Monday’s Headlines Are a Crash Course
The global cost of driving in both lives and money is staggering, and the U.S. is among the worst offenders, according to a new WHO report.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on December 18, 2023
- Drivers killed 1.2 million people worldwide in 2021, costing the global economy $1.8 trillion, according to a World Health Organization report. The UN failed to meet its goal of cutting traffic deaths in half by 2020, instead settling for just a 5 percent reduction. (Jalopnik)
- Digital platforms that integrate multiple modes of transportation make green travel easer and nudge users away from cars. (The City Fix)
- A new Biden administration policy requires federal employees to avoid flying in favor of rail when possible, and to take local transit or walk/bike when traveling. (Government Executive)
- Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has introduced a new and improved version of his Build More Housing Near Transit Act with Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.). (Niskanen Center)
- More on the Biden Bucks going to safer-streets projects in hundreds of communities across the country, including Minneapolis (MPR), Dallas (Morning News) and Hawaii (Maui News)
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Georgia to celebrate new funding for railroad crossing improvements and passenger rail service between Atlanta and Savannah. (WTOC)
- Plans for a new hockey and basketball arena in Northern Virginia have critics wondering how fans will get there with limited Metro service and potential transit cuts looming. (Washington Post)
- A bill in the Pennsylvania legislature would allow Philadelphia to expand automated traffic enforcement cameras beyond Roosevelt Boulevard (WHYY). But the legislature has so far ignored transit agency SEPTA’s request for $190 million in funding (Philly Voice).
- Seattle is going to have to return a $7 million federal grant city officials have waffled on for too long. (The Urbanist)
- Atlanta is considering a $1 million proposal to offer residents refunds when they buy e-bikes. (AJC)
- Chattanooga is adding e-scooters to its bikeshare fleet. (Times Free Press)
- Monterey County, California, recently opened its 12th “traffic garden” to teach children how to navigate streets safely. (King City Rustler)
- Giuseppe Grezzi revolutionized transportation in Valencia, Spain, by lowering speed limits, pedestrianizing parts of the city, adding bike lanes and beefing up transit service. (Domus)
- Euro Cities interviewed Amsterdam bike mayor Katelijne Boerma.
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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