How our deadliest roads got — and stay — so dangerous

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November 13, 2024 View in browser  David Zipper is a senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, where he examines the interplay between transportation policy, technology, and society. He is a contributing writer for Vox.  David Zipper is a senior fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, where he examines the interplay between transportation policy, technology, and society. He is a contributing writer for Vox.    What America's deadliest roads have in common AP Photo/Julio Cortez Some 110 years ago, a picturesque new road known as Roosevelt Boulevard began ferrying vehicles across the nascent but burgeoning neighborhoods of North and Northeast Philadelphia. At first, traffic was light, but it rapidly thickened as car ownership rose and the surrounding area developed. By the 1950s, when the boulevard expanded to meet the new Schuylkill Expressway, it was lined with row houses and shops. Today, what was initially a bucolic parkway has become a traffic-snarled, 12-lane thoroughfare snaking its way through neighborhoods that house 1 in 3 Philadelphians.   It is, by all accounts, a mess.   Dubbed the "corridor of death," Roosevelt Boulevard has been named the most dangerous street in the city (and among the most dangerous in the nation). In 2022, 59 pedestrians were killed there. Residents "want to get across the street to the pharmacy to get their medication or get across the street to the supermarket," Latanya Byrd, whose niece and three nephews were killed in a crash on the boulevard in 2013, said in a video produced by Smart Growth America. "It may take two, maybe three lights, for them to get all the way across."   It's not just pedestrians who loathe Roosevelt Boulevard.  "People who walk, drive, or take public transit are all pretty badly screwed," Philadelphia's public radio station declared in 2017.   Aware of the road's shortcomings, city officials have long sought design changes that would reduce crashes. But they are powerless to act on their own, because the boulevard is controlled by the state of Pennsylvania.   That situation is common across the United States, where many of the most deadly, polluting, and generally awful urban streets are overseen by state departments of transportation (DOTs). Often they were constructed decades ago, when the surrounding areas were sparsely populated.   Although only 14 percent of urban road miles nationwide are under state control, two-thirds of all crash deaths in the 101 largest metro areas occur there, according to a recent Transportation for America report. In some places, this disparity is widening: From 2016 to 2022, road fatalities in Austin, Texas, fell 20 percent on locally managed roads while soaring 98 percent on those the state oversees.   "The country is littered with roads that are a legacy of the past, that don't work very well, and that drive people crazy," said US Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who calls them "legacy highways."   But instead of fixing such roadways, state officials tend to keep them as they are, citing limited resources or a need to maintain traffic speeds. In doing so, they constrain the capacity of even the most comprehensive local reforms to respond to urgent problems like car crash deaths.  Why we have state highways In the early 1900s, states from coast to coast created transportation agencies to build smooth, wide roads that enabled long-distance car trips. When Americans went on a car-buying binge after World War II, states like Michigan widened their highways with the goal of keeping traffic moving quickly, a prime directive for engineers.   Their designers paid little attention to transit, sidewalks, or tree cover — features that are often afterthoughts for rural roads, but crucial in more densely populated areas.   As with Philadelphia's Roosevelt Boulevard, the width and traffic speed of state roads in urban neighborhoods now frequently clash with local desires for street safety and quality transit service. But revising them is rarely a priority for state DOTs engaged in a Sisyphean battle against traffic congestion.   Even sympathetic state transportation officials may not fix dysfunctional urban roadways due to limited resources and competing needs that include expensive upgrades to bridges and interstates. And lacking the authority to make changes themselves, city officials are stuck. The beginnings of a paradigm shift in transportation policy With deaths among US pedestrians and cyclists hitting a 40-year high in 2022, a growing number of state DOTs are starting to acknowledge that maximizing vehicle speed is not the only goal that matters on urban roadways. The Pennsylvania DOT, for example, is now working with Philadelphia to at last bring lane redesigns, bus lane improvements, and speed cameras to Roosevelt Boulevard. On the other side of the country, the head of the Washington state DOT has requested $150 million from the state legislature to address the shortcomings of legacy highways.   Still, fixing the deficiencies of state roadways requires a paradigm shift within state DOTs, with senior officials accepting that maximizing car speeds jeopardizes crucial local priorities like accommodating pedestrians, enabling rapid transit service, or supporting outdoor dining.    Federal money could help finance redesigns — if state officials know how to use it.  "There's a lack of knowledge about the flexibility of federal dollars, with misunderstandings and different interpretations," said NACTO's Seskin.   Recognizing the issue, over the summer, the Federal Highway Administration published guidance and held a webinar highlighting dozens of federal funding programs available to upgrade legacy highways.   At the moment, President-elect Donald Trump and incoming congressional Republicans show little appetite for transportation reforms, but a golden opportunity will come during the development of the next multiyear surface transportation bill, which is expected to be passed after the 2026 midterms.   Although Blumenauer did not run for reelection this month, he said he hopes the future bill will include a competitive grant program that invites state and local officials to submit joint proposals to upgrade state highways in urban areas, with federal dollars acting as a sweetener.   Otherwise, these state roads will continue to obstruct urban residents' most cherished goals of safety, clean air, and public space.   Flourishing cities cannot coexist with fast, decrepit roads. Too many state officials have not yet learned that lesson. Read the whole story on Vox.  Related: A crisis on America's roads   The US has an overall traffic fatality rate that's 50 percent higher than comparable nations — and its only getting worse. Why are US roads getting deadlier? This series by Vox senior correspondent Marin Cogan explores that question in depth.  Listen A live-forever diet? The quest to live forever has taken us from diet fads to geographic fantasies like Blue Zones. But none of these ideas are based in reality, according to Washington Post health columnist Anahad O'Connor and Saul Justin Newman, a researcher on aging. Listen now     Joshua Lott/Washington Post/Getty Images Voters wanted a plan for Gaza. The candidates weren't interested: When it came to a vision for how to end the war in Gaza, President Joe Biden, democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, and former President and now President-elect Donald Trump failed to offer a compelling message. 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Anadolu via Getty Images Are you enjoying the Today, Explained newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can sign up for it right here.  And as always, we want to know what you think. Specifically: If there is a topic you want us to explain or a story you're curious to learn more about, let us know by filling out this form or just replying to this email.    Today's edition was produced and edited by senior editor Lavanya Ramanathan, with contributions from staff editor Melinda Fakuade. We'll see you tomorrow! Become a member to support fearless, independent election coverage. BECOME A MEMBER Ad This email was sent to punjabsvera@gmail.com. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.   View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.   Vox Media, 1701 Rhode Island. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.