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Thursday’s Headlines Are Still Too Big

The feds may start considering pedestrian safety features when handing out five-star crash ratings, but the size of vehicles won't be one of them.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EST on March 10, 2022

Federal laws favor giant pickups and SUVs. Angie Schmitt

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced new proposals that would include pedestrian safety features in safety ratings (The Verge). But that won’t incentivize automakers to stop producing such heavy vehicles that are more likely to kill pedestrians (Streetsblog USA).
Like building more highway lanes, more transit also induces demand because it reduces congestion, encouraging more people to drive. Congestion pricing could fix this. (Governing)
On a related note, there’s no such thing as a free freeway, even if we’ve been trained to think there is. Our current method of paying for road construction doesn’t even pay for the construction, let alone the societal costs of driving like pollution. (U.S. PIRG)
Encouraging people to go back to the office is not a good idea when gas prices are so high (Bloomberg). On the other hand, if stay-at-home workers continue to work from home, downtowns will suffer (CommonWealth). Hmm … if only there were a way to get commuters to their jobs without driving …
In her first-ever interview, the backup driver of an autonomous car Uber was testing in Arizona when it hit and killed a woman crossing the street says she worried that it would be a setback for the whole industry. (Wired)
Transit agency MARTA approved a $300 million plan for bus rapid transit in southwest Atlanta, although some continue to push for more expensive light rail. (AJC)
Reducing speed limits to 20 miles per hour in Denver did little to actually slow down drivers. (The Denver Channel)
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and key city agencies are backing a car-free JFK Drive. (Standard)
Washington, D.C. mayoral candidates argued about streetcars during their first debate. (DCist)
Getting around is difficult for a Louisiana State University student trying to navigate auto-centric Baton Rouge without a car. (Reveille)
Ann Arbor is already one of just 35 gold-level bike-friendly communities in the U.S., and residents want to be even better. (Michigan Daily)

Blake Aued

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.

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