Lego model of the sinkhole bus

When you finish a fun little project and you think, I know some nerds on the internet who would really dig this…

Pedestrian killed in hit-and-run vehicle crash in Wilkins Township A pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run vehicle crash along William Penn Highway in Wilkins Township on Friday, authorities said.

Found at 4:30. It was a hit-and-run, so who knows when it actually happened.

A 2nd person dies from fatal Liberty Bridge crash; survivor faces rough recovery A second person has died in connection with a Sunday morning fatal crash along the Liberty Bridge. Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office late Wednesday identified the second victim as Jaren...

A second person has died from this crash. And because the crash statistics that get sent on to the state and Feds typically come from the police report, this might not even be counted.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit to study future ridership on light rail service The next step in rebuilding Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s ridership will be studying three specific aspects of the light rail system, the part of...

Can't wait for the results of this study. I'm sure Allentown would appreciate the service, and making the connection to Penn Station, aka Amtrak and the East Busway.

SUV flees after hitting man on sidewalk on border of Mt. Washington, Beltzhoover A man was in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle that fled early Sunday morning in the area of Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington and Beltzhoover neighborhoods, according to Pittsburgh poli...

Both this and the PPG articles are confusing. Like, did the people get into the SUV with the specific intent of hitting this man, like were they using as a weapon? Or were they just a couple of drunk dinguses? And of course the SUV didn't flee, the people in the SUV fled.

Woman killed in fiery crash on Pittsburgh's Liberty Bridge One person is dead another is hurt after a fiery three-car crash on the Liberty Bridge.

So yes, this is terrible for the woman who died, and for her family.

But what are we DOING about it? What have we LEARNED from it? How are we going to prevent crashes like this in the future? It's not enough to look at this, go "Oh no!" and move on ten minutes later. What will change?

PRT’s second draft of bus route changes increases frequency on core routes Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s second proposed revision of its bus routes concentrates on boosting service frequency on its core routes but still...

Yay, increasing transit frequency!
...to one bus every 20 mins...
I'll be honest, I'd really like to see, like, two or three bus routes with like 5-minute headways. But hey, baby steps?

Riding the circle: Cyclists' perceived safety and comfort in urban roundabouts Perceived safety and comfort influence cycling mode choice and behaviour. While roundabouts are associated with a decreased severity of motor vehicle …

So cyclists feel safer in roundabouts when:
- cars must yield to bikes;
- there is dedicated bike space in the roundabout; and
- when this happens on all the roundabouts (aka uniformity)

I mean, yeah, that all sounds great. Are we ever gonna get that here in Pittsburgh?

Controversial North Avenue 'traffic calming' project moves into second phase A controversial “traffic calming” project on the North Side is set to move into its second phase of construction next week, bringing new lane...

I hate the way this is being reported. Sure, the professionals at the city are fine with it, and the professionals at the hospital are fine with it, but a couple of trolls on the internet complained, so it's "controversial." Just let Ed Blazina handle the transportation stories, @post-gazette.com.

PRT will have about $85 million in capital projects over the next two years Pittsburgh Regional Transit shifted $106.7 million in capital funds to cover operating expenses the next two years, but the agency will still spend about...

PRT doing their best despite the State giving them the cold shoulder. Because all those deferred maintenance projects will probably be cheaper in the future, right?

PRT begins switch from ConnectCards to ReadyFare system to pay fares Over the next 10 months, Pittsburgh Regional Transit will move about 150,000 riders from its electronic-based ConnectCard system to a new web-based ReadyFare...

Time to retire my ConnectCard and get a new card for my collection.

Gotta love when a government doc actually puts something simply. "Without vehicle movement (speed), there would be no crashes." www.roadsafety.gov.au/nrss/fact-sh...

What works for controlling drivers' speed? Pretty much just changing infrastructure. Driver education as part of an enforcement action has a small effect, while general education campaigns have virtually no effect. So governments shouldn't waste money on billboards when they should be fixing roads.

Source: swov.nl/en/fact/sust...

This research indicates that safe speeds where there are no sidewalks (a lot of suburban residential streets) should be about 10 mph. Places with crosswalks and bike lanes? Only 20 mph. Speeds above that should only be for roads with no bikes/peds (highways or roads with a parallel trail).

Gaze Patterns in the Visual Control of Straight-Road Driving and Braking as a Function of Speed and Expertise Despite decades of research, the role of gaze in car driving is still poorly understood, but racing simulators provide a suitable experimental platform to examine drivers' gaze patterns across dri...

This study indicates that a driver's field of vision narrows the faster they go, but also when braking, while also tending to focus specifically on where they intend to stop. This narrow field of vision makes them less prepared for pedestrians, bikes, or cars coming from driveways or side streets.

Interesting study (there's an English summary, don't be intimidated by all those Dutch vowels) indicates that recognizability leads to better driving performance. So if a stroad LOOKS LIKE a highway, people will treat it like one. This is why no one goes the speed limit on 28 and 65.

Passengers will enter all doors when PRT opens University Line next year When Pittsburgh Regional Transit finishes its University Line in 2027, it will change its boarding procedure to get the maximum benefit from the system...

Modern fare collection, who wouldn've thought? But seriously, this will speed up boarding substantially, making service faster and more dependable. And the "ambassadors" to help people understand the system when it first launches are a great touch.

In short, widening Route 50 in Bridgeville would be a disaster. It won't improve traffic, it won't improve the economy, and it will make things less safe for pedestrians. Don't throw away the future of a uniquely walkable corridor for five years of less congestion. 10/10

Widening roads does not lead to economic revitalization. Bridgeville is too far from the highway to see the sort of power center you have in Collier, plus the land ownership is divided. This will disincentivize small businesses and could threaten the walkable core of Bridgeville to the south. 9/10

The environmental effects of IDLING cars will be improved (temporarily), but having MORE cars moving faster will increase particulates, at best creating a wash in terms of environmental impact and more likely making it worse, especially after the congestion returns in 5-10 years. 8/10

I have no idea how this is supposed to improve pedestrian safety and mobility. Unless @triblive.bsky.social left some information out of their article, there is nothing in this plan that is good for pedestrians. 7/10

It will improve vehicular traffic TEMPORARILY, but because of induced demand, those improvements will be erased in 5-10 years. Road widening has never solved congestion in the long term, and besides, this is a place you would WANT congestion. 6/10

The Bridgeville Boro Mngr says this will "improve vehicular traffic...improve pedestrian safety and mobility, reduce environmental effects caused by the traffic and advance revitalization in both the north end of Bridgeville and the Collier Township commercial district." None of that is true. 5/10

If you wanted to extend the walkable feel, you would widen SIDEWALKS, not travel lanes; get rid of street-facing parking lots; and if anything, slow cars down MORE. 4/10

How in the ever-loving hell will WIDENING the road "allow Bridgeville to extend its walkable downtown feel"? The walkable downtown feel IS BECAUSE OF THE NARROW ROAD, as well as the wide sidewalks , the buildings close to the street, AND THE SLOW/SAFE TRAFFIC. 3/10

I don't see how any of this will "advance pedestrian connectivity." Are you adding a sidewalk to the east side of 50 north of McLaughlin Run? How are you going to widen the road without narrowing the sidewalks? 2/10

Improvements eyed along Route 50 at Bridgeville, Collier border In an effort to eliminate the bottleneck at their border, Bridgeville and Collier are studying what it would look like to widen Route 50 between Mayer Street in Collier and Bower Hill Road in Bridgevi...

So much of this is the opposite of true or smart. Screed incoming. Why would you want to remove the bottleneck? Do you want traffic to move faster through your town? Have you never heard of induced demand? 1/10

Reading about pagan holidays (as one does) and find out that the Anglo-Saxons called February "Solmonath," with "monath" meaning "month" and "sol" meaning mud, so, mud month. And given the February we've had in Pittsburgh, yeah, that tracks.

1 killed in McKeesport crash One person was killed and three others injured in a two-vehicle crash in McKeesport Saturday night, Allegheny County Police said. The victim, who was not identified, was a passenger in a Honda Accord ...

This is a bit of an atypical crash. 28th and Rockwood is a fairly calm residential intersection. 28th is a bit wide, I guess, and maybe it could use a stop. I'm curious to see what the test results come back as.