The Strong Towns Podcast
Shima Hamidi: Narrow Lanes Save Lives
Feb 5, 2024
Dr. Shima Hamidi, a researcher at Johns Hopkins, challenges traditional traffic design by suggesting that narrow and curvy roads are safer. The podcast explores how street design affects driver behavior, the benefits of narrowing lanes for lively and safer streets, and the consequences of transportation planning on public health.
39:21
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Quick takeaways
- Wider streets provide a false sense of safety to drivers and lead to higher speeds, increasing the likelihood and severity of crashes.
- Streets in different contexts require different design approaches to ensure safety for all users, such as narrower lanes and traffic calming devices.
Deep dives
The Problems with Wide and Forgiving Street Design
The conventional design approach in civil engineering prioritizes wide and forgiving street design, assuming it makes streets safer. However, research indicates that wider streets actually provide a false sense of safety to drivers and lead to higher speeds, which increase the likelihood and severity of crashes. Narrowing the lanes and incorporating design elements that prioritize pedestrian and cyclist safety can lead to safer streets overall.
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