Are Friday’s Headlines Getting Across?
Traffic deaths are up, especially among Black and low-income Americans, because that's where we built the most dangerous roads.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on August 26, 2022
- The national epidemic of traffic deaths is falling most heavily on Black and low-income Americans, partly because cities and states systematically built high-speed roadways through their neighborhoods. (New York Times)
- E-bike and e-scooter use is rebounding after a pandemic decline, according to an industry study (Smart Cities Dive). In related news, scooter-share Bird is expanding to Minneapolis, San Diego, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis and other cities, with an emphasis on college towns as fall semester starts (Mass Transit).
- Intercity bus travel is also starting to creep back up after dropping by half during the pandemic. (Smart Cities Dive)
- New tech startups want to work with cities to help them managing increasing competition for curb space. (NYT)
- Five U.S. cities that participated in the Final Mile program — Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Providence — built 335 miles of bike lanes in two years (Next City, Streetsblog USA). Impressive, but Paris is the GOAT of new bike-lane building (Pop Up City).
- The Los Angeles city council refused to pass a measure requiring the installation of bike and bus lanes whenever the city does road work, instead putting the issue before voters in 2024. (L.A. Times)
- A new coalition has formed to fight the Texas DOT’s planned widening of a downtown Dallas interstate, as past groups that initiated the effort in 2013 have faded away. (D Magazine)
- Washington, D.C. regional planners have a goal of reducing car and truck emissions by 80 percent but still want to widen freeways. (Virginia Mercury)
- Experts say Wisconsin cities should lower speed limits and redesign streets after pedestrian deaths rose 8 percent in 2021. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
- Entitled Oakland drivers think they have a right to park on the sidewalk. (Oaklandside)
- TikTok says drivers have been parking wrong this whole time. (Yahoo! News)
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
Why US Roads Are Full of SUVs and Trucks, Part I
Everyone says that Americans just love SUVs and pick-ups. But is that really true — or are there solvable structural reasons why our streets look like a monster truck rally?
October 19, 2026
Every Friday’s Headline Is Sacred
When transit funds are wasted, God gets quite irate.
October 16, 2026
Friday Video: When Walkability Isn’t Enough … Even in the Great Cities of Europe
What happens when livable places get overwhelmingly popular before we can build more of them — or when other failures of design and governance make them bad places to live?
October 16, 2026
Newsom Signs Bill to Better Align California Transportation Spending With Climate Goals
SB 1087 updates California’s landmark sustainable communities law, strengthening the connection between regional climate plans and transportation investments.
October 15, 2026
