Streetsblog

Thursday’s Headlines Will Die Behind the Wheel

AAA explains why traffic deaths spiked during the pandemic. Plus, more on the battle over road spending between the Biden administration and GOP governors.

By Blake Aued

12:00 AM EST on March 3, 2022

Thursday’s Headlines Will Die Behind the Wheel

Image: Chris Yarzab, CC

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One reason traffic deaths skyrocketed during the pandemic is that bad drivers — younger, predominantly male ones who were more likely to drive recklessly — stayed on the roads, while safer drivers stayed at home. (Washington Post, Streetsblog USA)
The National Association of City Transportation Officials is backing the Biden administration in its dispute with Republican governors who object to new federal guidelines that would discourage them from spending federal money on new roads. (Route Fifty). But some aren’t confident Buttigieg will hold strong to those principles. (Reuters, Streetsblog)
As President Biden’s infrastructure czar, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is in charge of trying to bring those GOP governors into the fold. (New York Times)
Two Seattle light rail tunnels are closer to reality as a new study determined that the cost is comparable to elevated tracks and they wouldn’t need additional funding. (The Urbanist)
Philadelphia announced a compromise on a controversial Washington Avenue road diet that will leave part of the dangerous corridor five lanes but narrow the rest. (WHYY)
Colorado’s Regional Transportation District made a mistake when it promised both a commuter rail and express bus service between Denver and Boulder. The bus line opened in 2016, but 18 years later the rail line has yet to be built. (Colorado Public Radio)
The board of commissioners in Cobb County, an Atlanta suburb that’s rejected transit for decades, will vote later this month on whether to put a transit referendum on the ballot. (AJC)
Portland is raising parking rates to help fund transit and bike-share. (Oregonian)
Hennepin County is asking Minnesota lawmakers for $200 million for a Blue Line extension. (Fox 9)
The head of Charlotte’s transit agency pitched a proposed sales tax hike as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (WFAE). Meanwhile, a group of Black political leaders said they won’t support the referendum without measures to guard against displacement (WSOC).
Dublin is collaborating with local children to create new bike routes. (The Mayor)

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.

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