Monday’s Headlines Want to Walk Safely

Drivers are still killing record numbers of pedestrians, but the number of walking trips people take has fallen drastically. Meanwhile, a number of cities continue to find ways to try to make their streets safer.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on November 6, 2023

Photo: North Dakota Department of Transportation

Are drivers terrorizing people into not walking? A recent study found that walking trips declined by 36 percent between 2019 and 2022, yet drivers are killing more pedestrians than ever. On the bright side, the use of e-scooters and bikeshares is up. (City Lab, Streetsblog USA)
With drivers killing an average of 20 pedestrians a day in the U.S., Smart Cities Dive looked at what three cities — Atlanta, Chicago and Boston — are doing to make their streets safer. Part Two of the series examined Los Angeles, Tucson and Jacksonville — all of which are in the Sun Belt, where the problem is worst.
Americans drove 51 billion more miles in March 2022 than they did two years prior, and driving is now back to pre-pandemic levels. (Yahoo Finance)
An amendment in a House Republican spending bill would prohibit federal funds for fare-free transit agencies. (Missoula Current)
It looks like Tesla chargers will become the standard for the U.S. EV charging network. (Newsweek)
Uber and Lyft settled a wage theft case in New York for $328 million, which will be distributed to rideshare drivers. (ABC News)
Washington, D.C. is backing off plans to fine drivers $200 for blocking bus lanes. (Post)
Sound Transit will resume citing riders who fail to pay fare (Spokesman-Review). The Seattle transit agency also plans to seek state funding to help complete capital projects (Washington Policy Center).
Austin is the largest U.S. city to drop minimum parking requirements. (Texas Tribune, Streetsblog USA)
Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA will discontinue the use of tokens next year. (Voice)
A group of Portland residents blocked a city contractor from removing a bike lane. (Bike Portland)
Bikelash led Montreal to tear out a bike lane three years ago, but now the city put it back. (Momentum Mag)
Australians are annoyed by a recent influx of huge American pickups, but instead of regulating them, they're considering making parking spaces bigger to accommodate them. (New York Times)
Apparently even bike riders in the Netherlands are bad at parking. (The Guardian)