Push for transit, walkable communities growing across us (AP)
With pedestrian deaths in the U.S. at their highest in four decades, citizens across the nation are urging lawmakers to break from transportation spending focused on car culture.
From Salt Lake City to Charlotte, North Carolina, frustrated residents are pushing for increased funding for public transportation and improvements that make it safer to travel by bike or on foot.
In 2021, the city council in Charlotte, North Carolina, adopted a plan to expand their transit system by adding shaded bikeways, bus routes and commuter rail lines in the next two decades.
One goal is to reduce single-person trips by 25%, said Shannon Binns, president of Sustain Charlotte, a nonprofit organization focused on local sustainability. “It’s an ambitious goal, but of course it will require us to really make a lot of different decisions budget-wise to give people those opportunities to get around without a car,” Binns said.