Companies pledge millions in fed effort to stem road deaths

News Summary

  • The world’s largest ride-share company also said it was doubling the availability of its bike lane alerts this month from 71 cities to 144 for passengers exiting vehicles near cycling routes and providing a safety checklist for Uber Eats bicycle couriers.
  • The company cited as an example its partnership with nonprofit groups to help build out Providence, Rhode Island’s, Hope Street Urban Trail last year, featuring new bike and pedestrian lanes connecting the neighborhood to schools and the commercial district.
  • It’s already pledged to improve 100 school crossing zones and added to that a commitment of $250,000 this year for a new transportation equity initiative that will fund half a dozen major projects in underserved areas.
  • “We’re looking at road deaths coming in year after year in a similar proportion to gun deaths.
  • Uber told the AP that it is donating $500,000 — its single biggest investment in its effort to reduce drunken driving — for free and discounted rides in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri and Texas as part of the “Decide to Ride” program run in tandem with MADD and Anheuser-Busch.
  • But if we add all this together it can be enormous.” Road travelers will see an array of safety measures this year.
By HOPE YEN Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) Nearly 50 businesses and nonprofits including rideshare companies Uber and Lyft, industrial giant 3M and automaker Honda are pledging millions of dolla [+5457 chars]