Streetsblog

Monday’s Headlines Are Inducing Demand

Many state DOTs seem addicted to widening highway, even though they know more cars will just fill up those new lanes.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EST on January 9, 2023

Image: PxHere, CC

Transportation planners have known for decades that widening a highway won’t reduce congestion for long. Yet many states — even some blue ones — continue to add asphalt instead of looking to other options like transit. (New York Times)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling thousands of handlebars sold as the Salsa Cowbell or Cowchipper because they’re in danger of cracking. (KATV)
Conspiracy theories are spreading on TikTok, from the idea that 15-minute cities are a ploy to introduce “climate lockdowns” (Dazed) to a fake Fairfax PSA implying the Virginia county wants drivers to run over jaywalkers (Patch).
College officials in California think fare-free transit is a way to reduce higher education costs for struggling students. (Cal Matters)
Los Angeles should stop forcing developers to build parking that often sits empty. (L.A. Times)
Transit agency MARTA pulled Atlanta streetcars off the tracks over concerns that their wheels are degrading. (Fox 5)
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed a driver’s blackout and a lack of automated anti-collision technology for a 2021 Green Line derailment. (WBUR)
Drivers killed 12 pedestrians in Omaha last year — more than 2020 and 2021 combined. (WOWT)
Uber drivers went on strike in New York City to protest the company’s refusal to give them a raise. (NBC New York)
Madison has a new “complete green streets” policy that combines safety and climate measures, because they often overlap. (Smart Cities Dive)
Cincinnati hired an in-house crew dedicated solely to pedestrian infrastructure. (Streetsblog USA)
Even Republicans in conservative Kansas are now willing to look into mass transit for more populous areas. (Reflector)
Backed up by the Oregon DOT’s own data, Portland pedestrian safety advocates believe more people will die if the Rose Quarter I-5 widening goes through. (Mercury)
The first phase of a Lagos light rail system that is expected to carry 500,000 passengers daily is about to open. (Quartz)