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Friday’s Headlines Take You Home, Country Roads

Rural roads are dangerous, too. Plus, equity in micromobility, a questionable California proposition and more news.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EDT on September 9, 2022

Friday’s Headlines Take You Home, Country Roads

Image: Complete Streets, CC

While road safety initiatives often focus on urban areas, half of fatal crashes occur on rural roads, despite less than a fifth of the U.S. population living there. Dangerous infrastructure is a factor, as are drivers’ risky behaviors and lack of access to medical care. (Transportation Today)
Federal guidelines call for micromobility systems to serve low-income communities and people with disabilities, but rarely is there any follow-through or metrics to measure success. (Smart Cities Dive)
President Biden appointed a 26-person Infrastructure Advisory Council. (Transport Topics)
Should Californians vote to raise taxes on the rich to fund climate projects? The answer may seem clear, but critics say the referendum is a ploy by Lyft to get taxpayers to pay for a fleet of electric cars. (ABC 7)
Several years after the failed Durham-Orange light rail line, Durham officials are considering a new proposal for a commuter rail connection connection to Raleigh, this time using existing freight tracks and Amtrak trains. (News & Observer)
With Phoenix on the verge of setting a new record for traffic deaths, the city council voted to move forward on a Vision Zero plan. (Fox 10).
Cleveland’s Regional Transit Agency launched an ambassador program to assist riders and discourage disruptive behavior without involving armed law enforcement. (Scene)
Ohio leaders are widening a highway for a new Intel plant, of course, but also offering biking and walking options and looking at ways to connect it to public transportation. (WOSU)
Huntsville, Alabama, is in the process of planning a bus rapid transit system. (AL.com)
This is why we can’t have nice things: Salem, Oregon’s nonprofit bike share disbanded because all its bikes fell victim to theft or vandalism. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Bike, scooters and skateboards are getting more popular in Honolulu. (City Beat)
Salt Lake City could use its wide streets for things like linear parks or food truck plazas rather than cars. (Building Salt Lake)
St. Louis is painting colorful sidewalks celebrating Italian heritage in defiance of Federal Highway Administration policy. (Post-Dispatch)
Ms. Wheelchair Louisiana is calling on Baton Rouge to fix its sidewalks. (WAFB)

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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