Week in Traffic: More people are dying on the sidewalk. What will save them?

Traffic Deaths on the Rise

On Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that vehicular fatalities rose by 3.3 percent from 2011 to 2012. Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists account for most of the increase.  Traffic deaths continue to remain at a historical low. Read more. Source: LA Times

 Would You Pay $0.75 to Avoid Traffic?

In an effort to meet capacity for increasing traffic, The County of Dallas, Texas,  is building a separate toll lane for the Lyndon B Johnson Freeway. The so-called “TEXpress” lanes will charge between $0.30 and $0.75- depending on conditions – to drive around congestion. Read more. Source: ABC-WFAA

New Yorkers Rally Against Pedestrian Traffic Deaths

A recent spike in pedestrian traffic fatalities has prompted a neighborhood march in Queens, New York. Speakers at the event — organized by the pedestrian advocacy group, Three Children Too Many – urged the city to improve enforcement of safe driving laws. Read more. Source: Streets Blog

Do Pedestrians Deserve Tickets Too?

A new enforcement campaign in Hackettstown, New Jersey targets pedestrians. In it’s first day, Be Street Smart has issued over 17 tickets, largely for pedestrian offences like jaywalking and ignoring crosswalk signals. Read more. Source: NJ.com

Florida Says they’re ready for Driverless Cars

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is taking strides to encourage early adoption of driverless cars. The agency, in partnership with The University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transport Research, recently held the first Florida Automated Vehicle Summit where they discussed new safety research around automated driving technology. Flordia is one of three states to pass preemptive legislation to allow driverless cars on the road. Read more. Source: Tampa Bay Times   Images Source: Open Knowledge Alliance, http://knowledge.allianz.com/mobility/transportation_safety/   Image Source: Cyron on Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyron/