Research

Introduces a Car Dependency Index (CDI) analyzing 18 cities in Europe and North America. Finds that spatial inequalities in car dependency persist even after controlling for income. Models that a Rome metro expansion could eliminate ~60,000 commuting vehicles, but concludes that isolated infrastructure interventions have limited reach — only network-wide transit improvements meaningfully reduce car dependency.

A scan of how transportation advocates are increasingly using litigation — alongside organizing and communications — to advance safer streets, stop highway expansions, and win constitutional challenges. Covers landmark cases like Navahine v. Hawaiʻi DOT and explores opportunities to hold agencies accountable for dangerous road designs.

More driving makes communities less prosperous. This study finds that productivity declines with increased vehicle travel and rises with multimodal transportation — regions with higher cycling and walking mode shares tend to have higher GDP. It identifies six ways automobile-oriented planning reduces productivity, from higher infrastructure costs to reduced access for non-drivers.

Longitudinal analysis of 14,011 block groups across 28 U.S. cities finds that bicycle network density has 4.6 times the effect on bicycle commuting growth compared to individual facility installation. Protected and buffered lanes consistently increased ridership; standard lanes lost significance once broader network context was accounted for. Network cohesion matters more than any single facility. Investments in isolated infrastructure yield limited results without a connected system.

Comprehensive white paper examining the flawed U.S. approach to roadway safety through car dependence, policing for profit, and over-reliance on enforcement. Proposes six evidence-based strategies: prioritizing infrastructure, reforming municipal finance, limiting pretextual stops, piloting civilian enforcement, incentivizing vehicle safety, and leveraging technology.

Regression analysis of 222 miles of Florida arterials finds that land use - not just raod design - is responsible for deaths and injuries. The siting of groceries, pharmacies, gas stations, and fast-food outlets—are strongly associated with the death and injury of vulnerable road users

Comprehensive analysis of six Chicago bike lane corridors examining economic impacts on sales tax revenue, employment, property values, and safety. Findings show bike lanes generally support business activity and community safety while improving cycling infrastructure.

Analysis of 320 Utah urban arterial sections demonstrates that narrower lanes reduce vehicle speeds and injury crashes. Each additional foot of lane width increases 85th percentile speed by 1.012 mph and injury crash odds by 38.3%.

This study explores the concept of windshield bias, which refers to the tendency for people to view the world from the perspective of a car driver, and how it contributes to motornormativity and public health hazards.

Motonormativity is the idea that car use is the default and normal way to get around, which can lead to underinvestment in bike lanes and other active transportation infrastructure. This study explores how motonormativity contributes to public health issues and what can be done to challenge it.

Survey of 563 participants finds that cyclists wearing helmets or safety vests are perceived as less human than unequipped cyclists. Dehumanising perceptions are linked to more aggressive driver behavior, with safety gear paradoxically increasing the effect.

Study of 1,117 street sections across seven cities finds no evidence that narrower lanes increase crashes. In 30–35 mph zones, wider lanes are linked to significantly more non-intersection crashes. Recommends reducing lane widths in urban contexts to create space for bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure.

Tracks 11,010 miles of bike facilities across 29 U.S. cities (2010–2019) to assess equity in distribution. People of Color received the lowest rates of facility installation overall, though bike lanes were concentrated in lower-income areas. Causality between facilities and neighborhood demographic change was weak — facilities followed rising incomes more than they caused displacement.

A review of 23 studies from the US and Canada finds that bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure generally has positive or neutral economic impacts on nearby retail and food service businesses — even when parking or travel lanes are removed. Pedestrian facilities showed universally positive results; only auto-centric businesses showed some evidence of negative effects.

Focus group research across 10 U.S. cities (including Denver) finds that racial, gender, and economic barriers — not just infrastructure gaps — keep minority and low-income communities from bicycling. Bike culture's dominant "white male" image deters participation, while exclusion from planning processes links bike lanes to gentrification.

American law indirectly subsidizes automobile use through rules embedded in every field of law — from traffic law and land use regulation to tax, tort, and environmental law — that reassign the costs of driving onto non-drivers and society at large. This paper identifies and analyzes these subsidies and argues that reforming them is essential to addressing inequality, public health, and climate change.

Surveys 278 transportation practitioners and finds that windshield bias inflates concern about distracted walking. Practitioners who primarily drive overestimate its role in pedestrian deaths and favor individual-level solutions over proven structural fixes like reducing vehicle speeds.

Despite bicycling being considered ten times more dangerous than driving, the evidence suggests that high-bicycling-mode-share cities are not only safer for bicyclists but for all road users.

25.5 million Americans have travel-limiting disabilities; 7 in 10 reduce daily travel because of them. People with disabilities make fewer trips, are less likely to drive, more likely to live in zero-vehicle households, and have significantly lower employment and income rates than people without disabilities.

Analyzes Turturro v. City of New York, in which the NY Court of Appeals ruled 6-1 that cities can be held liable under ordinary negligence law for known unsafe road designs — not just potholes, but dangerous street design itself. Argues advocates can use this precedent to hold cities accountable for streets that enable reckless driving.

Uses hedonic pricing models on 20,000+ Portland, Oregon residential property sales to show that proximity to advanced bike facilities (cycle tracks, buffered lanes, bike boulevards) has statistically significant positive effects on property values for both single- and multi-family homes. A denser bike network has an even stronger positive effect than proximity alone.

Mixed-methods analysis of retail sales tax, traffic, and transit data in Denver finds that new bike facilities correlate with statistically significant positive economic impacts for local businesses, increased bicycle traffic, fewer traffic violations, and improved safety for all users. (15th Street & Larimer Street)

A planning tool that measures equity of access to bicycle infrastructure using five demographic indicators — transit dependency, children under 18, adults 65+, race/ethnicity, and income below the federal poverty level — to help cities prioritize bike investment in underserved communities.

The result of several years of efforts within the Bike League to elevate community voices to the national advocacy stage and show the existing diversity in the bike movement. The publication presents the results of their interviews with dozens of individuals and organizations, as well as tapping previous blog posts, magazine articles, reports and more.

A planner's review of the book "Bikenomics"

Biking is growing among youth, women, and people of color — but better infrastructure alone isn't enough. This report argues that bicycling must be a multi-layered solution for communities burdened by social, health, and wealth inequalities, and that the time to prioritize equitable access is now, before the new majority is left behind.