Public Safety: Page 11

  • A car with front-end damage is being loaded onto a flatbed truck while several more crashed vehicles are seen behind it on an expresway near downtown Chicago.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    US DOT launches roadway safety call to action

    Nearly 50 governments, non-government organizations and private-sector partners have committed to taking specific actions this year to reduce roadway deaths.

    By • Feb. 3, 2023
  • Many people exit and enter a silver New York City subway trains at a Manhattan underground station.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    To close budget gaps, transit agencies face hard decisions in 2023

    Remote work, crime and reduced service are deterring riders and cutting into fare revenue, leaving agencies to look for new funds or cut service.

    By • Jan. 31, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Column

    Writing a Protest Response

    By Jack Zeigler,CPPO, C.P.M. Before discussing the subject of bid protests, an obligatory caveat is in order.

    Jan. 27, 2023
  • An installed Portland Loo public toilet. Philadelphia plans to install six Portland Loos starting this fall.
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    Permission granted by The Portland Loo
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    Phoenix launches 24-hour public restroom pilot at a homeless shelter

    The city will install The Portland Loo, which was created to help cities and nonprofits provide people experiencing homelessness with access to a public restroom.

    By Danielle McLean • Jan. 27, 2023
  • Crowds of people walking through a busy crosswalk at the intersection of 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City..
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    NYC says vehicles equipped with speed limit tech reduced unsafe driving

    Intelligent speed assistance technology installed in 50 fleet vehicles since August has resulted in near-universal compliance with local speed limits and a 36% reduction of hard-braking events, New York City officials announced.

    By Danielle McLean • Jan. 18, 2023
  • Nighttime photo of the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign with blurred hotels and lights in the background.
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    CES 2023

    Las Vegas invests in connected vehicle technology

    Cameras and sensors transmit traffic safety information to emergency response and autonomous vehicles.

    By • Jan. 18, 2023
  • A car with front-end damage is being loaded onto a flatbed truck while several more crashed vehicles are seen behind it on an expresway near downtown Chicago.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Traffic fatalities dipped in 2022 while pedestrian and cyclist deaths rose: NHTSA

    Despite improvements in some areas, safety advocates decried concerning trends faced by pedestrians and cyclists. 

    By • Jan. 10, 2023
  • An aerial view of Madison, Wisconsin.
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    Madison, Wisconsin, approves complete green streets policy

    The capital city’s new guide attempts to align with safety and sustainability goals and provide a more consistent and equitable framework for making decisions about the public right of way.

    By Maria Rachal • Jan. 6, 2023
  • Subway entrance in Philadelphia.
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    SEPTA’s AI gun detection pilot aims to reduce gun violence, address staffing concerns

    Through the six-month pilot, Pennsylvania-based ZeroEyes will use the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s existing camera system to spot any object in the shape of a gun, but critics say greater surveillance creates risk of misidentification.

    By Stephenie Overman • Jan. 5, 2023
  • A white General Motors Bolt electric vehicle with a red "Cruise" logo is crossing an intersection in downtown San Francisco, with a street of parked cars and businesses behind it.
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    Courtesy of Cruise
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    Federal safety regulators begin investigation into self-driving taxis

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is delving into reported incidents of GM’s Cruise autonomous ride-hailing vehicles hard braking or becoming disabled.

    By • Dec. 22, 2022
  • Social infrastructure and communication technology concept. IoT(Internet of Things)
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    Sponsored by GM Future Roads

    Bridging the road safety divide with connected car data.

    Whether in a motor vehicle, on a bike or motorcycle or as a pedestrian, road and traffic safety remains a serious problem.

    By Harnit Anand, Manager, Global Innovation, Future Roads & Smart City Incubation • Dec. 12, 2022
  • Portland Oregon at night.
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    Portland, Oregon, passed a controversial homelessness mitigation plan. Here’s why and what comes next.

    Amid discontent over the city’s homelessness crisis, Portland’s city council passed resolutions to address the issue. But opponents say parts of the plan won’t work and appear politically motivated. 

    By Katie Pyzyk • Dec. 6, 2022
  • Crowds of people walking through a busy crosswalk at the intersection of 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City..
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    Smart cities in 2022 - what you need to know

    Rail expansion, emerging technologies such as digital twins and air taxis and new approaches to transit and housing have driven the news this year. Catch up with highlights from Smart Cities Dive.

    By Danielle McLean • Dec. 2, 2022
  • New York, cars, bikes, safety, road, New York City
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    Charlotte phone app warns drivers of behavior that puts pedestrians, others at risk

    As part of the North Carolina city’s ongoing Vision Zero campaign, drivers using the TravelSafely app will be alerted when they are driving too fast in certain areas or approaching pedestrians in crosswalks. 

    By Danielle McLean • Nov. 23, 2022
  • Semi-automatic rifles hanging on gun shop wall.
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    New gun-control laws forge ahead in Columbus, Ohio

    Some cities have recently restricted the use and possession of guns. Columbus is targeting large-capacity magazines and unsafe handling while eyeing universal background checks and an assault weapon ban.

    By Danielle McLean • Nov. 11, 2022
  • A white sedan with large sensors mounted on the roof and front hood drives along a street in San Francisco.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Auto industry reassesses autonomous vehicles, creating uncertainty for city leaders

    AV developers promise safer, more sustainable mobility in cities but are dogged by crashes and errors. Are better technologies just around the corner?

    By • Nov. 7, 2022
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    E-scooter accidents surge as the micromobility devices’ popularity grows

    The number of scooter-related emergency room visits grew nearly 450% in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

    By Charles Pekow • Nov. 1, 2022
  • A person holding a handgun
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Landlords bear the burden of gun safety in their communities

    Most states leave tough decisions about the complicated issue of firearm restrictions to multifamily property owners.

    By • Oct. 12, 2022
  • Canada geese in Washington, D.C.
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    Mark Wilson via Getty Images
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    When Canada geese swarm cities, officials flock to solutions

    Once on the brink of extinction, Canada geese have roared to a comeback. Today, their overpopulation in much of the U.S. leads to feces-contaminated parks and waterways.

    By Adina Solomon • Oct. 6, 2022
  • Long exposure Light trails of train moving in tunnel
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    Sponsored by GM Future Roads

    Connected vehicle insights help Washington D.C. better understand school zone traffic safety

    The district uses crash, volume, speed and demographic information from Safety View by GM Future Roads and INRIX to help reduce injuries among children.

    Sept. 26, 2022
  • New York, cars, bikes, safety, road, New York City
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    Community involvement needed in traffic safety strategies, Vision Zero manager says

    A systematic approach to planning that assumes human error was among the strategies urged at a Washington, D.C.-area summit. Meanwhile, U.S. DOT seeks public input on vulnerable individuals and intersection safety.

    By Charles Pekow • Sept. 23, 2022
  • Overhead view of highway with cars and trucks with lines drawn among them implying connected vehicles using intelligent transportation systems.
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    To break an impasse in connected vehicle tech, transportation leaders call for a federal policy framework

    A national framework could address the chicken-and-egg problem of who should invest in the technology first, carmakers or communities, transportation experts say. Without such guidance, each is hesitant to move forward.

    By Michael Brady • Sept. 19, 2022
  • Passengers wearing masks walk through a subway stations with yellow police tape in the foreground.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    With attacks on public transit up, cities struggle to make riders feel safer

    Already grappling with depressed ridership, U.S. cities are responding to increased violent crime on public transportation, which recent analyses have reported, with “transit ambassadors” and other approaches.

    By • Sept. 14, 2022
  • San Diego Public Library's Central Library branch
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    Permission granted by The San Diego Public Library
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    San Diego adds social worker to assist homeless public library patrons

    The two-year pilot will provide support for unhoused individuals experiencing substance use or mental health issues instead of relying on untrained library staff to do so. 

    By Danielle McLean • Sept. 12, 2022
  • A person seen from the legs down is walking on a dark road at night with headlights approaching in the distance.
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    Automatic braking systems have trouble seeing pedestrians at night: IIHS test

    Automatic emergency braking systems, a standard feature on most new cars, did well in identifying pedestrians during the day but performed poorly at night in tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

    By • Aug. 31, 2022