Infrastructure

Why Not Hold Traffic Safety to the Same Standards as Transit?
Many transportation modes, such as trains and airplanes, have robust, system-wide response mechanisms to investigate safety concerns when incidents occur. Why is traffic safety still seen largely as an individual responsibility?

California Budget Includes $4.2 Billion for High-Speed Rail
The recently approved state budget directs $4.2 billion in bond funding to the Bakersfield-to-Merced leg of California’s long-awaited high-speed rail project.

Something Old, Something New: Biden’s Housing Plan
President Biden’s Housing Supply Action Plan is a catchall of existing proposals, tiny tweaks, and things Congress would have to fund—plus a few genuinely interesting administrative moves. Here’s the rundown.

Did Chicago’s Speed Cameras Improve Safety? [UPDATED]
Advocates of automated enforcement argue it saves lives, but despite a dramatic rise in speeding tickets, pedestrian fatalities grew in 2021.

California Senate Committee Kills Freeway Expansion Bill
The proposed legislation would have prohibited new construction in historically underserved areas that often bear the burnt of the negative impacts of freeways.

Initiative Brings Capacity Building to Booming Rural Towns
A research and capacity building initiative based at Utah State University seeks to help fast-growing tourist meccas in the West plan for smart growth.

$1 Billion ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Program Accepting Applications to Repair Damage of Racist Transportation Planning
The Biden administration has talked about the need to repair the damages of a racist history of transportation planning in the United States. The time has finally come to put their money where their mouth is.

Chicago Bike Lanes To Get Concrete Curbs
The city plans to upgrade its entire protected bike lane network with concrete barriers by the end of 2023.

The Benefits of Bright Red Bus-Only Lanes, Explained
Richmond, Virginia is adding red paint to 2.5 miles of bus-only lanes. An article in the local newspaper explains why the change is more than an aesthetic consideration.

Biden Proposes Gas Tax Holiday to Reduce Gas Prices
President Biden asked Congress on June 22 to suspend federal fuel taxes, unchanged since 1993, for three months to provide motorists 'relief' at the pump. Additionally, he asked states to follow suit and for oil companies to increase refining.

Report: Dallas Needs $54 Million in Sidewalk Ramps and Crosswalk Repairs
The city, which recently adopted a Vision Zero action plan, has one of the nation’s highest pedestrian fatality rates.

Kansas City Pedestrian Deaths Surpassing Last Year’s Rates
The city has taken some steps to address gaps in pedestrian infrastructure, but fatalities are growing as the most disadvantaged communities continue to lack safe walking conditions.

How Micromobility Can Improve Last-Mile Delivery
Facilitating the use of micromobility devices for the last mile of urban deliveries can reduce congestion, lower emissions, and take bigger vehicles off small neighborhood roads.

State of the Cities: Mayors Focused on Infrastructure, Economic Development
Mayors around the country are pledging to bolster infrastructure projects with new federal funding, generate economic growth, and support the most vulnerable residents.

Redesigned Local Bus Network Launches in the Bronx
A redesigned bus network in the Bronx, planned since October 2019, is now live.

Advocates Hope the Next Texas Freeway Widening Won’t Be the Like the Previous
Community Design Fort Worth, a nonprofit collective of planners and designers, is pushing the Texas Department of Transportation to do something revolutionary with its plans to widen Interstate 30.

States Diverting Federal Road Safety Funds
Despite a nationwide rise in traffic fatalities, almost half of U.S. states have transferred federal road safety dollars to other projects.

Pittsburgh Debuts ‘Advisory’ Bike Lane
The design uses a central traffic lane and adjacent two-way bike lanes to prioritize people on bikes on a popular cycling route.

Seattle Traffic Deaths Rose Again in 2022
Despite a commitment to eliminating traffic deaths by 2030, 2022 is shaping up to be the deadliest year in more than a decade.

Toward More Inclusive Emergency Management
People with disabilities often die at higher rates during natural disasters or other emergencies. One Oregon advocacy group wants to change that.
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