By State Smart Transportation Initiative · October 31, 2017

Differences in perceived travel time based on visual preference surveys. Source: Erath et al., 2015.

In planning and designing for pedestrians, sidewalks are often a good start but rarely make a place walkable on their own. Measuring pedestrian accessibility (the topic of a recent SSTI webinar) depends on two important pieces of information: 1) where destinations are located, and 2) the quality of the walking network connecting to those places. This second point is the focus of two studies published in a recent issue of the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. [more]

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is proposing an increase in the city’s fee charged to ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to offset the loss of revenue from public transit users who switched to ride-hailing services. This additional revenue, to be used specifically for mass transit, will add to the $59.6 million generated in 2016 as a result of the fee. [more]

A new study delves into the effects of ride-hailing (Uber and Lyft) use on other parts of our transportation system. The Institute of Transportation Studies at University of California–Davis examined the interrelationships between parking, vehicle ownership, use of different forms of transit, and effect on vehicle miles traveled, and their findings confirm some assumptions and disprove others. In particular, the rise of ride-hailing has led to more car trips; over half of trips made by ride-hailing would not have been made at all, or would have been made by transit or active transportation. [more]

Adding to its list of disruptions to the car industry, Tesla is now poised to change the auto insurance market. Tesla has partnered with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company to roll out a Tesla-specific insurance product; this may be just the first step in Tesla’s plans to integrate vehicle purchase, maintenance, and insurance. Such integration might also begin to answer questions about liability posed by AVs. [more]

Upcoming events

Update: We’ve added a new speaker for this webinar and shifted the date to later this month.

Florida Department of Transportation is making major strides toward improving pedestrian and bicycle safety through its Complete Streets Implementation initiative. One of FDOT’s most innovative achievements has been the recent adoption of eight context classifications to guide road design decisions. While the concept of context classification is not new, FDOT is one of the first states to operationalize it within formal decision-making processes. Join DeWayne Carver from FDOT and *Billy Hattaway from the City of Orlando* to learn about the new context classification approach, why FDOT developed it, and how it will guide roadway design decisions moving forward.

In case you missed it

• U.S. receives “F” for safe pedestrian designs and policies
• Is distracted driving the main issue?
• Is congestion pricing equitable? Data suggests “yes” in Portland, OR
• Surge of traffic offenses by Uber & Lyft drivers raises larger questions
• Florida DOT to deploy innovative transportation technologies for increased safety