Friday’s Headlines Are Still Unsafe
Traffic deaths are declining for those ensconced in thousands of pounds of steel. For the rest of us, not so much.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 12, 2024
- While overall traffic deaths declined slightly in 2022, that’s only because people inside of vehicles are safer. Drivers continue to kill cyclists and pedestrians at historically high rates and rising. (Velo)
- It’s possible to go car-free, even outside of New York City. (The Guardian)
- The Federal Transit Administration has finalized new safety regulations for transit workers. (Railway Age)
- Fewer members of Gen Z are getting their drivers’ licenses as teenagers — more evidence that they greatly value walkability. (Remain Places)
- How do transit agencies bring riders back post-COVID? The D.C. Metro has shown the way: Invest in a public service and be responsive to what the public wants. (Vox)
- Look out: Cruise was suspended from operating in San Francisco after one of its robotaxis ran over a pedestrian, but will now resume testing in Phoenix. (The Verge)
- Piggybacking off of a recent Texas Monthly profile, Governing details how Houston Mayor John Whitmire is reversing his predecessor’s street safety projects.
- A Tennessee group that advocates for a more progressive tax system argues that property taxes should fund transit expansion in Nashville, not a sales tax hike. (Tennessean)
- The Twin Cities’ Metro Transit will switch to shorter trains but add more frequent service on weekends. (Axios)
- The Charlotte Area Transit System is renewing talk of building the long-planned Red Line commuter rail. (Queen City News)
- Apparently bowing to Uber and Lyft’s threats, Minneapolis city council members are proposing a pause on enforcing a new minimum wage for drivers while they work out a lower rate. (Minnesota Public Radio)
- If New York City implements congestion pricing, it would make sense for Boston to be the next U.S. city to try it. (Bostonia)
- The editor of Rough Draft Atlanta makes the case for Beltline rail now.
- Vietnam is aiming to start construction on two high-speed rail lines to China by 2030. (Reuters)
- You know Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s transportation reforms are working because cyclists now outnumber drivers. (Forbes)
- Seoul has already issued more than a million of its all-inclusive monthly transit passes known as “climate cards.” (Korea Herald)
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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