Wednesday’s Headlines
- Voters already approved the south Phoenix light rail extension as part of a larger transportation package in 2015, but now opponents are trying to get it on the ballot again. Meanwhile, the Federal Transit Administration has expressed concern about local officials bowing to the vocal minority and deciding to revisit/delay the project. (Republic)
- Congestion pricing disproportionately affects low-income drivers, but according to a State Smart Transportation Initiative study, combining demand-based tolling during peak hours with a mileage fee or value-added tax can discourage driving in a more equitable way.
- Traffic deaths dropped by 25% in states that adopted Vision Zero guidelines. But not all governments take it seriously — for some, like L.A. and Montgomery County, Md., it’s just a branding tool to be ignored if it interferes with driving. (The Guardian)
- A Baltimore City Council bill would lower speed limits on neighborhood roads to 20 miles per hour and busier arterials to 25 mph. The bill’s sponsor says he wants to calm traffic in light of a recent study of Baltimore’s “abysmal” crash rate. (Fishbowl)
- The Cincinnati City Council looks poised to approve a $100 fine for people who ride e-scooters on the sidewalk. (City Beat)
- After a two-year test, Denver planners have declared a two-way bike path on congested Broadway a success and decided not only to keep it, but extend it. (Post)
- Ohio is 14th among states in transit ridership, but just 47th in funding. The next governor should fix that, says the Columbus Dispatch.
- Montreal has a reputation as one of the safest cities in the world for people on foot, but even there officials are looking for answers for a rising pedestrian death toll. (Chronicle Journal)
- Call it Stockholm Syndrome: A mother writes about how impressed her family was with Sweden’s transit system—like so many other people who travel there. The best way to improve transit in the U.S., she concluded, is to ride it more. (Curbed)
- A Florida woman on drugs drove her jeep onto the sidewalk and killed a 73-year-old man on a bike. Charges include DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide. (Sun Sentinel)
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