The Arizona State Transportation Board finalized and approved the 2022-2026 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program with plans for major corridor improvements, pavement upgrades, and more for highways. The next five years will include highway improvements from widening highways to improving safety that will cost $1 billion annually.

An accessible world is crucial for people of all abilities to work, live, and play. However, even in the most progressive cities, people with disabilities struggle to live their lives, which only gets worse in the suburbs and rural areas.

Pedestrians with disabilities are particularly at risk when it comes to street safety. As the largest minority group in the United States at 20 percent of the population, people with disabilities are still under-served—especially when it comes to pedestrian safety.

Curb ramps are the solid ramp that joins the top of a sidewalk to the adjoining street level. Also known as a curb cut or dropped curb, curb ramps are primarily used by pedestrians throughout urban areas where the main mode of transportation is walking. Curb ramps facilitate easy movement from the sidewalk to the road for individuals who use mobility aids.

Believe it or not, practicing good bicycle etiquette is not only polite, but it can keep you safe as well. Road rules provide important standards that, when practiced by everyone, offer a default expectation for how other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles will respond in specific situations. If everyone follows these common guidelines, all commuters have a higher chance of safety.

As cities and universities seek ways to lessen their negative impact on the environment, more and more people are turning to biking. Not only is biking a good form of exercise, it is also a cost-efficient solution for many nearby commutes while also not adding any more exhaust fumes to the environment.

For some, biking can be a scary or uncertain option because it often includes biking on the road or some dangerous intersections. To help make biking safer, check out these tips for your bike commute.

Bike delineators are one solution to keeping bicyclists, pedestrians, and vehicle drivers safe. They need to meet certain requirements in order to serve individuals with disabilities and be ADA compliant.

When it comes to city bicyclists and city sidewalks, it is not only often dangerous to bike on a city sidewalk, but can be illegal as well. City to city, laws differ. So while cities may consider sidewalk biking illegal, others may not. If you’re considering biking on the sidewalk, check your city’s laws first. But regardless of legality, recognize that cycling on sidewalks may pose danger to bicyclists, pedestrians, and even drivers.

Pedestrian fatalities have been on the rise since 2008, in fact, between 2007 and 2017, pedestrian fatalities increased by 35%, and more than a third of those fatalities occurred on local streets—not highways or state roads. And 2018 was projected to have the most deaths since 1990.

This fact is sobering, and it doesn’t have to be that way.