Wednesday’s Headlines
|- Despite a few recent victories, Boston cyclists say the city’s bike-safety efforts remain anemic. Last week, a dump-truck driver struck and killed a cyclist on a stretch of roads that had been slated for bike lanes, but plans were dropped in favor of “driver convenience.” And a plan to build 195 miles of bike lanes by 2018 has fallen short by 100 miles. (Globe)
- Former Atlanta councilwoman and two-time mayoral runner-up Mary Norwood is floating the idea of building a subway between the congested suburbs of Buckhead and Cobb County. Seems kind of ambitious for a region that until recently spent 40 years resisting transit altogether. (Curbed)
- Boeing’s snub in 2001 spurred Dallas to build light rail and invest in creating a sense of place. For Amazon, it wasn’t enough. Will the latest rejection become a similar catalyst? (Morning News)
- As Streetsblog previously reported, San Francisco residents memorialized people killed by drivers last week. It’s far from reaching its Vision Zero goal, but in contrast to many cities, San Francisco is getting safer for those on foot and bikes. Traffic deaths have dropped 50 percent since 2015, although some intersections remain dangerous. (ABC 7)
- Drivers are killing fewer people on foot or bikes in Grand Rapids, Mich., too. (Fox 17)
- Friends and family of traffic victims also marched in Austin on Sunday demanding change from the city and state governments. (Spectrum News)
- Lyft is trying to make itself more attractive to drivers as it prepares for a public stock offering. (NY Mag)
- After Oklahoma City resolved a disagreement with a contractor, its new streetcar is back on track to start rolling in December. (Oklahoman)
- A 10-mile bike path along a narrow two-lane road connecting parks and reservations around Cleveland hit a snag when a consultant recommended mere sharrows (aka “chevrons of death”) instead. (Plain Dealer)
- Lincoln, Neb., is taking public comment on a plan for 135 future bike projects. (Journal Star)
- Tacoma, Wash., broke ground on a 2.4-mile streetcar extension Monday. (News Tribune)
Tuesday’s Headlines
|- The Portland City Council has approved the City in Motion plan that Streetsblog wrote about last week. The proposal gives 2 percent of downtown street space to cyclists and pedestrians, increasing capacity by 60 percent. (Bike Portland) The council also approved the route for a light-rail line to Southwest Portland (Oregonian) and $36 million for bus and bike lanes (also the Oregonian).
- Yesterday, we reported that Charlotte, Nevada and Montgomery County, Md., had broken or nearly broken records for pedestrian deaths. Add San Antonio (KENS) and Washington, D.C., (Post) to that list. In both cities people are demanding measures to slow down traffic and make streets safer.
- Incoming House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is inviting newly elected Democrats from Trump-leaning districts to work with the GOP on infrastructure. (CNBC) Privately, White Officials aren’t expecting any cooperation. (Politico)
- The National Transportation Safety Board cited poor design as the likely cause of a March pedestrian bridge collapse in Miami that killed six people. (NBC 6)
- Dockless scooter companies are pushing back against Washington, D.C.’s new regulations. (Curbed)
- Seeking to become a “mobility” rather than just a car company, Ford has bought e-scooter company Spin (WBUR) Meanwhile, bike and scooter rental company Lime is diversifying, too, starting a car-sharing service in Seattle. (Car Connection)
- A September vote to extend Phoenix’s South Central light rail line hasn’t stopped opponents — including Streetsblog nemesis Randal O’Toole — from continuing to complain about the project. (Downtown Devil)
- Seattle has one of America’s best transit systems, but still some people insist they need their cars. (KIRO)
- The French aren’t immune to car culture, either: Protesters are planning to block traffic in opposition to President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise gas taxes in an effort to wean France off fossil fuels. (Bloomberg)
- The New Orleans Ritz-Carlton is displaying a life-size replica of the St. Charles streetcar made out of gingerbread. (WDSU)
Monday’s Headlines
|- The Washington, D.C. suburb of Montgomery County, Md., enacted Vision Zero in 2017, yet drivers have already killed more pedestrians this year than last year. (Bethesda Mag) In Nevada, traffic deaths are nearing another record, which a UNLV researcher attributes to roads designed for drivers and drivers alone. (NPR) Charlotte also looks like it could eclipse last year’s record number of pedestrian deaths. (Observer)
- The Post and Courier opines that Charleston, S.C.’s focus on cars is putting people on foot and bikes at risk. O RLY?
- Denver’s Swiss cheese sidewalk network is what happens when a city is planned and built for cars. (Denverite)
- Remember that theory that Uber and Lyft would cut down on drunk driving? Yeah, well, it isn’t holding up in Kansas City. (KMBC)
- One Tampa city councilman is thinking big about how to spend the $30 million a year a recently approved tax for transit will raise. (Tampa Bay Times)
- Transit riders are fans of Cincinnati’s new bus-only lane. (Local 12)
- Bike lane roundup: A protected bike lane is planned between the National Mall and Dupont Circle in D.C. (PopVille) Seattle’s 40th Street bike lane is on hold. (Post-Intelligencer) Fayetteville, Ark., has installed a temporary bike lane. (KNWA)
- Our friends at Greater Greater Washington have a couple of cool job openings.
- Four Youngstown, Ohio, men have been charged with stealing a sidewalk. Not stealing something left on a sidewalk, or stealing from a person walking on a sidewalk, but stealing a sidewalk. (WFMJ)
Portland Will Grow — But Without Adding Cars
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The city plans to add 2 percent of street space in the central city for bus and bike lanes, increasing carrying capacity 60 percent.
Friday’s Headlines
|- Democratic governors-elect aren’t going to wait around for Washington to pass an infrastructure bill. They say they’ll do it themselves. (Bloomberg)
- Just days after Waymo CEO said autonomous vehicles aren’t ready for prime-time, the Independent reports that the company could put self-driving taxis on the road by the end of the year.
- The feds have agreed to fund half of the $2-billion Southwest Line, the biggest public-works project in Minneapolis history. (Star Tribune)
- The D.C. Metro will have to improve if it wants to attract employees of Amazon’s new second (third?) headquarters in northern Virginia. (Mobility Lab)
- Memphis police blame the victims for a spike in pedestrians deaths. (Fox 13) Three different drivers hit a pedestrian in Las Vegas, reports KDWN, which also made sure to point out that the victim was jaywalking. Also in Las Vegas, a driver confronted two men crossing on foot against the light, one of whom shot the driver. (Sun)
- The Sun also advises Las Vegas officials to forget about elevated roadways and focus on light rail instead, calling it critical for the city’s economy and status as a tourist destination.
- Durham, N.C. has approved a development with below-market-rate units for low- and middle-income families near a light-rail stop. (Raleigh News & Observer)
- Republican former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson has thrown his weight behind a gas-tax hike. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) A Forbes writer, though, says he doesn’t think there’s support for a national gas-tax hike.
- Clearwater, Fla., is considering adopting Complete Streets. (Spectrum News) Kalamazoo, Mich., wants MDOT to turn over control of local streets so it can improve safety. (MLive)
- A Texas charity that provides bikes for kids is the beneficiary of bike-shares pulling out of Dallas. (Star-Telegram)
Study: Dockless Mobility More Popular with People of Color in D.C.
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Dockless bike share is doing a better job reaching people of color than traditional city-sponsored bike-sharing systems, according to a new analysis
Providence Planning On-Street, Brightly Painted ‘Urban Trails’
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The goal is to connect every neighborhood with safe biking and walking infrastructure and art that pays homage to each area's unique culture.
Talking Headways Podcast: Verkehrsverbund – A Seamless Journey
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It's time to learn what Verkehrsverbund means!
Thursday’s Headlines
|- Sacramento is retrofitting two neighborhoods near transit into neighborhoods oriented around transit. The redevelopment project aims to accommodate an influx of new residents, increase transit ridership and improve air quality. (Urban Land)
- NPR gets in on the “Democrats and Republicans can unite on infrastructure” game. (Spoiler alert: probably not.) The American Spectator suggests Trump should go back to being a Chuck Schumer Democrat (again, fat chance). But the New Republic argues that Democrats should focus on long-term party-building over trying to pass legislation.
- Just like people, autonomous cars won’t ever to be able to drive in bad weather, according to the CEO of driverless carmaker Waymo. (Cnet)
- The CEO of Seattle’s Sound Transit is up for a contract extension to see through the agency’s multi-billion-dollar expansion — and a nice raise. (Herald Net)
- Atlanta is considering regulations covering where users can park dockless scooters and bikes. (11 Alive)
- News flash: Public transit requires public subsidies — especially in the suburbs, which were built for cars. (San Francisco Chronicle)
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has lost his epic struggle with the Trump Administration over roadside signs. (WABC)
- Iowa cyclists offer tips for biking in the snow. (Daily Iowan)
- The Asheville, N.C., council is set to approve a road diet. (WLOS) But another progressive Southern college town, Athens, Ga., has sided with drivers in a similar debate. (Flagpole)
- And, finally, four Russians found an ingenious way around a ban on people crossing a bridge on foot. (Jalopnik)
Amazon Won Transportation Perks for Its Crystal City HQ2
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A High Line-like pedestrian bridge is the highlight of the $28-million transportation incentive deal.
Wednesday’s Headlines
|- Women spend more money than men on transportation each month, according to a new study, primarily because they don’t feel safe on public transit. (Wired)
- As the number of women who walk or bike to work declines, according to Census data, Crosscut advocates for a #MeToo-style approach to street safety in Seattle.
- Houston is having a semantics debate over whether its dangerous streets are a public health threat or a public safety threat. The verdict: Public health is a broader category than many people might think. (Chronicle)
- Smart Cities Dive has a series on how freight-hauling affects congestion in New York, L.A., Atlanta and Chicago.
- Estonian ride-hailing company Taxify is worth $1 billion and has 500,000 drivers — and it’s coming for Uber. (CNBC)
- Uber has a new system for reporting sexual misconduct by drivers, from staring to rape. (ABC News)
- After fending off a “guerrilla launch,” Arlington, Va. is set to start a pilot program with two e-scooter companies. (WTOP) A pedal-assist bike share is now available in Philadelphia. (Next City)
- Baltimore will issue refunds to members of the city-run bike-share it ended in August. It’s just not clear when. (Sun)
- Two Utah residents are biking from Alaska to Argentina. They’ve contended with mountains, headwinds and bears, but asked about the worst part of the journey, one said, “Entering any urban area when you’re on the outskirts and there’s the four-lane with the turn lane with no bike lanes or shoulders.” (Deseret News)
- Streetsblog International: A driver plowed through a group of cyclists in Trinidad and Tobago, killing two and injuring at least 10 more. (Daily Express) In Bogota, Columbia, streets and highways are closed to cars every Sunday for people on bikes to use. (CGTN)
- And, finally, if you want to know everything you can about Amazon’s sweetheart deal with New York, our friends at StreetsblogNYC have the ultimate curated list of coverage.