Wednesday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
Federal road safety regulators know that pedestrian deaths are on the rise, and the blame can be placed on increasingly larger vehicles. The problem? They just don’t care — plus all the other news of the day!
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 29, 2020
- Federal road safety regulators know that pedestrian deaths are on the rise, and the blame can be placed on increasingly larger vehicles. The problem? They just don’t care, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. (Vice, Streetsblog)
- Even with much travel ground to a halt, global carbon dioxide emissions are down just 5.5 percent. We need to do better than that every year to avoid a climate-change catastrophe (The Grist). As coronavirus lockdowns ease up a bit, people are starting to walk and drive more — but they’re still not taking transit. This is bad news for the climate (Energy Institute at Haas). If people aren’t going to crowd onto trains and buses anymore, cities need to make sure they get on a bike instead of into a car (Fast Company).
- Women make up the majority of transit users, but they’re still severely under-represented among transportation planners and engineers. (streets.mn)
- Texas should take the $15 billion it’s wasting on freeway widening projects in Houston and Austin and give it to struggling small businesses instead. (D Magazine)
- Denver is finally getting masks for transit workers, and is asking passengers to wear them as well. (Colorado Politics)
- Parking makes development — and rents — more expensive, and transit harder to use. That’s why San Jose is considering reducing its parking requirements. (Spur)
- The Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody became the first city in Georgia to pass a law strengthening protections for cyclists and pedestrians against aggressive drivers. (WSB)
- Uber is under fire in San Francisco for saying it will no longer deliver food to a low-income neighborhood. (The Verge)
- Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is turning its streets into vast outdoor cafes so businesses can reopen while diners maintain social distancing. (The Guardian)
- A Kansas bike shop salvaged dozens of bicycles that a bike-share company had dumped at a scrap yard, repaired them and donated them to a youth organization. (Associated Press)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
‘Big Brother’ At U.S. DOT: Bike Lanes Aren’t Just ‘DEI,’ They’re Also Unsafe
Taking a page from George Orwell, the government is now saying that bike lanes are unsafe and speed cameras are not proven to reduce crashes. In other words, freedom is slavery.
July 17, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Slow Down
Driving over the speed limit doesn't even save much time, according to a new study.
July 17, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: What San Francisco’s Muni Learned from COVID
SFMTA’s Julie Kirschbaum discusses the lessons her agency learned from COVID and Muni’s post-pandemic recovery.
July 16, 2026
Fifth Time’s The Harm: Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro Again Signed A Budget With No Money For Transit
New budget refuses a single cent for transit, cuts service for most vulnerable residents.
July 16, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Deadly By Design
Turns out, designing roads for fast-moving cars means people will die.
July 16, 2026
