Monday’s Headlines Care About Safety

Traffic safety is a priority for more than 90 percent of Americans, according to a recent poll, and most of those would even be willing to pay higher taxes to fund it.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on November 20, 2023

LINYperson615, CC|

This sign might not slow many drivers down — but other educational approaches will. Photo: LINYperson615, CC

A Mineta Transportation Institute poll found that 70 percent of Americans would be willing to pay higher gas taxes if the money went toward safer roads and highways. Perhaps that's because so many have been victims of traffic violence themselves — one in six said they'd been in a crash over the past year, with one in nine suffering an injury. (American Journal of Transportation, Metro Magazine)
The Biden administration's infrastructure law is providing tens of millions of dollars to make city streets safer. (Governing)
As a result of a 2022 crash in Las Vegas that killed nine people, the National Transportation Safety Board is calling on automakers to install speed-limiting technology in new vehicles. (Jalopnik)
Clean Technica quotes Streetsblog in an article about stopping faulty e-bike batteries from catching fire.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial board calls safety on Metro Transit "a problem" that's dissuading riders from returning, and offers eight recommendations for improvements.
Since the Sixers' Kelly Oubre Jr. was hit by a driver while walking last week, Philadelphia's attention is focused on how dangerous the city's streets are and the failure of Mayor Jim Kenney's Vision Zero plan. (Citizen)
While Charlotte light rail ridership is recovering from the pandemic, it's still only half of what it was a decade ago. (WFAE)
D.C. Metro ridership is up, but a new flat fare schedule that helped lure riders back has resulted in less-than-anticipated revenue. (Washington Post)
A bus rapid transit project in Utah will endanger wildlife because the state DOT is tacking bus and bike lanes onto the already four-lane road, rather than replacing car lanes, bringing the total width to 100 feet. (Utah Stories)
Madison received a $110 million federal grant for BRT. (Cap Times)
Safety improvements are coming into focus for Atlanta's booming Boulevard. (Urbanize Atlanta)
Richmond police caught 18 drivers in a bus-only lane in just one hour. (Richmond News)
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is expected to face little opposition in her push to raise parking fees for SUVs. (BBC)
An Amsterdam TV journalist is defending her choice not to wear a bike helmet. (Bicycling)