Thursday’s Headlines Wonder Why
Why are drivers killing so many pedestrians? Governing magazine has a number of familiar theories.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 17, 2025
- What’s to blame for the rise in drivers killing pedestrians in recent years? Depending on whom you ask, bigger vehicles are a factor. So is poor street design. Then there’s antisocial behavior rooted in the pandemic and abetted by lack of law enforcement. (Governing)
- One Toronto suburb managed to get thousands of people to ride the bus just by running them more frequently. (CityLab)
- The Biden administration helped bring transit infrastructure closer to a state of good repair. (Mass Transit)
- Lime, the world’s largest bike- and scooter-share company, inked a deal to recycle its vehicles’ batteries. (The Verge)
- Cyclists at the Tour de Houston booed anti-bike Mayor John Whitmire. (Chron)
- Seattle’s bike- and scooter-share ridership is rising rapidly, up 28 percent in 2024 and 76 percent so far this year, putting it on pace to exceed 10 million in 2025. (The Urbanist)
- A Chicago organization that created an app for cyclists to report bike lane obstacles is now holding training classes for fleet drivers like delivery and landscaping companies that are the worst offenders. (CBS News)
- For five years, San Francisco’s Market Street has been closed to motorized vehicles. Now new Mayor Daniel Lurie is opening it back up, but only to Waymo robotaxis, prompting complaints from Uber and Lyft. (KRON)
- A major road project in Salt Lake City will include protected bike lanes and new crosswalks. (KSL)
- Maryland legislators preserved funding for a bus rapid transit connection to the D.C. Metro’s Green Line. (WJLA)
- Milwaukee’s Vision Zero plan is up for a final month of public comment. (TMJ4)
- Atlanta bike culture is booming, but the “Atlansterdam” nickname is probably not yet warranted. (Urbanize Atlanta)
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.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: RIP, The D.C. Streetcar
Advocates are mourning the loss of the D.C. streetcar ... but they'e not entirely sad to see it die.
April 10, 2026
You’re Authorized to Read Friday’s Headlines
An important federal transportation funding bill is in the works. Here's what to look out for.
April 10, 2026
Review: ’60 Minutes’ Take On High-Speed Rail Ignored Facts And Offered Nothing New
When 60 Minutes announced a segment on high-speed rail construction in the United States,I feared the worst. What I got was unexpected.
April 9, 2026
Trump Wants to Slash Federal Funding for Public Transit, Rail (Again)
The president’s proposed budget threatens transit projects across the country.
April 9, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are the Taxman
Suspending gas taxes might be politically popular, but it doesn't save drivers money and takes away funding for infrastructure.
April 9, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.