Friday’s Headlines Go North, Young Man
If you want to walk and bike safely, stay out of the South.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on August 7, 2026
- Albuquerque and a bunch of other Sun Belt cities are the most dangerous for walking, according to an analysis of walk scores and pedestrian death statistics. The study shows a regional divide between the car-dependent sprawl and wide streets of the South and Southwest, and the rest of the country. (Momentum)
- Breaking news: The data is at odds with the Trump administration’s claims that transit is dangerous. (Washington Post)
- Speed traps are an ineffective way of slowing down drivers, writes Beth Osborne. If you want drivers to stick to 25 mph, don’t just lower the speed limit, design the road differently.
- A study out of California suggests that Flock cameras misread license plates 70 percent of the time. (CNET)
- A combination of social service outreach and law enforcement cut homelessness on L.A. transit by more than half. (Metro Magazine)
- In addition to a referendum in Wayne County that stops inner-ring Detroit suburbs from opting out of transit service (Bridge Michigan), Spokane voters narrowly renewed a sales tax funding transit (Spokesman-Review).
- Asthma rates in Philadelphia are measurably higher near freeways and industrial areas. (The Conversation)
- Amtrak is adding a second train connecting New York City, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. (Patriot-News)
- King County is adjusting bus lines in a way that will add a net 3,000 bus trips each week for the Seattle area. (The Urbanist)
- Twin Cities officials are scrambling to find $200 million for the Blue Line. (KSTP)
- San Francisco has already outpaced last year’s number of serious injuries from car crashes. (SFist)
- Nashville is considering banning right turns on red. (WSMV)
- Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced eight new sidewalk and other transportation projects. (WRTV)
- West Memphis — a separate city in Arkansas across the river from Memphis — is starting a new transit system. (Local Memphis)
- Almost 90 percent of Kansas City streetcar riders are satisfied with it. (KCTV)
- A Los Angeles man is trying to bike all 7,500 miles of L.A. public streets, and he’s about three-quarters of the way there. (L.A. Times; paywall)
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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