Wednesday’s Headlines Remain Deadly by Design
Congress should tie transportation funding to measurable improvements in safety, says Transportation for America.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 30, 2026
- The latest version of Transportation for America’s “Deadly by Design” report ranks congressional districts by pedestrian deaths, with the highest by far being the Arizona 3rd in Phoenix. Congress distributes billions of dollars in transportation funding to cities and states each year, but steadfastly refuses to hold those state and local agencies accountable for safety improvements.
- Almost half of parents report that their child has experienced a close call from dangerous drivers at a school bus stop or near a school, according to a survey by the Governors Office of Highway Safety. (Jalopnik)
- AAA says the average annual cost of owning an operating a new vehicle has risen more than $1,000 since last year, to nearly $13,000.
- Traffic congestion should be viewed as something motorists impose on themselves and other road users, as opposed to casting drivers as the victims. (Planetizen)
- Why do more Philadelphians die in car crashes than in comparable cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C.? (The Conversation)
- Private passenger rail company Brightline cut a deal with investors on a $490 million lifeline to save it from bankruptcy (Miami Herald). Brightline demonstrated the appeal of high(ish)-speed rail in South Florida, but its financial problems once again beg the question, who will pay for the infrastructure? After all, airlines don’t pay for airports (Grist).
- Orange County, Florida is seriously considering an ambitious citizen-led plan for an Orlando mass transit system combining light and heavy rail with bus rapid transit. (Central Florida Public Broadcasting)
- Both Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy and Republican challenger Mike Minogue want to suspend the state gas tax, which may be popular, but it only saves drivers a few bucks and sends the wrong message about transportation priorities. (Commonwealth Beacon)
- Dallas leaders believe the city needs a grand strategy tying together planning, transportation and infrastructure to keep up its economic momentum. (Morning News; paywall)
- Sacramento opened a new light rail station four months early. (ABC 10)
- Police have started ticketing violators in Pittsburgh’s new Oakland bus-only lanes. (TribLive)
- The Charlotte Area Transit System is implementing the first of improvements called for by last year’s transit funding referendum. (Queen City News)
- China opened four new high-speed rail lines with a combined length of about 700 miles on Monday alone. (China Daily)
- Spacing obtained the actual request for proposals Ontario issued for a construction company to physically tear up Toronto bike lanes, and it looks like retrofitting those streets for even more cars will be extremely disruptive and cost a lot of money.
- Meanwhile, cyclists in Alberta are pushing back on a similar policy, showering lawmakers with postcards. (Cycling Magazine)
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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