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My latest, in Bloomberg: There’s a widespread myth that Americans hate traffic cameras. It’s simply not true. On the contrary, researchers have consistently found that Americans broadly support using automatic enforcement to curb crashes. And for good reason: It works. #transportation #safety #traffic https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-28/automated-traffic-enforcement-is-more-popular-than-you-think

I recently biked along the Baltic Sea in Poland, from Gdansk to Sopot. It was one of the most sublime rides of my life. I wondered: Why are there so few places in North America where people can cycle along the coast, separated from cars? My exploration, in Bloomberg #poland #biking #tourism https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-30/the-us-needs-more-european-style-oceanfront-bike-paths?srnd=phx-citylab-transportation

For decades, the US was the gold standard for car safety regs. Not anymore -- that title now belongs to Europe. In Bloomberg, global auto reg exec David Ward and I discussed why cars have grown safer around the world – but not in the US. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-03/how-did-cars-around-the-world-get-safer-credit-the-crash-test?srnd=undefined

My latest in Bloomberg CityLab: Applying "abundance" to transportation requires considering the kind of infrastructure that gets built, not just the quantity. More trains and bike lanes would be great -- more highways and robotaxis not so much. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-03/when-the-abundance-movement-talks-about-transportation #cars #abundance #policy

Seventy years ago, the writer Lewis Mumford warned that urban highways would be a disaster: “This is pyramid building with a vengeance, a tomb of concrete roads and ramps covering the dead corpse of a city.” He was right. We just didn’t listen. My homage, in Bloomberg CityLab: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-14/in-1955-lewis-mumford-saw-nyc-s-congestion-battle-coming?srnd=phx-citylab #cities #history #highways

Because of tariffs and recession fears, Americans are more likely to buy a sedan instead of a pricey SUV or truck. But Detroit doesn’t offer any sedans. Foreign automakers do. In Fast Company, I explained why car bloat leaves the Big Three uniquely vulnerable to Trump’s economic chaos. https://www.fastcompany.com/91296810/detroit-killed-the-sedan-trumps-trade-war-will-make-them-wish-they-hadnt #cars #trump #detroit #trade

In Bloomberg CityLab, I argued that "shrinking" mass transit -- replacing buses and trains with pods or shuttles -- is a fool's errand. Small transit vehicles cannot scale w/o massive subsidies. It's a problem that cripples PRT, the Vegas Loop, and microtransit alike. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-01-06/why-personal-rapid-transit-can-t-compete-with-regular-old-buses #transit #transportation

In Slate, I explained why a newborn, job change, or closed highway can disrupt our travel habits, prompting us to form new ones -- and perhaps leave the car at home. It's a lesson with huge implications for policy.

Slate Magazine

The Psychological Traps That Keep Us Stuck Commuting Via Car

Even when better options are available, switching modes is tough.

#cities #urbanplanning #policy

My latest in Fast Company: We need to stop saying “road safety is a shared responsibility.” Road engineers, automakers, and policymakers have the power to reduce the sky-high number of US crash deaths. Individual road users don't. https://www.fastcompany.com/91233037/whos-really-to-blame-and-who-isnt-for-americas-traffic-death-epidemic #crash #safety

In a new Fast Company story, I argued that focusing on range and acceleration -- the most popular metrics for EV quality -- will lead to confused customers, wasted resources, and needless road deaths. https://www.fastcompany.com/91227386/forget-about-ev-range-and-focus-on-this-instead #electricvehicles #cars #climate #climatechange