Posted on 03/02/2022 5:29:18 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government has a fresh warning to states seeking billions of dollars from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure law to widen roads: Protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists or risk losing funds.
In a new report submitted to Congress and obtained by The Associated Press, the Department of Transportation says it will aim to prioritize the safety and health of the multiple users of a typical 21st century roadway, from riders of public transit and electric scooters to Uber rideshare pickups and people delivering goods. Projects such as bike paths and traffic roundabouts, enhanced sidewalks, pedestrian pathways to bus stops and transit lanes will be favored in the distribution of funds.
In doing so, the department led by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg seeks to change a longtime focus by the states to direct federal money toward adding lanes to relieve congestion and speed car flow — often at the expense of mostly nonwhite communities living next to the busy roadways.
The report said the Federal Highway Administration’s adoption of the “Complete Streets” strategy, which is already followed by hundreds of communities, will “have a positive impact on the safety of all roadway users — reversing the trend of increasing fatal and serious injuries and creating a healthier, greener, and more equitable surface transportation system.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Road widening gets out of hand really quickly. It is not a cure-all to traffic problems. In many (but not all) cases, it actually worsens the problem by making a car a necessity where it was previously one of many options. Here’s an introduction to the issue: https://youtu.be/ORzNZUeUHAM
Jeez, why not just ban wearing dark clothing at night? That will protect peds and cyclists. [/S]
These are called road diets in California. They cause traffic backups and have shown to kill bike riders who think the can share a road with a car and truck.
They also have killed many in brush fire in northern Calif during the Paradise fire where people could not get out of town and area quickly as lanes had been reduced several years earlier in order for the town to get state/federal funds for road repair.
People were burned to death because of the democrats.
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