reduction in American traffic deaths as a success story of sorts, contrasting it with the rise in gun deaths. But while traffic fatalities in America are indeed trending downward, […]
Since 1960, Many Fast-Growing Cities Would Have Shrunk If Not For Sprawl
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Every year Census data comes out revealing which cities are growing fastest. But what the numbers don’t tell us is what kind of growth is occurring and where. Yonah Freemark at the Transport Politic set out to get a better understanding of growth patterns in major cities. Looking at long-term changes since 1960, the big upshot is that […]
Veering Right: A Cyclist on the Constant Sensation of Being in the Way
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When she was a kid growing up in Minneapolis, biking was as natural to Alice Avidor as breathing the air. But as time went on, biking went from feeling carefree and empowering to something more like a hostile negotiation. Avidor writes at streets.mn about why she now finds herself veering to the right to avoid inconveniencing drivers: I think the driver that […]
Park & Rides Lose Money and Waste Land — But Agencies Keep Building Them
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Transit agencies shell out big bucks to build and operate parking facilities. But how much do we really know about what they get for their money? Researchers Lisa Jacobson and Rachel Weinberger surveyed 37 American transit agencies about park-and-ride facilities. They found that despite the expense of park-and-rides and the fact that many spaces go unused, […]
Parking Takes Up More Space Than You Think
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One of the biggest problems with a car-dependent transportation system is that cars are big space hogs. A single parking space occupies almost as much square footage as a small studio apartment. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. David Barboza at Network blog Straight Outta Suburbia points out that you have to factor in driveways as well. Here’s how that adds […]
U.S. Traffic Fatalities Rising Fast — Especially Pedestrian and Cyclist Deaths
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Traffic fatalities in America hit a seven-year high in 2015, with pedestrians and cyclists accounting for a disproportionate share of the alarming increase, according to preliminary data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Last year, 35,200 people were killed in traffic — a 7.7 percent increase over 2014 and the worst death toll since 2008. The number of people killed while […]
New Jersey Runs Out of Transportation Money, Christie Halts All Projects
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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered all transportation construction in the state to be halted today after the state’s Transportation Trust Fund went bankrupt last night. Despite Christie’s attempts to point fingers, he really has no one to blame but himself. After the State Senate shot down a belated effort to raise New Jersey’s gas tax last night, Christie blamed Democrats […]
Portland Tells Builders: Give Pedestrians and Cyclists Safe Detours
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When construction projects occupy sidewalks and bike lanes, many cities don’t do anything to compensate — forcing people to walk and bike in traffic or take long, unrealistic detours. But it’s not that hard to put up safe, convenient alternate routes. Yesterday, the Portland City Council voted to require better detours for pedestrians and cyclists at construction zones. […]