Public Safety: Page 9

  • Several charred boxcars lie alongside a railroad track with a white industrial building behind them.
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    Angelo Merendino via Getty Images
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    National League of Cities calls for congressional action to improve rail safety

    The letter calls for specific improvements to rail safety as legislators consider new bipartisan action in response to the Ohio train derailment in February.

    By • March 6, 2023
  • Electric charging vehicle close-up
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    Permission granted by International Parking & Mobility Institute
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    Sponsored by International Parking & Mobility Institute

    Point-counterpoint: should garages be the “gas station” of the future for electric vehicle charging?

    Experts at the International Parking & Mobility Institute (IPMI) are driving innovation, transformation, electrification, and the future of parking and mobility.  Plug in to the conversation on when, where, and how to charge electric vehicles for maximum impact.

    By Mary Smith, PE, and Andrew Sachs, CAPP excerpted from articles in Parking & Mobility Magazine • March 6, 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

    Report: Public perceptions of homelessness don’t accurately capture the challenges cities face

    Report: Public perceptions of homelessness don’t accurately capture the challenges cities face

    By Andy Castillo • Feb. 18, 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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    Modernizing 911: Three simple steps for a faster emergency response

    When people experience an emergency or life-threatening situation, they dial 911 with the expectation that help will quickly be on the way. However, due to emergency center staffing shortages, large call volumes and other factors, 911 response times have increased in recent years. In some cities, it can even take hours for help to arrive.

    By Brandon Shopp • Feb. 17, 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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    U.S. Department of Transportation announces $645M to update rural roadways, improving mobility and safety

    U.S. Department of Transportation announces $645M to update rural roadways, improving mobility and safety

    By Andy Castillo • Feb. 13, 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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    Call for asphalt artists in Louisville seeks to make streets vibrant, safer

    Artwork painted on pavement doesn’t only highlight the skill of the local asphalt artists who put it there, it also makes the street where it’s installed safer.

    By Andy Castillo • Feb. 9, 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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    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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    Getty Images
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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