Halloween is identified as one of the most dangerous nights for pedestrians, prompting Quartz to offer safety tips for parents and drivers in neighborhoods lacking safe walking streets. In Durham, volunteers with Bike Durham took proactive measures on Thursday by protecting a vital bike lane with pumpkins to ensure safety during the holiday.
In California, Caltrain reported that ridership grew by more than 50 percent last year, a surge attributed to electrification efforts. Looking ahead, future Governor Xavier Becerra is expected to dismiss the head of the state's high-speed rail project and has expressed openness to implementing a vehicle-miles-driven tax.
Chicago has passed an ordinance banning car-centric businesses, such as drive-throughs and gas stations, near transit-oriented developments. Meanwhile, Utah is adopting the Michigan left traffic pattern, requiring drivers to turn right and then make a U-turn instead of turning left directly. In South Carolina, the Department of Transportation is investing $300 million to prevent Columbia drivers from waiting on trains.
Financial decisions regarding transit are also making headlines in other regions. The Dallas city council approved $2.8 million in streetcar funding despite ongoing questions about the return on investment. Omaha has spent over $400 million acquiring downtown parking garages, an amount comparable to its spending on building a streetcar system. Conversely, a Florida referendum aimed at reducing property taxes could cost Miami-Dade transit $29 million in revenue, potentially forcing cuts to routes and operating hours.
On the national stage, Yonah Freemark of the Urban Institute argues that housing and transportation policies must be integrated to improve affordability for both sectors. The World Cup demonstrated that increasing transit capacity for major events can yield lasting positive effects for residents even after the surge ends. In Boise, chip manufacturer Micron pledged that a $50 billion investment would benefit local transit and housing.
Elsewhere, ridership on the LIRR and Metro-North surged within New York City limits following the MTA's expansion of the CityTicket program, which offers peak fares at $7 and off-peak fares at $5. In contrast, Detroit's MoGo bikeshare service has suspended operations for reasons that remain vague beyond a lack of socializing. Internationally, a high-speed train collision in Spain resulted in nearly 70 deaths, while in Canada, forcing Edmonton to remove bike lanes could cost the province of Alberta at least $150 million.
Sources: Streetsblog USA.