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In the NoCo

Why a CU Denver professor thinks the people who design our roads need a wake-up call

A man in jeans and casual jacket stands next to a bicycle on a sidewalk in Denver, Colorado.
Courtesy of Wes Marshall
"So much of what we see in terms of crashes are predictable; and if it's predictable, I feel like it's preventable, and we can do things with engineering to reduce it," says CU Denver professor Wes Marshall. The author of "Killed by a Traffic Engineer" thinks modern transportation systems are poorly designed in part because of reliance on outdated research and faulty assumptions.

Not that long ago, some doctors would use lobotomies as a treatment for mental illness... or insomnia... or severe headaches. That wouldn’t happen now. But modern medicine has taken some weird, often tragic turns to get to where it is now.

Author Wesley Marshall argues that there’s a similarity between the science behind our transportation systems and these outdated practices in medicine and psychiatry. And, he says it’s time for a wakeup call.

Marshall, who teaches civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver, thinks the way our streets and highways are designed contributes to tens of thousands of unnecessary crashes and deaths each year.

He recently published his research and ideas in a provocatively titled book, Killed By a Traffic Engineer.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.