Latest news with #SmartGrowthAmerica
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Officials celebrate as grizzly bears are caught on camera using unique new bridge: 'It was pretty amazing to see firsthand'
KHOL 89.1FM reported that grizzly bears in Wyoming are exploring the new wildlife crossings near Wyoming Highway 22. WYDOT, Teton County, and the Wyoming Wildlife Natural Resources Trust funded the four new crossings in the area for wildlife navigation around the existing intersection construction. After a rancher spotted the bear using one, project engineer Mick Farrell captured a photo as it crossed the Snake River. Designated crossings can improve wildlife conservation for Wyoming's 122 mammal species by reducing unnecessary contact with people. Seeing a healthy grizzly bear safely using the crossing was good news after four fatalities in a month. KHOL 89.1FM reported that one cub was hit by a car, and two young bears may have been killed by an adult male grizzly. Another one was euthanized after dangerous behavior in Yellowstone. Grizzlies enable healthy biodiversity, so it's a good sign to see them roaming in their space. These apex predators keep nature in balance by hunting herbivores capable of overgrazing, which also reduces foraging and habitat space for pollinators. Typical grizzly activities like digging help aerate the soil, and they disperse blueberry and buffaloberry seeds in their feces. The brown large bear that can reach up to 700 pounds is listed as threatened by the Endangered Species Act. However, conservation acts like wildlife crossings and data from tracking collars placed by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department can prevent them from moving up to endangered. Wildlife crossings in other areas have already shown success. The Banff Wildlife Crossings in Canada have reduced car collisions with wildlife by 80%. Bison in the UK are also getting some space — their roaming area will increase from 123 acres to 494 acres — from government-backed construction on the nation's first-ever bison bridge. Los Angeles is also taking action by building the world's largest wildlife crossing — measuring 210 feet long — over an eight-lane freeway. According to Smart Growth America, there are as many as one to two million collisions between cars and wildlife. Consequently, people can also get hurt, as 200 human fatalities, 26,000 injuries, and as much as $8 billion in property damage result from these specific accidents, per Pew Research. Safer and separate crossings are invaluable for all species, not just grizzlies. However, it's good that these legendary bears are leading the way. Farrell said, "It was pretty amazing to see firsthand the wildlife crossings working." Should the U.S. invest in building more wildlife overpasses? Absolutely Depends on how we do it Depends on where we do it Nope Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pilot project to help temporary fix safety concerns on busy Winchester road
WINCHESTER, Ky. (FOX 56) — People came to the table at Winchester's College Park to talk about what happens on the streets, especially Boone Avenue. 'You can't pull out of your driveway because they come around that corner so quickly,' one attendee said. Residents who live along the busy road joined city leaders to hear about a $20,000 grant after the city was selected by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) along with Morehead and Bowling Green, to participate in a national project: Smart Growth America's Complete Streets Leadership Academy. The city is working with KYTC to test out temporary street improvements. Read more of the latest Lexington & central Kentucky news 'Because they're not going to spend millions of dollars to redo the roadway without having something to back it up. So this is a way for us to try to do a little better, or we get to that million dollars,' one leader said. Although low-cost, short-term projects were outlined Monday evening, many residents focused on long-term issues. 'You've got fuel tankers flying,' one attendee said. Large trucks drive the road, even though they are not supposed to, according to a city ordinance, but community members say it is not getting enforced, making the area less safe and interrupting their peace. 'And when those big trucks come down through there, it will wake you up,' said roadside resident Allen Howard. Residents said a big issue is speeding, as the avenue is also Route 627. Many hope more crosswalks can be the answer to increased safety. Buffalo Trace Distillery touts over 90% recovery from April flooding Pilot project to help temporary fix safety concerns on busy Winchester road 1 in hospital after shots fired on Winburn Drive 'So start down at Maple, coming this way. If there were signified crosswalks, people would pay more attention, and I think they will slow down,' Howard said. Larry Disney has lived on the road for more than 20 years, and he echoed the need for more crosswalks along with bike paths. 'For right now, if we could get the crosswalks and have the traffic slow down, if we could police it to slow down at night,' Disney said. Those working on the project said they are looking at utilizing flex posts. Read more of the latest Kentucky news 'These flex posts are in the road; they're kind of in your way. They're not going to damage your car, but they're going to be uncomfy to hit at the same time, and so if we can put that out, it narrows that width a little bit and that will help slow speeds down in the short term,' said area resident and consulting traffic engineer Austin Obenauf. Project leaders will continue to collect feedback before testing out the possible solutions. To take a survey about Boone Ave., click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rochester emphasizes pedestrian safety to reduce fatalities
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – According to a report done by Smart Growth America, the number of pedestrian fatalities in the United States has increased by 75% over the past ten years. Over the past few weeks, Monroe County has seen an uptick in pedestrian crashes causing injury, and in one case, killing a 74-year-old woman. That fatality happened on May 23, on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford. Co-executive director of Reconnect Rochester, Cody Donahue, spoke on the roadway and the dangers it can bring. 'Monroe Avenue around the Pittsford Plaza is a very large roadway,' Donahue said. 'It's not designed with pedestrians or cyclists in mind. The roadway design does not lend itself to safe crossing, and it prioritizes cars in general.' According to Donahue, it is up to both the driver and the pedestrian to keep those in the crosswalk safe. For pedestrians, Donahue says to remember to always look both ways when crossing the street, and only cross when you are signaled too. Of course though, the driver holds the majority of the responsibility to keep those crossing the road safe. 'My biggest message to the drivers of Monroe County is to slow down, put down the phone, make sure you're not running red lights, and keep an eye out for people,' says Donahue. 'New York State law says if someone is in a crosswalk, you have to yield to them. Even if you have a green light, you have to yield to the person who is walking through the crosswalk.' To help push the importance of pedestrian safety, Reconnect Rochester host different community events throughout the year, including their 'Complete Street Makeover' and 'Downtown smART Streets'. 'It's a new initiative to paint curb extension murals,' Donahue explained. 'It creates this physical sign to the driver that you need to slow down here, that there may be pedestrians crossing.' You can learn more about Reconnect Rochester and their many safety initiatives on their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Daytona Beach cracking down on drivers not stopping at crosswalks
Improving driver and pedestrian safety was on full display in Daytona Beach Friday morning. Police and Bike Walk Central Florida joined forces for Operation Best Foot Forward. According to Smart Growth America, Florida is one of the most dangerous states for pedestrian and cyclist safety. Volusia County is among the top five counties with the most crashes. 'This is why we're out here addressing this,' said Anna Rutherford with Bike Walk Central Florida. Rutherford said the main goal is to get drivers to slow down, pay attention and stop when they come to crosswalks, like the one at South Atlantic Avenue. According to the law, drivers must stop, even if the lights are flashing. Some tourists, like Crystal Nance and her husband, say they don't have these where they're from. 'Oh my god, it's been amazing,' she said. 'It makes me feel safer for sure. And the drivers are stopping.' Officials said the crosswalks and Operation Best Foot Forward are working. They pulled several drivers over, however, not as many as they used to when they first started this. 'That's a good thing,' Rutherford said. 'We have seen by using these enforcements, drastic increases in the driver yield rate going up after this because drivers are more aware of the law for pedestrians.' Failure to stop or yield at crosswalks might cost big time. You could get a $164 fine and three points on your license. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pierce County one of a few selected for national housing program. What will it do?
Pierce County recently announced it is one of a few counties in the nation selected to be a part of a national program to increase housing supply. The county says after the 12-week program it will have 'implementation-ready plans' to create much-needed housing in the region. 'Pierce County is excited to be just one of six counties selected to participate in this national program,' said County Executive Ryan Mello. 'The scale of our housing shortage requires us to do things differently. We're bringing folks together from multiple departments to tackle housing affordability and speed the pace of development, particularly among our high-density transit corridors.' The program is the second national cohort of Counties for Housing Solutions (C4HS), from the National Association of Counties (NACo), designed to increase housing supply in urban counties. Moore said the county will not receive any funding through the program, but would receive consulting services through a third party. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Gates Foundation. NACo launched C4HS to help counties implement recommendations from NACo's 2023 Housing Task Force, convened with the goal of addressing America's housing crisis. According to the county, the goal is implementing strategies to increase housing supply, bring down rents and create a pathway to upward economic mobility for American families. Over a 12-week period, representatives from the Pierce County Council, Human Services and Facilities Management departments will work to develop underutilized, county-owned land for affordable housing. The plan begins with identifying available land and evaluating sites. Next comes community engagement and partnering with potential developers. The process will also include identifying financing to support the planned housing development. Human Services Spokesperson Kari Moore told The News Tribune the program will use a cohort of seven teams selected to work together to increase affordable housing supply and build capacity to assess affordable housing opportunities on publicly owned land. The teams will meet weekly. 'It comes with access to partners at Smart Growth America and offers a technical assistance sprint with a suite of implementation-ready plans to address site selection, zoning, financing, affordability requirements, community engagement and developer procurement,' she said. Smart Growth America is a non-profit coalition of housing advocates. Moore said the program will help facilitate collaborative development of plans the county can use to increase its housing stock, and will provide the best practices and solutions that have proven successful for other counties. 'This will help us build skills to bring more tools to our marketplace on housing solutions that benefit everyone,' she told The News Tribune. Pierce County's Housing Action Strategy estimates the region will need 110,000 new units in Pierce County by 2044 to meet the housing needs of residents. 'To fully meet the housing needs of current and future residents, the county needs to produce, on average, over 2,300 units per year of housing affordable at or below 50% of area median income through the year 2044,' the county's Housing Action Strategy published in 2022 found. 'Over half of these units are needed for households at 30% of AMI or below.' According to Pierce County, the region's area median income is around $98,200 per household.
