Wednesday’s Headlines Want Safe Streets Now
Particularly frightening about the 16-year high in traffic deaths: The spike in pedestrians killed, seniors killed and deaths caused by large truck drivers.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on May 18, 2022
- Traffic deaths rose to their highest level since 2005 last year, the biggest percentage increase since the Federal Highway Safety Administration started keeping track in 1975. (Washington Post)
- As part of the 2021 infrastructure act, U.S. DOT is making $5 billion in grants available to cities for safe-streets projects across five years… (Associated Press)
- …but the Biden administration also said it’s already released $110 billion in funding from the same bill this year alone, much of which will go to autocentric projects. (Reuters)
- The $1 billion for urban freeway removal is giving minority communities in California hope, but they also worry that officials will repeat the mistakes of the past with the influx of infrastructure funding. (The American Prospect)
- The Colorado DOT is taking a plan to widen I-25 through Denver off the table, for now. (Colorado Sun)
- USDOT is seeking nominees for an advisory committee on transportation equity. (Transport Topics)
- Soon it will be impossible to pick out an autonomous vehicle from one with a human driver. (MIT Technology Review)
- Uber Eats is launching two robot delivery pilot programs in Los Angeles. (Engadget)
- The railyard where a gunman killed six Santa Clara Valley Authority transit workers in San Jose last year is being torn down. (Trains)
- Arkansas planners are looking to bike and pedestrian projects to reduce congestion, but still haven’t given up on the false idea that widening roads will help, either. (Democrat-Gazette)
- St. Paul has Lime e-scooters but still no bike-share. (Pioneer Press)
- Even Berkeley isn’t immune to bikelash. (CBS News)
- This German suspension railway is a relic of the future from the past. (CNN Travel)
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 Living for the City
Suburban retail models are making cities less walkable, while climate change is doing the same in the suburbs.
August 27, 2026
NYC Mayor Doubles Down On Robert Moses’s Great Mistake And Will Rebuild An Urban Highway
Mayor Mamdani wants to build a temporary bypass road to allow for a 10-year, $4-billion rebuild of the BQE triple-cantilever.
August 27, 2026
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Apologizes For Not Wearing A Helmet And Activists Lose Their Minds
Reminder: Bike helmet campaigns turn a collective problem into an individual one.
August 26, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Ride in Style
Amtrak's new trains sound like a win-win for passengers and the environment.
August 26, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Are a High Facts Zone
Low-emissions zones work, but public backlash makes some politicians reluctant to embrace them.
August 25, 2026
