Everything You Need to Know About Keeping VRUS Safe In Your State in One Document (Michael Kelley)

Everything You Need to Know About Keeping VRUS Safe In Your State in One Document (Michael Kelley)

Author: StreetsblogUSA January 29, 2025 Duration: 24:42

What if there were a single document that told every U.S. resident exactly how safe their state is — or isn't— for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users, as well as what that state is doing to save lives ?

Turns out there is: the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment, or VRUSA. And since  the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, every DOT in the U.S. has been legally required to write one – even if they don't always do it in ways that are particularly helpful to transportation reform advocates,

Today on the Brake, we're sitting down with Michael Kelley of Bike Walk KC in Kansas City, Mo., who recently co-authored a new report that digs deep into how six states are approaching the all-important VRUSA — and how every state could make this document a more meaningful blueprint for saving lives. And along the way, we touch on why there are so many ways to quantify carnage on our roads, and why even in uncertain times, documents like this matter more than ever.


You hear a lot about electric cars and futuristic transit, but what about the fundamental shift required to build cities where driving isn't a daily necessity? That's the terrain explored on The Brake: A Streetsblog Podcast. Hosted by the team at StreetsblogUSA, this series moves beyond the headlines to engage with the activists, planners, writers, and community members who are actively reimagining American streets. Each conversation digs into the real-world work of dismantling car dependency, examining the policy choices, cultural norms, and historical decisions that got us here. The discussions are grounded in the intersecting categories of society, commentary, culture, and news, offering a nuanced lens on everything from bike lane debates and public transit equity to the subtle ways our built environment shapes daily life. This isn't just a technical talk about infrastructure; it's about the human stories and the political movement fighting for safer, more connected, and less congested communities. Tune in for a podcast that acts as a vital pit stop for understanding the complex, often frustrating, but ultimately hopeful push to take our foot off the gas and build a different future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 89

The Brake: A Streetsblog Podcast
Podcast Episodes
How 'Community Mobility Rituals' Can Transform Your Neighborhood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:47
Neighborhood walking tours, group bike rides, and organized strolls in the park aren't typically thought of as front-line strategies to break a city's dependence on automobiles. Some advocates argue that without events l…
Why Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Zoning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:55
The humble zoning code may be the single most important tool that sustainable transportation advocates can wield in the fight to end car dependence ... if they can make heads or tails of their communities' hundreds of pa…
Episode 5: Where Do Great Bus Stops Come From? (Mary Buchanan) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:43
Streetsblog's America's Best Bus Stops Contest is down to its final two contenders. Nationwide, though, the United States have a lot more sorry stops than good ones — and to understand how our top two wonderful waiting a…