Streetsblog

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)