"The President’s proposed FY 2026 budget for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amounts to a 53% reduction in funding...and then restores about 26%of the lost funding to two newly proposed HHS divisions: the Administration for a Healthy America and the Office of Strategy"

"Parents at the school told NBC Chicago they have been requesting crossing guards in the area and warned of repeated instances of dangerous drivers" www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/9... All too common that traffic deaths occur where people are clamoring for safer streets without being heard

Participants in this study "judge AV firms as more liable than both firms that make human-driven vehicles and human drivers for damages when not at fault." They used the pedestrian crash scenario that led to Cruise shutting down as part of the study

Early voting voting begins today in Virginia Nice and easy to vote at the registrar's office in Roanoke, VA today

"According to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, we are seeing a trend in recent state laws allowing for lower speed limits." But to really make a change and save lives, it's going to take more than changing the number on a speed limit sign. www.ksdk.com/article/traf...

Every time a city prioritizes non-car travel, pedestrianizes thoroughfares, expands transit, improves bike networks, implements congestion pricing or creates new public spaces, that city becomes better. It’s not a war on cars. It’s an effort to make cities better & more livable.

“I am just a boy who wanted to give his mother a bicycle... And things got way out of control in the most beautiful way.” We need more of this energy

"In 2000, a traffic signal was installed. While the signal reduced overall crashes, deadly and serious injury crashes went up. Finally in 2014, a roundabout was installed. In the 11 years since, there has not been a single fatal crash" Roundabouts FTW www.transportation.ohio.gov/about-us/new...

Would have been nice if they had a picture of a school with a crosswalk, but hey, nice to see Montana promoting Walk to School Day this October 8th mdtnews.mt.gov/news/news-fo...

"The World Cup has the potential to shift attitudes in the region around DART but could also be an embarrassment for Dallas...'I think, if it’s a success, it proves transit is good. If it’s a failure, and people are like, ‘Wow, it was a mess getting around,’ it proves we need more transit'"

It would be great to see more traffic safety marketing like this It's supportive of traffic safety improvements and says why people like safer streets Way too much traffic safety marketing is unrelated to street safety improvements and reliant on scare tactics, e.g. www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov

With American Community Survey (ACS) commute to work data out, I'm working through data on biking, walking, & taking transit to work One problem with the ACS is how limited it is. Davis, CA is the longtime leader in biking to work, but had no estimate this year datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3Kgyl/1/

It was great to talk to this reporter about the importance of reducing speed limits In some states, home rule allows cities to lower speed limits even when it's not specified in state law and that's my understanding in St. Louis #SafetyOverSpeed www.ksdk.com/article/traf...

Every one of these grants was awarded through a competitive process where communities chose their priorities and put hours, even years, of effort into meeting the needs of their residents Cancelling these grants is a top-down imposition, in spite of community needs

Only four states have 20 mph speed limits as the default in urban or residential areas The success of this policy in Wales should inspire more states to make 20 mph the default Every community that wants safer streets should have the ability to have 20 mph streets www.datawrapper.de/_/GpwYF/?v=4

It's worth noting the only complaint is from a driving instructor who said that people still go too fast. Which is a good reminder that while lowering speed limits is important, designing roads that force people to slow down is even better.

Georgia DOT has opened applications for the "Transportation Alternatives (TA) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement programs. Project applications will be accepted online, September 15 through October 31" mailchi.mp/dot.ga.gov/c...

"Palo Alto has acknowledged the need for more bicycle and pedestrian crossings at the Caltrain tracks for more than a decade: the 2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan recommended exploring an additional crossing" Survey thru Sept. 22 www.paloaltoonline.com/transportati...

Nice discussion about low-speed vehicles that go over 25 mph at the end of @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social Not an area of NHTSA's regulation I've looked at, but it'd be super interesting to get the Microlino and Citroen Ami legalized as an unintentional part of tariff deals

"The average American now drives nearly 5% less than they did in 2004." "From 2017 to 2022, average daily trips among young adults fell nearly 50%, and their personal travel mileage dropped by 41%." Linear traffic growth patterns do not seem to be coming back, and investments should reflect that

Good video about why people don't walk to school, and all of the other issues that lead to inconsistent and unsafe walking conditions in the US The decline in walking and biking to school was mentioned in a MAHA report, and this gives some good guidance on why federal coordination could help

Unfortunate that China is outcompeting us on a vehicle technology and a regulatory front To the extent that we're seeing vehicle innovation in the US, it often seems like it is in vehicle size and styles that lead to greater risks for people in the US

In good news, more states are giving communities the ability to set safer speed limits Slower speeds can save lives and it is great that more states are giving communities the ability to pursue and implement slower speed limits

“There’s no reason to stop your car on a busy road and get out and then push over a cyclist in ‘self-defense,’...And I think that’s what the officer figured out as well.” - lawyer for the cyclist Not so much about the vehicle, but about the idea of dominating so often wrapped up in their marketing

"while it's technically illegal for US DOT to refuse to spend money that Congress ordered it to spend... the agency can test the limits of the law by [by waiting to notify] ... so that grantees will not have time to file lawsuits before Oct. 1" "communities' best line of defense is to lawyer up"

Finalists for AASHTO's America's Transportation Awards are available. Voting through November 17th aashtojournal.transportation.org/top-12-named... Some interesting looking projects, including from Kansas and Kentucky Delaware has a street widening with a side path @bikede.bsky.social

"An investigation by WPTV found that there have been only two crashes... where Delray Beach’s Pride mural is located since the crosswalk was painted four years ago. In contrast, there were 15 incidents at the same location in the four years beforehand." @nbcnews.com www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

2024 American Community Survey data is out Congratulations to New York City on another year of strong growth for bike commuting - topping 70,000 people who primarily use a bicycle to get to work in 2024 data.bikeleague.org/data/cities-... (Chicago and Boston also have new all-time highs)

Hearing that a bunch of USDOT grants are being canceled because safety is not an agency priority While ~30% of traffic deaths involve speeding and speed limits in the US are routinely higher than recommended for safety, efforts to improve safety don't align with agency priorities #SafetyOverSpeed

"Between 2018 and 2023, six crashes involving bicyclists or pedestrians occurred within a half mile of this proposed trail corridor, including the tragic death of a bicyclist near Towanda last year" Apparently safety and economic development is "no longer aligned with the department’s priorities"

"The problem here is that when it comes to pedestrian safety, the United States has no standards; our nation has ignored the issue forever." The pace of vehicle testing and safety standards development outside the US is incredible compared to what the US has done

I think that connected infrastructure and vehicles has a role to play in reducing traffic deaths, but this imagery is kind of grim Something very American about connecting every person, vehicle, and traffic control device rather than designing safer, smaller, streets www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgtG...

Yet more data showing that separated bike lanes benefit everyone Separated bike lanes makes streets safer for everyone

Day two of the BikeWalkNC Summit starts with the North Carolina Integrated Mobility Division and how the state DOT approaches prioritization and project development New venue for the new day in downtown Hickory

Final session at the BikeWalkNC Summit today is a bunch of advocacy stories Starts with Bike Durham and their campaign for a referendum that focused on sidewalk and bicycle facilities

Second session at the BikeWalkNC Summit is with law enforcement officers Trooper Casey is a Traffic Safety Information officer and gets to speak to many audiences about traffic safety Suggests reaching out to him rather than google if there are questions about laws in North Carolina

At the @bikewalknc.bsky.social 14th annual statewide Summit First breakout session of the day is about industry partnership DeFeet socks is based in Hickory, NC where the Summit is being held this year Also had a great opening plenary from Dennis Markatos-Soriano @eastcoastgreenway.bsky.social

Micah Parsons, now of the Green Bay Packers, welcome to The War on Cars.

"Inviting kids to participate and share their views when transforming streets can help elevate their voices and needs, clarify priorities, and motivate adults to dream bigger and unlock the full potential of streets." Cool Idea globaldesigningcities.org/resource/sfk...

"Since 2013, 19 states have changed their laws to give local governments more flexibility and authority to lower speed limits within their jurisdictions. In some cases, this means waiving the requirement for an engineering study or for state approval of specific changes" www.iihs.org/news/detail/...

“Anytime we have schools in communities, there’s going to be heavy congestion during the morning drop-off and the afternoon pickups...We’re always going to see that congestion in communities until we can start adjusting everyone’s ability to get to school in different ways.”

“'We are planning on using signs that light up when an object is detected to warn the drivers'...These will be similar to wildlife warning systems that Coloradans are familiar with" Good, but kind of implies we do better for wildlife than pedestrians www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/sony-ai...

"When it comes to smart investments, the facts speak for themselves. Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in long-term economic returns” - @apta-info.bsky.social www.progressiverailroading.com/federal_legi...

Really appreciate this photo Bus stop with no seating or shade Person probably looking to cross the street with a bike, but no crosswalk Sidewalk(?) is uneven, maybe just dirt 45 mph speed limit with WIDE lanes Sure makes it look like transportation is broken

"When the C.D.C. was created in 1946, the average life expectancy in the United States was around 66 years. Today it is more than 78 years. While medical advances have helped, it is public health that has played the biggest role in improving both the length and the quality of life in our nation."

"What problem is this solution trying to solve?" TLDR: 1) Want to spend more on transit? There are already no restrictions 2) States will abuse transfers to fund bad projects 3) Past increases in flexibility haven't led to better outcomes 4) This reduces accountability and transparency

“These results suggest that physical activity levels are directly influenced by the built environment and not simply a product of personal preferences or other types of selection effects” If we really want to make America healthy again, walkability should be a priority

“The greatest gratitude you will never receive, because it would come from a parent, family member or other loved one that does not have to face the grief of losing someone because of the change that we advocated for" - @jay.hightman.org So thankful to all who turn their tragedy into advocacy

"The Safer Roads Ahead with the Kansas VRUSA Tool project was honored in the Safety category for a small-sized project" www.ksdot.gov/Home/Compone... Cool to see the federally-required Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment lead to award winning work by the Kansas DOT

I get some robocop and Alien APC vibes Nuro was cuter At 82.6 inches tall (6 feet 10.6 inches) I feel like the Robomart has potential to really reduce visibility if it catches on (but is still probably better than full size FedEx/UPS vans)