ACT Book Club - Killed by a Traffic Engineer

Join us as we dive into Wes Marshall’s Killed by a Traffic Engineer, a provocative and deeply researched exploration of how decades of traffic engineering decisions have prioritized speed and vehicle throughout—often at the expense of safety, community, and human life.

With sharp insight and clear-eyed analysis, Marshall reveals how technical standards became moral hazards and how even well-intentioned designs have produced deadly consequences. This book challenges us to rethink the status quo and imagine streets that serve people first—not just cars. This discussion will spark fresh ideas on how TDM can help reshape our public spaces into places of connection, safety, and equity.

Meet the moderator

Lauren Mattern is the founder of Journey, a TDM-centric mobility planning firm that also has transit and engagement practices. She has been in the mobility planning industry for 17 years, and cut her teeth on parking policy as a core leader of the SFpark pilots in San Francisco, implementing Donald Shoup’s pricing ideas using new technologies.

She’s a longtime consultant leading cutting edge TDM work in the industry, including at the most recent Major League soccer stadium. She just returned from doing TDM work at Transport for London before starting Journey.