Thursday’s Headlines Will Never Mislead You
The U.S. DOT's statistics downplay the role of dangerous street designs in traffic deaths, says a top federal safety official.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EST on January 20, 2022
- The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, accused the Biden administration of continuing to share a pervasive and misleading statistic that attributes almost all crashes to driver error, rather than bad road design and policy. (Associated Press)
- Amtrak is temporarily cutting service due to employees coming down with Omicron. (New York Times)
- Police have an incentive to hand out speeding tickets because most states use the revenue to fund criminal justice, creating a hardship for drivers who can’t afford to pay. (Route Fifty)
- Equity conversations around transportation often leave out people who can’t drive or can’t afford a car. (City Observatory)
- Two self-driving shuttle companies went bankrupt last week, but the technology still holds long-term promise even if it’s not profitable yet. (Forbes)
- The Philadelphia Inquirer calls on Pennsylvania lawmakers to upgrade public transit.
- The growing popularity of drive-throughs during the pandemic is crimping Charlotte’s plans to become more walkable. (Axios)
- Pinellas County, Florida officials want to cut pedestrian and cyclist deaths, which nearly doubled from 2020 to 2021. (St. Pete Catalyst)
- Drivers have already killed two Hartford pedestrians this year, which matches the total for all of 2017. (Courant)
- Cincinnati is updating its bike plan for the first time in 12 years. (WVXU)
- Uncleared sidewalks are forcing Cleveland pedestrians to walk in the street. (News 5)
- The Georgia DOT was going to install bike lanes on a busy Athens street, then removed them from its plans. (Flagpole)
- D.C. Metro General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld is retiring. (DCist)
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan is floating a plan to charge motorists across the entire city based on time of journey, distance traveled and destination. He said the city needs to cut car trips by a quarter to meet 2030 emissions targets. (The Guardian)
- Prague is offering free shared bike rides to residents who have a transit pass. (Expat)
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
Thursday’s Headlines Are a Gas, Gas, Gas
Key House Republicans killed an irresponsible, politically motivated bill to suspend the federal gas tax.
September 17, 2026
Traffic Noise Kills 6,330 Americans a Year; We Stopped Counting in 1982
Removing just five decibels of noise from our neighborhoods would save lives. So why aren't we even measuring it, never mind taking action to quiet our streets?
September 17, 2026
What You Missed in the Transportation Reauthorization This Summer
Congressional negotiations over America's next big transportation law hit some speed bumps this summer — but that doesn't mean there isn't work to be done.
September 16, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Pay Through the Nose to Drive
The average American car owner spends about $15,000 a year on their vehicle, according to a AAA analysis of Bureau of Labor statistics.
September 16, 2026
Exclusive: NYC Hires Company To Install E-Car Charging Posts In Public Space
The small expansion of e-car charging stations is a small down payment on the city’s larger plan to permanently allocate more public space for the automobile.
September 15, 2026
