Author | Lightnews

Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

Hey @cityofpittsburgh.bsky.social, how much would it cost to operate the Wabash Tunnel as a bike route? @bikepgh.bsky.social, has that ever been considered?

Three different tales for Pittsburgh Regional Transit tunnels - Pittsburgh Union Progress

These are the tales of three tunnels owned by Pittsburgh Regional Transit, one where reopening is being held up by mistake, another that is being readied for a $16.1 million upgrade, and a third that ...

www.unionprogress.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

We have the first round of PRT projects that are delayed or cut because funding transit is against Senate Republican's religion. And I do mean the first round, because this only covers about 1/3 of the money stolen from capital projects in order to fund operations.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit identifies some capital projects that will be delayed to maintain service - Pittsburgh Union Progress

Pittsburgh Regional Transit officials heaved a big sigh of relief last month when the agency avoided sharp service cuts and massive layoffs after the state granted permission to use capital funds to h...

www.unionprogress.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

a monkey is holding a piece of paper and looking at it

ALT: a monkey is holding a piece of paper and looking at it

media.tenor.com

Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

So how many people have e-bikes killed in McCandless relative to cars?

E-bikes under review in McCandless after complaints of usage on Brandt Trail

The safety and use of electronic bikes, also known as e-bikes, are under review in McCandless because of an increase in calls over concerns and complaints. Regulating e-bikes is not easy since these r...

triblive.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

It goes out of its way to mention that the rider was wearing a helmet, which I hate, because it had no impact on the crash and if he weren't wearing one would allow people to blame the victim. It actually does cite a crash history, but only because a crash happened here THE DAY BEFORE.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

It cites the County Coroner's Office, which makes it easier to do further follow up. It again says that the rider was hit by a car and not by a driver with their car, giving the vehicle agency rather than the person operating it. It does mention the type of car.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

This @wtae4.bsky.social article's headline makes it sound like the motorcyclist chose to die. I would change it to something like "Driver kills motorcyclist in Westmoreland County." It cites a precise time and location, which helps us get an idea of lighting and typical traffic conditions.

Man dies after being hit by vehicle while riding motorcycle in Westmoreland County

One person has died following a crash between a motorcycle and a car in Unity Township, Westmoreland County, on Saturday night.

www.wtae.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

It does read a little bit like simply reproducing something from CSX's PR department, so having another source, like whichever officials responded, would be nice.

Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

The @wtae4.bsky.social does share the exact time and location, although no map or other image. It refers to "officials" responding rather than a specific group of first responders. It doesn't describe any history of similar crashes at this site.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

When it comes to car crashes I'm critical of articles that assign agency to the vehicle, but for trains, I think it's different, since trains can't swerve and need a looong time to stop to avoid a crash. It's closer to when someone hits a tree; the tree couldn't really do anything to avoid it.

Person fatally hit by train in Allegheny County, CSX officials say

One person was killed after being hit by a train in West Homestead Saturday night.

www.wtae.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

The video does indicate that the crash occurred mid-block, that the surrounding land uses are mostly natural (and therefore don't generate a ton of traffic), and suggests that the vehicles were a minivan and a car or station wagon.

Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

It doesn't mention if speeding, medical incident, vehicle malfunction, distracted driving, or anything else contributed. It doesn't describe crash history or typical conditions, so we don't know if similar crashes have happened or if speeding is common here.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

The article doesn't share the time (just "afternoon"), the precise location, or the first responders (just "authorities"), which makes it hard to get further information. It doesn't share vehicle information, which makes it difficult to reach conclusions about how vehicle type affected the crash.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

This @wtae4.bsky.social @raquelciampi.bsky.social article features probably my primary pet peeve, of assigning an action to the vehicle rather than the driver. Unless the vehicle malfunctioned, it didn't cross the yellow line, the driver crossed the yellow line with their vehicle.

Police: Drivers killed in collision on Route 68 in Butler County

Two people died in a head-on crash on Route 68 in Forward Township, Butler County

www.wtae.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

While the @wtae4.bsky.social article does share time and location as well as who the first responders were (although no link to a report or anything), it doesn't mention the vehicles like the KDKA story, and neither of them mention crash history or improvements that could prevent similar crashes.

Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

This article (same crash but from @wtae4.bsky.social) shows photos of the crash and video of the intersection during more normal operation, which gives us a good idea of what the intersection is like, although I do think an aerial image along with the photos would be helpful.

Two people pulled from wreckage of head-on crash on Route 30 in Westmoreland County

One lane is also closed on the eastbound side

www.wtae.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

They mention vehicles We can see the person in the Ford Explorer (big SUV) had minor injuries while the person in the Honda Civic (small car); maybe we should regulate SUVs so they're less dangerous? The description of events makes it unclear who hit whom. And of course there's no crash history.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 4d

I think a good test for an article is if I have to go anywhere else for useful information. In this case, they do mention the time, so we can make some assumptions about lighting and traffic, but I don't know what this intersection looks like, so an aerial/street view/on-site picture would help.

2 injured in crash on Route 30 near Saint Vincent College

The crash happened around 6 a.m. at the intersection of Rt. 30 and Wimmerton Boulevard.

www.cbsnews.com

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 6d

Oh no I didn’t hear that one! But I did see a sign with a cardigan that said something like ”Everyone is my neighbor” and I loved that.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 6d

Best part was the “Trump’s a jagoff!” chant. #PGHNoKings

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 6d

Not directly, they were too nice (and Jason has a lot of power when it comes to state roads so people want to stay on his good side). But some folks did make points about "we need to do this, even though it's hard," or "It's possible, but you have to make it a priority," stuff like that.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 6d

Which doesn't mean the business owners are done; even they said it looks unsafe with drivers having to cross the lane to park. They're still going to argue that taking away the lane causes them a hardship.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 6d

The primary legal argument the business owners were making was that the design, which included one 15-ft vehicular travel lane, violated the International Fire Code, which requires 20 ft of clear space on any road used to access a building. The new design gets a lane and complies with the fire code.

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Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 6d

“We have the time, we have the energy, and all we have to do is play it out and let it happen.” Angie Martinez of DOMI’s closing remarks. #PGHVisionZero

Dave Munson @davemunson.bsky.social · 6d

“Maybe it will take saying to an aggressive driver, ‘Wow, you are a bad Pittsburgher.’” Claudia Adriazola-Steil