Bigger vehicles are directly resulting in more deaths of people walking

Dangerous by Design 2021 chronicles the impact of street design on pedestrian deaths, but the increasing size of the vehicle fleet is also contributing to the growing numbers of people struck and killed while walking. Federal policymakers so far appear to be asleep at the switch.

Advocacy Complete Streets Transportation

Show us the streets near you that are Dangerous by Design

We are just around the corner from releasing Dangerous by Design, our national report that explores why the number of people struck and killed while walking is continuing a decade-long increase and how we continue to design and build streets that are incredibly dangerous for people walking. We want to see the streets near you where … Continued

Complete Streets Transportation

State safety targets show need for Congress to further prioritize safety

Cyclists queue at a stop sign.

For decades, state departments of transportation have treated pedestrian and cyclists fatalities like weather events: something that increases simply as people drive more, putting these deaths outside of the control of DOTs. But with COVID-19 proving this to be false, it’s past time for state DOTs to implement performance measures to reduce the number of people killed while walking or biking. Here’s our comparison of state safety targets.

Complete Streets

We’ll never address climate change without making it possible for people to drive less

With transportation accounting for the largest share of carbon emissions in the U.S., we’ll never achieve ambitious climate targets or create more livable and equitable communities if we don’t find ways to allow people to get around outside of a car—or provide more housing in places where that’s already an option. Our new report shows how we can reach those targets while building a more just and equitable society.

Advocacy Climate Change Complete Streets Transportation

New House climate plan endorses Smart Growth America’s holistic recommendations for reducing emissions

The House Select Committee on Climate Change released a new legislative blueprint this week for tackling the climate crisis that incorporates many of SGA’s recommendations across our programs, demonstrating how smart growth is at the very core of any potential plan to reduce emissions.

Advocacy Climate Change Complete Streets Economic development LOCUS Resilience Transportation

Improving safety by making it a priority throughout the INVEST Act

As noted in Transportation for America’s scorecard, the House’s INVEST Act transportation bill takes important strides to make safety a priority, from the inclusion of new performance measures all the way down to making changes with how agencies set speed limits. Here are five things to know.

Advocacy Complete Streets Transportation

A new vision for transportation

What should we accomplish with the billions in transportation funding the federal government spends each year? That’s an open question that Congress has so far seemed unwilling to answer. New principles from our Transportation for America, program seek to paint a picture of what we can—and should—get done. Congress should take note; it’s long past time for a reset of broken federal transportation policy.

Advocacy Transportation