Monday’s Headlines
Start your week off right by listening to our Streetsblog NYC colleagues singing anti-car Christmas carols at the city's mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion. Four numbers, including "Biking Wonderland" and "Andrew the Two-Faced Guv'nor," are included in this video featurette.
Also, please help Streetsblog keep the lights on for another year by contributing to our annual December donation drive.
- Apple is building a new $1-billion campus in Austin that the company claims will be environmentally sustainable. But what about all the employees who will have to drive to work? (The Verge)
- Lyft's app will soon display transit, bike-sharing and scooter rental options, in addition to available cars, illustrating how the company is transition from ride-hailing to transportation in general. (Fast Company)
- The world's first floating light rail line across Lake Washington will reduce commuting times — but it could also jump-start gentrification in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue. (The Stranger)
- The Virginia Beach city treasurer who led a successful fight against light rail in 2016 is stepping down. (Virginian-Pilot)
- Chatham Area Transit in Savannah is ending Georgia's first public bike-share because of lack of funding. Primarily a bus agency, it can't spend Federal Transit Administration funds on bikes. (WSAV)
- Extending the hours of Washington, D.C. train service would threaten their reliability by cutting into inspection and maintenance time, according to the Metrorail Safety Commission. (WTOP)
- New York's minimum wage hike for Uber and Lyft drivers could draw more drivers to leave taxis behind, but combined with a congestion surcharge that also takes effect next month, it could also cut into ridership by raising prices. (Crain's New York Business)
- West Philadelphia residents are sick of getting hit by cars and fed up with the city dragging its feet on Vision Zero, so they're forming their own transit task force. (Billy Penn)
- People just can't stop throwing e-scooters into bodies of water — more than 60 have been recovered from Oakland's Lake Merritt alone. (Slate)
- Finally, someone has ranked cities by their two most important metrics: tacos and transit. Spoiler alert: Chicago has the best of both worlds. (City Lab)
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