Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about AASHTO

AASHTO Chief: Don’t Blame Street Design for Cyclist Deaths

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 18, 2015 | No Comments

This is a pretty revealing (read: depressing) exchange between a U.S. representative and the president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which represents state DOTs. The transportation agencies that comprise AASHTO essentially dictate how streets are designed throughout the U.S. They are aware that pedestrian and cyclist deaths are not declining as fast as total traffic fatalities. […]

Pieces in Place for AASHTO to Endorse Protected Bike Lanes… by 2020

By Michael Andersen | Jan 28, 2015 | No Comments

Michael Andersen blogs for The Green Lane Project, a PeopleForBikes program that helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets. The bible of U.S. bikeway engineering, last revised just before the modern American protected bike lane explosion, will almost certainly include protected lanes in its next update. That’s the implication of a […]

What AASHTO’s “Top Projects” Tell Us About State DOT Leadership

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 19, 2014 | No Comments

Who can build the biggest road slab the fastest? Those seem to be the major criteria used by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to determine the “best” projects by state DOTs across the country. In another sign that most state Departments of Transportation should still be called “highway departments,” there are […]

Does the Gender Disparity in Engineering Harm Cycling in the U.S.?

By Angie Schmitt | May 17, 2013 | No Comments

A study published in this month’s American Journal of Public Health finds that highly influential transportation engineers relied on shoddy research to defend policies that discourage the development of protected bike lanes in the U.S. In their paper, the researchers point out that male-dominated engineering panels have repeatedly torpedoed street designs that have greater appeal […]

U.S. DOT to Challenge AASHTO Supremacy on Bike/Ped Safety Standards

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 28, 2013 | No Comments

For years, the federal government has adopted roadway guidelines that fall far short of what’s needed — and what’s possible — to protect cyclists and pedestrians. By “playing it safe” and sticking with old-school engineering, U.S. DOT allowed streets to be unsafe for these vulnerable road users. But that could be changing. The bike-friendliest transportation […]

AASHTO: America’s Best Transportation Projects Are All Highways

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 7, 2012 | No Comments

Are you ready to be inspired? Well, good, because the American Association of State Highway and Transportation just released its list of finalists for the “America’s Transportation Award” Grand Prize. These ten projects span every sector of the transportation world, from enormous highway projects to … less enormous highway projects. Voting is open through October […]

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