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
Check Out Pittsburgh’s New Bicycle “Merge Lane”
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Transitions where streets suddenly change are a tricky part of bike lane design. Here’s how street designers in Pittsburgh handled the transition where a two-way bike lane ends at a T-intersection — with a “merge lane” for cyclists turning right across motor vehicle traffic. Bike PGH is enthusiastic about the new design: Have you had a chance to […]
How Much Can Bicycling Help Fight Climate Change? A Lot, If Cities Try
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A new study from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy attempts to measure the potential of bikes and e-bikes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ITDP’s conclusion, in short: Bicycling could help cut carbon emissions from urban transportation 11 percent. The authors calculated the carbon emissions reduction that could result if cities around the world make a strong, sustained […]
“Bright Clothing” Isn’t the Answer to Pedestrian Deaths
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So far this year, nine people have been killed while walking in Columbus, Ohio. Predictably, pedestrians have been caught up in the police response, as the cops increased enforcement of jaywalking. It got even worse with comments from Sergeant Brooke Wilson made to the local NPR station. “It’s not just enough to be legally correct in […]
Tell FHWA You Want Safer Designs for City Streets
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Earlier this fall, the Federal Highway Administration proposed a major policy change: Instead of requiring roads that receive federal funding to be designed like highways, the agency would change its standards to allow greater flexibility. The implications for urban streets were huge — with less red tape, cities would have a much easier time implementing safer designs for walking […]
Why Transit Agencies Are Looking to Taxis and Uber to Provide Paratransit
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In a six-month pilot program, Boston’s MBTA is exploring the use of taxis as an alternative to large vans for paratransit service, which is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The program is “already earning praise from customers” according to the Boston Globe. Jarrett Walker at Human Transit explains why this could be very good news for […]
The Looming Transit Breakdown That Threatens America’s Economy
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While federal transit funding stagnates, the nation’s largest rail and bus systems have been delaying critical maintenance projects. Without sustained efforts to fix infrastructure and vehicles, the effects of deteriorating service in big American cities could ripple across the national economy, according to a new report from the Regional Plan Association [PDF]. RPA focuses on ten of the nation’s largest transit agencies […]
Speeding Is a Big Problem Where Police Stopped Google Car for Slow Driving
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A Google car made headlines last week when police pulled it over for driving too slowly on El Camino Real in Mountain View, California. Most media accounts treated the incident as a funny anecdote, but Richard Masoner at Cyclelicious says it reveals a lot about what’s broken with how police approach traffic enforcement: Guess which area of Mountain View is the most dangerous […]
How Giving Bike Share Prime Real Estate Attracts More Riders
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We’ve written before about how bike-share “station density” — how closely together stations are placed — is a key variable in how successful systems are in attracting riders. Here’s a new theory on how station locations can have an impact on bike-share use. Bill Lindeke at Streets.mn says it matters where stations are placed within commercial sites and public areas. The more prominent the […]
Cartoon Donald Shoup Explains How Planning for Cars Ruins Cities
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This is a pretty great animation explaining how American cities were undermined by a slavish dedication to storing and moving cars. It’s by comedian Adam Conover from TruTV’s “Adam Ruins Everything,” who also made this great video explaining the screwed up origin of the word “jaywalking.” The best part may be the animated version of parking […]
Milwaukee’s Clever Parking Crater Repair Strategy: A Colorful Mural
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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 colorful paint scheme and some outdoor furniture. Project for Public Spaces, which helped lead the project, says the space has been dubbed The Spot 4MKE, and is now hosting public […]
The Future of Parking Arrives in DC
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Something pretty remarkable is happening with DC parking policy. The city has begun a sophisticated program based on the work of economist Donald Shoup: meters with prices that adjust to demand, at that time, in that location. Naturally, there’s been some sensational media coverage about how smarter parking meter prices amount to “surge pricing” a la Uber. David Alpert at Greater […]
More Evidence That Helmet Laws Don’t Work
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If you want to increase cycling safety in your city, drop the helmet law and focus on getting more people– particularly women — on bikes, with street designs that offer separation from vehicle traffic. That’s the finding of a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia [PDF] evaluating safety outcomes for cyclists across Canadian […]