Monday’s Headlines — And Some Long Reads to Get You Through the Week

Streetsblog USA’s headline column will be on hiatus until Jan. 2. Happy holidays, and don’t forget to click on the icon to donate to our annual December fundraising campaign! (Or click here to watch to our NYC colleagues sing anti-car Christmas carols!)

Transportation news slowed to a trickle over the weekend, but here are a few timely headlines:

• Someday, Washington, D.C. cyclists could have their own Beltway: a 60-mile bike path encircling the metro region. (Post)
• The Oklahoma City streetcar drew 20,000 riders its first week of operation — a bit disappointing, considering city officials were prepared for up to 50,000. (Oklahoman)
• Cincinnati parents gathered outside two high schools Friday morning waving signs urging drivers to slow down and calling on the city to adopt Vision Zero. Drivers hit three students who were crossing the street last week. (WCPO)

And here are some longer reads to get you through the holidays:

• If we want to fix climate change, there’s no way around it: The car has to go. (New Republic)
• The Phoenix area’s Metro Valley light rail has exceeded expectations since it opened 10 years ago, but recently ridership has plateaued, and it still faces resistance in some parts of the region, jeopardizing future expansions. (Arizona Republic)
• Vision Zero has saved lives in New York, but many people are still dying in crashes that could be prevented. (City News Service)
• Don’t fix the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Get rid of it. (NY Mag)
• ProPublica’s “Trashed” series investigates fatal accidents, brutal working conditions and lax oversight of private trash haulers in NYC.
• After Minneapolis voted to eliminate single-family zoning, the Inquirer wonders if Philadelphia needs to get denser. Increased density can not only make housing more affordable, but also makes transit more efficient.
• The Post and Courier lays out a plan for robust transit in Charleston, S.C.
• We were told there would be no math involved, but on Medium a data scientists analyzes Bay Area traffic patterns.
• Toilet stalls, the cereal aisle and on top of street signs are among the weirdest places people found dockless scooters in 2018, (Curbed)
• Reinventing Transport has a long list of urban policy podcasts to while away the hours.

And to all a good night.