The Lane Newsletter
in the lane
New resources offer guidance on building great places to ride
March 28, 2025As communities work to improve the quality and design of bike infrastructure, two new resources provide state-of-the-art strategies for creating safer, more connected, and user-friendly bikeways that meet the needs of riders in diverse environments. By Martina Haggerty Vice…
To LiDAR, or NOT to LiDAR?
February 28, 2025By Roger C. Lanctot Founder StrategiaNow Consulting Car makers have always insisted that their vehicles are safe, yet thousands of people die every day on highways all over the world. In their defense, car makers have routinely, increasingly, and speciously…
Designing streets for safety, not speed
January 23, 2025Reducing traffic speeds is one of the most effective strategies to make our streets safer for all road users, not just bicyclists. By Dave Snyder Senior Director for Infrastructure PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was first published online by…
Autonomous tech: The rise of the pedestrian
November 11, 2024By Roger C. Lanctot Founder Strategia Now Two pedestrians — one named and one so-far unnamed — redirected the future of autonomous vehicle development in the U.S. Elaine Herzberg lost her life in a March 18, 2018, crash with a…
Enhancing roadway safety through V2X technology
October 11, 2024A case for informational safety By Gopi C. Surnilla Business Development Consultant Valtech Detroit The evolution of vehicle safety technology has a long history, initially focused on occupant protection during accidents through mechanisms like seatbelts and airbags. These foundational solutions…
The power of Complete Streets mandates
August 30, 2024By Martina Haggerty Senior Director of Local Innovation Editor’s note: This text was first published online by PeopleForBikes on May 16, 2024, and is shared in The Bike Lane with permission. What are Complete Streets? Complete Streets is…
Parakeet™ audible information device and the latest in accessibility standards
July 31, 2024By Tim Cox Consultant Cox Transportation Safety In the ever-evolving landscape of pedestrian safety, technological advancements continue to shape our approach to inclusivity. PSS’s Parakeet™ Audible Information Device (AID) stands as a testament to progress, meeting and exceeding standards set…
Why is bike infrastructure important?
June 30, 2024When people have safe and accessible places to bike, communities become safer and more sustainable, residents enjoy better physical and mental health, and the local economy thrives. By Dave Snyder Senior Director for Infrastructure PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was…
Prioritizing pedestrian safety
May 31, 2024By Roger C. Lanctot Founder, Strategia Now The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has finalized a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that will make automatic emergency braking (AEB), including pedestrian AEB, standard on all passenger vehicles and light trucks…
Federal grants help bike projects reconnect communities
April 30, 2024Bikes were a big winner in USDOT’s recent round of grant awards for the highly competitive Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program. By Martina Haggerty Senior Director of Local Innovation PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was first published online by PeopleForBikes…
‘Informational safety’ in the landscape of vehicle safety
April 30, 2024By Gopi C. Surnilla Business Development Consultant Valtech Detroit The technology landscape of vehicle safety has been evolving over many years. The initial safety solutions have been around the protection of the occupants in an accident. These solutions were designed…
Road to safety means harnessing the power of connectivity, collaboration
March 21, 2024By Brock Aun Vice President, Communications & Public Policy HAAS Alert Among the many transformations unfolding in the automotive space today, autonomous vehicles have unquestionably captured the most public attention and reporting. From the proliferation of advanced driver assistance technologies…
Own your backyard: An industry guide to supporting local bike infrastructure
March 21, 2024By Martina Haggerty, Senior Director of Local Innovation and Dave Snyder, Senior Director for Infrastructure PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was first published online by PeopleForBikes on Feb. 23 and is shared in The Bike Lane with permission. PeopleForBikes works…
When will US consumers learn that their vehicles can save lives?
February 15, 2024By Ken McLeod Policy Director League of American Bicyclists The Tesla Model Y is sold in the U.S. and Europe. It looks the same in both markets. It was the best-selling vehicle worldwide in 2023. If you’ve heard about Tesla’s…
Rolling into 2024 with a chat about tech, trends and services
February 15, 2024Podcast with John Quain Founder, Editor-in-Chief OntheRoadtoAutonomy.com Rolling into 2024, John Quain stops by to chat with host Jake Sigal about tech, trends, and services. John is the founder, Editor-in-Chief of OntheRoadtoAutonomy.com and has views on the rising popularity of…
VRUs in the headlights
January 25, 2024By Roger C. Lanctot Director, Automotive Connected Mobility TechInsights The reports keep coming in from far and wide. Pedestrians – including cyclists – are dying in record numbers on roadways around the world and in the U.S. The figures are…
‘Invented for life’ e-bike innovations, the Bosch way
November 16, 2023Podcast with Jocelyn Vande Velde and Kunal Kapoor Bosch eBike Systems NA Jocelyn Vande Velde, of Bosch eBike Systems, and Bosch’s Kunal Kapoor chat with host Jake Sigal about innovations in Bosch’s e-bike products and contemplate the company’s long-standing corporate…
How research and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding can reduce bicyclist injuries, fatalities
November 16, 2023By Brian Cronin Director, Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined that there were 966 bicyclist fatalities and 41,615 injuries. NHTSA’s…
Look globally, act locally for safety solutions
October 13, 2023Podcast with Natalie Draisin Director, North American Office and United Nations Representative FIA Foundation FIA Director Natalie Draisin stops by The Bike Lane to chat with host Jake Sigal about Vulnerable Road User safety projects, toolkits, and discovering great safety…
Framing our safe, healthy transportation system revolution
October 13, 2023By Seth LaJeunesse Senior Research Associate University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center It’s hard to remember a time when we were as divided as a culture as you are today, isn’t it? Consider where your family members…
Let’s talk about e-bikes
September 21, 2023Podcast with Kerri Kauffman Chief Revenue Officer Juiced Bikes Juiced Bikes’s Chief Revenue Officer, Kerri Kauffman, stops by the Bike Lane to chat with host Jake Sigal about e-bikes: Why training and age limits are crucial to safety; how cheap…
How great bike plans transform communities
September 21, 2023If you’re seeking inspiration to help guide your local bike planning process, here are nine cities with plans worth duplicating. By Martina Haggerty Senior Director of Local Innovation PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was first published online by PeopleForBikes on…
More data on car-bike interactions needed in drive to protect VRUs
August 11, 2023Podcast with Clark Haynes Founder and CEO velo.ai Velo.AI’s CEO Clark Haynes stops by to chat with host Jake Sigal about the important need for more incident (“near-miss”) data affecting bicycles and vehicles. Clark also describes his company’s sophisticated new…
Ensuring safe journeys should top our ‘back-to-school’ lists
August 11, 2023By Natalie Draisin Director, North American Office and United Nations Representative FIA Foundation As the school year approaches, parents across the nation are planning schedules, buying new shoes, and experiencing age-old anxieties that come with children growing up too fast.…
Automakers ‘need all the help they can get’ from safety tech startups
July 13, 2023Podcast with Roger Lanctot Director, Automotive Connected Mobility TechInsights Roger Lanctot returns to The Bike Lane for a lively, wide-ranging chat with host Jake Sigal about startups trying to penetrate the hard automotive bubble (or fail trying), why one large…
Your bike advocacy playbook
July 13, 2023Want to help make your city a better place to bike? We developed a 15-point, research-based fact sheet to help you push for change. By Martina Haggerty and Kiran Herbert PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was first published online by…
Revolution coming in ‘bicyclist safety via tech’
July 13, 2023By Clark Haynes, Ph.D. Founder and CEO velo.ai As a lifelong bike commuter, safety has always been my primary concern whenever I embark on two wheels. This concern is grounded in a harsh reality: nearly 1000 bicyclists lose their lives…
E-bike popularity, the infrastructure bill and ‘a lot of great wins so far’
June 08, 2023Podcast with Noa Banayan Director of Federal Affairs PeopleForBikes People for Bikes’ Noa Banayan stops by to chat with Jake about policy successes and how her team’s focus largely shifted towards incentives and ways to get e-bikes in the hands…
Ultra-wideband: A feasible addition to D2V safety?
June 08, 2023By Rich Rarey Senior Software Engineer, Bluetooth SME Valtech Mobility Detroit We have long been interested in furthering Vulnerable Road User (VRU) safety at the Valtech Mobility Detroit (formerly Tome Software) Safety Team. Our transmission and reception of SAE Standard…
Let’s talk about safe autonomy
April 30, 2023Podcast with Phil Koopman Professor Carnegie Mellon University Philip Koopman, author, researcher, and Carnegie Mellon University professor, stops by The Bike Lane for a frank chat with host Jake Sigal about why autonomous vehicles’ driving is worse than a 16…
OSU using photorealistic driving simulations with AI to advance VRU-safety research
April 30, 2023A new frontier for virtual edge-case testing to ensure VRU safety in era of autonomous driving By Ekim Yurtsever, Ph.D. Research Associate 2-Engineer The Ohio State University, Center for Automotive Research Our mission at The Ohio State University Center for…
A lively chat about transportation
April 13, 2023Podcast with John Quain Founder, Editor-in-Chief OntheRoadtoAutonomy.com John Quain returns to The Bike Lane for a lively, wide-ranging chat with host Jake Sigal about banning e-scooters in urban areas for safety reasons; dangerous e-batteries; the trend to ‘return to bicycles’;…
Good and bad news from Paris, San Francisco
April 13, 2023By Roger C. Lanctot Director, Automotive Connected Mobility TechInsights Just a week ago, a tiny fraction (less than 10%) of eligible voters in Paris voted to ban rental electric scooters. Once welcomed with open arms by the city’s leaders, these…
The USDOT is forging a new path in VRU safety
April 13, 2023By Brock Aun Vice President of Communications HAAS Alert Although there’s little media coverage or discussion on the topic, the United States is currently experiencing one of the worst periods of roadway pedestrian deaths on record. Last month, the Governor’s…
Saving lives on the road today, tomorrow and for decades to come
March 02, 2023Podcast with Ben Gascoigne Vice President and General Manager PSS Ben Gascoigne stops by The Bike Lane to talk about the PSS engineering and design philosophy employed to make modern traffic control devices that promote roadway work zone safety, temporary…
We were wrong about sharrows
March 02, 2023The former executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition was a key player in the proliferation of shared lane markings. Twenty years later, he’s disillusioned with them. By Dave Snyder Senior Director for Infrastructure PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was…
Making tech for first responders is rewarding, challenging
January 26, 2023Podcast with Cory J. Hohs CEO HAAS Alert Cory Hohs stops by The Bike Lane to talk about his work developing (and building funding for) technology to assist first responders. Safety Cloud by HAAS Alert makes roadways safer by alerting…
Cycling, industry and the future of connected mobility
January 26, 2023By Jana Hrčková Policy Officer CONEBI Working in Europe, probably the most cycling-friendly continent of the world, I have been intrigued to oversee the meteoric rise of the e-bikes in the past years. Only in 2021, more than 5 million…
PSS at ITS with Tome for Project Halo
January 26, 2023By Ben Gascoigne Vice President and General Manager PSS ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) World Congress 2022 broke records with more than 6,000 registered attendees from different countries. Patrons descended on Los Angeles to experience educational programs and cutting-edge technology presented…
More bikes, less parking = safer streets
December 01, 2022By Roger C. Lanctot Director, Connected Mobility Strategy Analytics Conflict and controversy have broken out in the nation’s capital over a proposed 2.7-mile bike lane on Connecticut Avenue. On-street parking spaces in Washington, D.C. are expected to be eliminated by…
The case for Guaranteed Basic Mobility
December 01, 2022It’s time to reframe how we think about transportation and mobility — the ability to move freely and participate in society is a basic right. By Tangier Barnes Wright Senior Partnership and Program Manager PeopleForBikes Editor’s note: This text was…
The real value of V2X: Open national data standards
October 27, 2022Podcast with Kellen Pucher Head of Business Development Panasonic’s Smart Mobility Office – Cirrus by Panasonic Kellen Pucher stops by The Bike Lane to describe Panasonic’s early development of C-V2X in Colorado and the real value of the system. Kellen…
The push for pre-competitive standards
October 27, 2022By Jake Sigal Founder and CEO Tome Software Working with a team to make on-road cycling safer has been important to me for years. As it is for many of you, this is personal. In 2016, we were on the…
The importance to transportation systems industry standards
October 01, 2022Podcast with Ed Straub VP Land Systems SAE ITC Ed Straub joins The Bike Lane to discuss the reasoning behind, and importance of, industry standards in Transportation Systems. From the pre-competitive meetings, to the cooperative standards creation committees, to the…
Mobile Device Capabilities for Broadcasting and Receiving VRU Safety Messages Over Bluetooth Wireless Technology
October 01, 2022As cars, infrastructure, mobile devices and accessories all become smarter, the opportunity for improving driver awareness of vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as bicyclists, scooterists, road workers and pedestrians has never been greater. Tome Inc., in conjunction with Ford Motor…
Charging ahead on micromobility policy
October 01, 2022By Noa Banayan, Sam Herr and Leanne Kaplan Editor’s note: This text was first published online by PeopleForBikes on Sept. 21 and is shared in The Bike Lane with permission. Policymakers across the local, state and federal levels are increasingly…
Education, and technology, key in keeping riders safe
August 23, 2022Podcast with Bob Najduk Director of Electronics Trek Bicycle Co. Bob Najduk, Director of Electronics at Trek Bicycle Co., joins The Bike Lane to discuss safety technology for bicycles/scooters/electric bicycles, both current and future. Links mentioned in this Episode of…
UMTRI shaping the future of transportation and mobility infrastructure
August 23, 2022By Francine Romine Director, Marketing and Communications University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released their report on early estimates of traffic fatalities and fatality rates in 2021. It was sobering. Fatalities…
AVs and VRUs
August 23, 2022By Umit Ozguner Professor Emeritus Ohio State University At Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research, the preeminent research center in sustainable and safe mobility in the United States and an interdisciplinary research center in The Ohio State University’s College…
How safety enables the future of connected vehicles
July 28, 2022Podcast with Roger C. Lanctot Director, Connected Mobility Strategy Analytics Tome CEO Jake Sigal talks with Roger Lanctot about post-pandemic transportation, future of connected cars, and Roger offers frank assessments of regulatory and future car/bike/scooter technologies. As a Director in…
ABCs for VRUs
July 28, 2022By Bob Najduk Director of Electronics Trek Bicycle My entire life, I have been trying to get people to stay active. From a young age, I would organize basketball games in the middle of the street near Detroit. And I…
Protecting roadway workers — the most vulnerable road users
July 28, 2022By David McKee Vice President of Marketing and Government Relations PSS According to the Federal Highway Administration, “vulnerable road users” (or VRUs) are people “who use streets, roads and highways without the benefit of the protection offered by an automobile…
‘Love what you do, and do what you love’
June 30, 2022Podcast with Bob Margevicius Executive Vice President Specialized Bicycle Components Specialized Bicycle Component’s EVP Bob Margevicius joins The Bike Lane to share his story and why he continues to push bike safety within the company and the bicycle industry.…
Moments that matter: Garmin creates space, awareness
June 30, 2022By Ross Stirling Director of Research and Development, Tacx Garmin Creating situational awareness for cyclists is a key focus for Garmin. We believe that the more confident a cyclist is on the road, the more they will ride — and…
A traffic engineer’s bike commute and vision for safer riding
June 30, 2022By Joshua McNeil, P.E., T.E. Principal Engineer Iteris, Inc. At the end of Bike Month this past May, I reflected on what great bike infrastructure is and my journey to becoming a bike commuter. Years ago, I would find myself…
A journalist’s perspective on mobility, safety and smart city trends
May 26, 2022Podcast with John Quain Founder, Editor-in-Chief OntheRoadtoAutonomy.com World-renowned journalist John “JQ” Quain (New York Times, Digital Trends, Tom’s Guide, On TheRoadtoAutonomy.com) joins Tome founder and CEO Jake Sigal to discuss what’s up with automotive, mobility, and smart city trends. Bonus…
Good business: Why safety matters
May 26, 2022By Bob Margevicius Executive Vice President Specialized Bicycle Components “Son, things like this happen. We have liability insurance to cover these kinds of incidents.” Those words still shake me to my core. I was a young bicycle product manager, working…
How Bosch eBike Systems is advancing VRU safety
May 26, 2022By Bobby Gondara V2X Technology Manager Bosch eBike Systems The rapid growth of the eBike market means that more people than ever are taking to the streets, having fun and riding farther. That’s a wonderful thing, but it also means…
Capitol Hill cycling insider Noa Banayan – PeopleForBikes
April 28, 2022Podcast with Noa Banayan Director of Federal Affairs PeopleForBikes Noa Banayan joins The Bike Lane host Jake Sigal to discuss what’s hot in DC regarding cycling and safer roads for everyone. Links mentioned in this Episode of The Bike Lane:…
The path to success in automotive connected safety services
April 28, 2022By Jeremy Agulnek, Senior Vice President, Connected Vehicle HAAS Alert As a small business providing connected safety services, V2V and VRU solutions to global automotive manufacturers, suppliers and traffic and navigation platforms, HAAS Alert’s path to success can follow several…
A C-V2X light at the end of the tunnel
April 28, 2022By Roger C. Lanctot Director, Connected Mobility Strategy Analytics The news from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2020 traffic crash data is not good. Bicyclist fatalities were up 9.2% to the highest level since 1987. The COVID pandemic fundamentally…
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Newsletter Archive
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 1 • May 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 2 • June 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 3 • July 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 4 • August 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 5 • September 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 6 • October 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 7 • November 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 8 • December 2022
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 9 • February 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 10 • March 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 11 • April 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 12 • May 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 13 • June 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 14 • July 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 15 • August 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 16 • September 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 17 • October 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 18 • November 2023
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 19 • January 2024
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 20 • February 2024
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 21 • March 2024
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 22 • April 2024
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 23 • May 2024
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 24 • June 2024
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 25 • July 2024
- The Bike Lane: Vol. 26 • August 2024
- The Lane: Vol. 27 • October 2024
- The Lane: Vol. 28 • November 2024
- The Lane: Vol. 29 • January 2025
- The Lane: Vol. 30 • February 2025
- The Lane: Vol. 31 • March 2025
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About The Lane
Welcome to The Lane!
Protecting vulnerable road users (VRUs) is more critical than ever. Fortunately, some of the best in business are building bikes, scooters, and vehicles with connected technology in mind dedicated to this very purpose.
As proud founding members of the Society of Automotive Engineers Industry Technologies Consortia® (SAE ITC) VRU Safety Consortium™ (VRUSC), we created The Lane newsletter as a sales-free zone dedicated to the common mission of making roads safer. The Lane is a place for cross-industry voices to be shared and heard. It’s a forum to explore the tough questions around VRU safety, and how the bike, automotive, and tech industries are responding to those concerns. Our guest bloggers and podcasters are the professionals working actively on projects and programs related to VRU safety. They live and work where the rubber meets the road, literally and figuratively.
As for the Tome Safety Team, we believe that precompetitive software and standards are necessary for safer roads. We ride (and drive), and it’s personal. Our team brings collective experience to ongoing standardization efforts and technology development aimed at protecting VRUs.
With so many great companies working together to achieve this common goal of safer roads, our mission will be accomplished that much sooner. So much progress has already been made, and there’s still much work to do. As this happens, we’ll be reporting it back to you in The Lane!
Stay safe, innovative, and ride on!
Angela Fessler
Director, Safety Team
Tome