Today's Headlines

Thursday’s Headlines Are Deadly By Design

Turns out, designing roads for fast-moving cars means people will die.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on July 16, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines Are Deadly By Design

Memphis has the highest pedestrian fatality rate in the country thanks to its wide roads, fast-moving traffic and shoddy network of sidewalks and crosswalks.

An analysis of Smart Growth America data by CityNerd found that American roads are getting more dangerous, with pedestrian deaths rising by 72 percent compared to population growth and vehicle-miles driven. In the cities where the problem is worst, like Memphis and others in the Sun Belt, roads were designed during the height of the car era to emphasize speed over safety. (The Cool Down)
At a recent American Public Transportation Association conference, transit leaders emphasized the need to seek other funding sources besides the federal government, as well as bringing down procurement costs. (Railway-News)
Utility companies are working on ways to alleviate concerns about electric vehicles’ impact on the power grid. (Government Technology)
Economist Noah Smith urges people not to give up on the suburbs. (Noahpinion)
Cincinnati made a questionable decision to sell a rail line for $1.9 billion, and now finds itself constrained on how to spend the money. (The Guardian)
In a counterpoint to a previously highlighted headline, MinnPost contributors argue for bus rapid transit on the Blue Line.
The Port of Los Angeles is offering $75 million in incentives to purchase electric trucks.
Atlanta drivers are complaining about protected bike lanes because they can’t stop hitting the barriers (WSB-TV). Would they rather hit cyclists instead?
Chattanooga approved a plan to achieve Vision Zero by 2050. (News 9)
Omaha adopted Vision Zero in 2023. Deaths keep rising, but city officials say they’ve only begun to start implementing safety improvements. (KETV)
Somerville, Massachusetts has gone three years without a traffic death. (Governing)
Montgomery County, Maryland is offering transit riders a free Capital Bikeshare membership while the Red Line is shut down. (WUSA 9)
The world needs more bike lanes, but some of them are so poorly designed as to be useless at best. Momentum Mag gathered some of the worst.
The French city of Grenoble is reallocating public space from advertisers to people. (Reason to Be Cheerful)

Blake Aued

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.

Today's Headlines

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