Aging U.S. infrastructure: Rust on the underside of the Norwalk River Railroad Bridge, built in 1896 in Norwalk, Conn., and scheduled for replacement starting in 2022.
AP Photo/Susan Haigh
The pandemic offered a tantalizing look at city life with fewer cars in the picture. But with traffic rebounding, there’s limited time to lock in policies that make streets more people-friendly.
Laura Fruhen, The University of Western Australia; Isabel Rossen, The University of Western Australia, and Lisette Kanse, The University of Western Australia
Passing distance laws do change driver behaviour. But new research suggests not all the changes are positive.
Governments could capitalize on the growth of telecommuting to promote more car-free lifestyles.
(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
The pandemic could be a boon to car use, but it would be a mistake for governments to let that happen. There’s a golden opportunity to push towards a zero-carbon transportation system.
Electric scooters have become a popular way to get around since their introduction to U.S. cities about three years ago. But fatalities are mounting.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
Electric scooter rides soared from zero to 88 million a year between 2017 and 2019. But launching e-scooters in cities without safe infrastructure or clear rules of the road can be deadly.
Bike-share programs don’t just cater for residents. When tourists use them too, that greatly increases the value the whole community gets from these bikes.
In Paris, the major east-west axis, from the Place de la Concorde to the Place de la Bastille, as given a temporary ‘coronapiste’ after the pandemic broke out. Mayor Anne Hidalgo has said that it will become permanent.
Mairie de Paris
The need for social distancing sparked a cycling boom, cutting air pollution and boosting city dwellers’ mental and physical health. But when the pandemic ends, will it be back to life as usual?
Launched in 2010, Brisbane’s CityCycle, like share-bike schemes in other cities, is making way for dockless e-bikes.
Paul Broben/PR handout/AAP
Delivery riders are paying the ultimate price for the fact that our cities, their infrastructure and the rules governing them make cycling much more dangerous than it should be.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in people cycling as an alternative to public transit.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
An increase in cyclists due to the COVID-19 pandemic means that cities need to look at what it means to develop and maintain inclusive bicycle infrastructure.
Investing more in cycling and walking would boost both physical and economic health, with a typical return of $5 for every $1 spent on cycling infrastructure.
City streets were built to accommodate cars, but the COVID-19 pandemic has scrambled our transport needs. Many cities are moving to make streets more people-friendly and less car-centric.
Bike routes have been expanded in many major cities, including Bogata, Columbia, to encourage people to avoid crowded public transportation.
(AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Bike shops have seen record sales during the pandemic as people try to avoid crowded transportation. But governments must do more to keep new cyclists in the saddle.