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

Graphic via Impact Law

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)