FILE (Photo by Richard B. Levine)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Upcoming data shows traffic deaths soaring in the U.S.
The Biden administration is steering $5 billion in federal aid to cities and localities to address the growing crisis.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday announced the availability of money over five years under his department’s new Safe Streets & Roads for All program. The goal is to spur cities to adopt detailed plans to reduce traffic deaths by slowing down cars, carving out bike paths and wider sidewalks and nudging commuters to public transit.
Fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists are rising faster than those within vehicles. Roadway safety advocacy group BikeWalkKC in Kansas City, Missouri, wants communities to foster walkable neighborhoods.
New York City saw a 44% increase in traffic-related deaths in the first three months of 2022. Transportation alternatives says at least 59 people have been killed by vehicular collisions in the first three months of the year..
According to the most recent NYPD collision statistics, a total of 254 people died in motor vehicle accidents in New York City last year. Among the 254 people killed last year, were 108 pedestrians, 15 cyclists, 33 vehicle passengers and 98 motor vehicle drivers.
It’s unclear how much of the funding, administered by grants, will be headed to the Big Apple.
