Tuesday’s Headlines Are Under Construction
The federal government funds road construction like the above at four times the amount that it spends on transit. Photo: file
- Americans drove less in 2021 than 2020, but traffic deaths still reached their highest level since 2005 (Consumer Affairs). Pedestrian deaths are up 46 percent over the past decade (U.S. PIRG).
- U.S. states are moving forward with 16,000 road and bridge projects this year, 20 percent of which are new construction. (World Highways)
- Gas tax cuts and rebates reward affluent drivers with gas-guzzling vehicles and disincentivize electric vehicles, transit, walking and biking. (Reuters)
- A UK judge granted Uber a 30-month license to operate in London, ending a battle with the city over safety protocols (BBC). Meanwhile, a New York City rideshare driver writes about how Uber and Lyft can do more to keep drivers, not just passengers, safe (USA Today).
- A bill signed by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will ban the sale of most new non-electric vehicles in the state by 2030. (NBC News)
- Georgia Republicans want to use federal infrastructure funding to build more highways, while Democrats are urging them to spend it on maintenance and transit. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
- Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to triple the number of cameras that catch drivers who speed, run red lights, pass school buses and illegally use bike and bus lanes. (Washington Post)
- Commuter rail ridership is rebounding in Boston, where it's hit 49 percent of pre-pandemic levels after falling to 12 percent a year ago. (CommonWealth)
- San Francisco's Van Ness bus rapid transit line is finally ready to roll after 27 years. (Chronicle)
- A Charlotte fare-capping proposal would let transit users ride for free once they've paid individual fares equal to the cost of an $88 monthly pass. (WFAE)
- A Las Vegas mom whose 12-year-old was killed by a driver while walking home from school is putting up "sacred shoe" memorials where pedestrians have died. (KATV)
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Wednesday’s Headlines Ask How Much a Life Is Worth
There isn't much of a financial penalty for drivers who kill pedestrians — even if those drivers are cops.
‘I’m Not Grieving Alone’: New Play Explores a Father’s Journey After Losing Two Children to Traffic Violence
Colin Campbell and his wife Gail Lerner lost both their children in a car crash with impaired driver. A new play explores how to talk about similar tragedies.
How Transit Saved Lives — And Became a Lifeline — During and After the Maui Fires
A Maui bus agency helped transport 42,000 people off the island in the wake of one of the most devastating fires in American history — and highlighted the critical role that shared modes can play not just in preventing climate-related disasters, but saving lives when they happen.
California Has to Stop Building Freeways. Now.
"People aren't used to thinking of freeways as fossil fuel infrastructure, but they are." And once built, there's no going back, no making up for the extra driving by trying to convince people that a bus or train might be a better choice - we're stuck with it.
Streetfilms Tours Emeryville, Calif., the Little City that Can
Did somebody say "encore?" Safe streets rock star John Bauters, Mayor of Emeryville, population less-than 13,000, gave Streetfilms producer Clarence Eckerson a tour of his city.
