The Urbanist's editorial board calls for an end to highway widening and an increased focus on walking, biking, and transit.

The editorial board of The Urbanist joins a "clarion call led by the Disability Mobility Initiative and the Front and Centered Coalition: Washington State must cease spending on new highways." In an editorial published on March 18, the board cites "more pressing needs" for the state "around making our roads safe for people walking, rolling, and biking and boosting transit service to lower climate emissions" and avoid a "climate death spiral."
The board criticizes three transportation and infrastructure proposals currently in the Washington state legislature, particularly Senator Steve Hobbs' "Forward Washington" package, which, according to the authors, "in particular represents the wrong approach. The project list is heavily weighted toward highway widening." While "Governor Inslee emphasized a maintenance-first approach…he also highlighted the need for highway expansion projects." The editorial argues that "adding lanes and interchanges is clearly an expansion of highway infrastructure even if it’s dressed up with tolling or carpool lanes." Maintenance is important, but "what does maintenance first mean if billions and billions more dollars are invested in highway expansion?"
According to the authors, Washington should prioritize different strategies to meet its climate change and transportation goals. "Until our state can meet its climate goals and its Vision Zero pledge to end traffic deaths, adding more highway capacity would only be doubling down on a failing strategy and welcoming more carnage."
FULL STORY: No New Highways Is a 21st Century Imperative

Rethinking Redlining
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

Knoxville Dedicates $1M to New Greenway
The proposed greenway would run along North Broadway and connect to 125 miles of existing trails.

Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot
The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.

NYC Delivery ‘Microhubs’ Aim to Cut Down on Truck Pollution
The hubs are designed to provide parking for large delivery trucks, which can pass on their cargo to bikes or other zero-emission vehicles.
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