Tuesday’s Headlines Let There Be Light

Lack of adequate lighting is the number one reason women cite for being afraid to walk or take transit at night, a new study says.

11:59 PM EDT on September 9, 2024

Early winter sunsets and lack of streetlights are two of many reasons why evenings are so dangerous for walking. Photo: Detroit Public Lighting Authority

Almost two-thirds of women feel unsafe walking after dark — twice the rate of men, according to an Australian study. Fear of being attacked in the dark is keeping women from walking, jogging or using transit, and the male-dominated transportation industry doesn’t always take those fears seriously. (The Guardian)
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has a new online toolkit for walkable cities.
The Federal Highway Administration is awarding $800 million in grants to road builders that use low-carbon construction materials. (Smart Cities Dive)
Transit agencies across the country are looking to California as a model for tap-to-pay fare collection. (Route Fifty)
Ramsey County, Minnesota, is scrapping plans for a $2.1 billion light rail line linking St. Paul to the Minneapolis airport and the Mall of America. (Star Tribune)
Even if Charlotte officials convince a skeptical Republican-controlled legislature to let them hold a referendum on a transportation plan with reduced transit spending, skyrocketing construction costs are likely to put off voters, according to Governing magazine.
A Kentucky Transportation Center study found that Louisville’s complete streets policy has been successful at reducing crashes. (WDRB)
Wisconsin Public Radio interviewed a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee urban planning professor about Milwaukee’s successful traffic-calming program and how other cities can emulate it.
The Houston city council is considering repealing an ordinance requiring developers to build sidewalks or pay into a sidewalk fund, saying it’s just resulted in sidewalks to nowhere. (KHOU)
Pedestrian deaths are down in Oklahoma City, but the unhoused are at greater risk of being killed by drivers, and death rates remain high on faster suburban roads. (Free Press)
Four Houston-area transit agencies are going fare-free on Fridays in September, the worst month for ozone pollution in the region. (Houston Public Media)
University of Nebraska-Omaha students can now buy annual bikeshare passes for $5, a 95 percent discount. (The Gateway)
The Oregon DOT has taken the unorthodox step of hiring a preacher to win over Portland’s mistrustful Black community on highway projects. (Willamette Week)
A Texarkana couple that met on a group ride got married before 1,800 fellow cyclists at a Waco bike race. (KWTX)

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Tuesday’s Headlines Let There Be Light

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