Blog 1 of 3 —Reflections on Bike Safety Between March and June, 2018, my wife and I bicycled nearly 5,000 kilometers riding through 6 countries in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Before the trip started, one of my fears was that the roads were going to be really dangerous and […]
Eight Steps Communities Can Take to Become More Walk and Bike Friendly Access to reliable, affordable, and efficient transportation is fundamental to the success and happiness of a community, its businesses, residents, and visitors. Human Life, Health, and Safety are the New Priority All people deserve to safely walk, bike, take transit, and drive through their communities […]
Well-crafted wayfinding systems encourage people walking and bicycling to go that extra mile, explore new areas, and foster a sense of place. Wayfinding systems can also encourage increased rates of active transportation by creating a clear and attractive network that is easy to understand and navigate. Places that are arranged intuitively so that we can […]
Separated bike lane. Rendering by Alta Planning + Design. Maybe you’d like to take the bus to work, but the walk to the bus stop is too long. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to get to the bus stop faster than walking, but without having to deal with the hassles of park-and-ride? […]
Despite being used successfully for decades in Europe, Advisory Bike Lanes (also known as advisory shoulders), are an emerging facility type in North America and can be an effective tool for communities to provide bicycle lanes on streets that are otherwise too narrow to accommodate them. Alta’s Innovation Lab has produced a white paper that […]
All Ages and Abilities Crossing of a Major Arterial from Atlanta Regional Commission Bike to Ride. Creating a Low Stress Bicycle Network We like to think that all people could potentially become bicyclists. A bicycle network will attract a large portion of the population if it is designed to reduce stress associated with potential motor vehicle conflicts […]
The balance between improved perception of safety and improved connectivity can be difficult to strike. Bikeways are often considered safer if they involve little, if any, interaction between people bicycling and people driving or if greater degrees of physical separation are placed between a bikeway and a travel lane with heavy traffic volumes and/or high […]
Improving our communities for active transportation requires change. This change must occur at a political level, continue to be supported at the staff level, and be accepted by the public in order to achieve success. This change is frightening for many as it represents extra effort, unknown consequences, and fears of liability, and it requires […]
The Significance of Design Guidelines for Small Towns and Rural Communities Until recently, photographs showcasing best practice bicycle and pedestrian design throughout the US had something missing. Design guidelines generally featured transit lanes, five story buildings, and wide sidewalks; all contemporary and innovative facilities were considered to be “urban” in nature. Missing from the conversation […]
By Phil Goff, LEED AP, Senior Associate, Alta Planning + Design As bike share continues to become increasingly popular in the U.S., Detroit can now be counted among the over 70 cities that feature the program. For Detroit, bike share is one component of the revitalization that has occurred in the central city over the […]
