Infrastructure Bill an Opportunity to Redesign Transportation to Move People, not Cars

Let’s start with the good news: Americans have found a renewed passion for walking and biking. With the COVID-19 lockdowns, bike sales skyrocketed last year and cities across the country shut down streets to cars, creating pedestrian-friendly areas to encourage outdoor dining.

Unfortunately, this increasing interest in walking and biking has been matched by an increase in vehicle-related fatalities. After three years of decline, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the number of fatal crashes increased by 23 percent in 2020 even amid a record decline in driving nationwide.

These statistics underscore the need to make safety a core tenet of the U.S. transportation system. The current federal infrastructure debate, following the release of the Biden administration’s “American Jobs Plan,” presents a perfect opportunity to move this idea forward.

John Stout