Wednesday’s Headlines
Vancouver has seen an increasing in biking, walking, car-shares and transit ridership since banning Uber and Lyft, even as fewer people are using transit in most cities. Still, many residents and the tourism industry are clamoring for ride-hailing. Will it augment the transit network or compete with it? (Slate) Electric scooters seem to have outpaced … Continued
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EST on February 6, 2019
- Vancouver has seen an increasing in biking, walking, car-shares and transit ridership since banning Uber and Lyft, even as fewer people are using transit in most cities. Still, many residents and the tourism industry are clamoring for ride-hailing. Will it augment the transit network or compete with it? (Slate)
- Electric scooters seem to have outpaced one of the U.S.’s earliest municipal bike-share programs in Denver, leaving questions about whether such options can coexist with commercial ventures. (Government Technology) St. Louis, too, will soon be without rental bikes, thanks to the private sector. One company has already withdrawn, and now Lime is replacing its bike fleet with electric scooters. Meanwhile, Spin might join the e-scooter fray. (Post-Dispatch)
- The Phoenix City Council will vote today on setting an Aug. 27 election date for a referendum on light rail. Opponents want money earmarked for light rail spent on roads instead, and gathered enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot. (KJZZ)
- Complete Streets are spreading in California, where pedestrian deaths are up 7 percent and cyclist deaths are up 8 percent. (San Jose Mercury News)
- The Oregon legislature is considering a bill that would override Portland’s regulations on ride-hailing companies, including requirements for driver background checks and insurance. (Willamette Week)
- Worried about “scooter hell,” the Orlando Sentinel urges the city government to look to other cities to figure out how to deal with the influx of dockless e-scooters.
- A Boston city councilor calls for making the T — the city’s bus and subway system — free. Free transit would increase ridership, improve equity and help fight climate change, Michelle Wu argues. (Globe)
- Nashville groups are pushing for a crosswalk at an intersection where drivers have killed two people on foot in the past four months. (WKRN) University of Texas students are also calling for bike lanes in Austin after a bus driver killed a cyclist last week. (Daily Texan) In Phoenix, a vigil was held for a 5-year-old boy killed by a truck driver. (Arizona Republic)
- A Jacksonville, Fla., Uber driver says two off-duty police officers he picked up attacked him, using racial slurs. (Action News Jax)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Talking Headways Podcast: Sidewalk Nation
Law Professor Michael Pollack on who manages, owns and feels ownership of sidewalks — "America's most overlooked resource."
May 14, 2026
‘Our Roads Are More Than Just Highways’: Democrats Urge U.S. Senate Not to Defund Multimodal Programs
A Trump administration proposal recommends massive cuts to popular programs – and it will cost American communities more than they can afford, Senate Democrats say.
May 14, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Pump It Up
Until you can feel it (gas prices, that is). But you don't really need it (suspending gas taxes).
May 14, 2026
Study: Trump’s Transit Proposal Would Cost the Country So Many Jobs — And Not Just in Cities
... but an increase in funding would be a job-creating juggernaut.
May 13, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Are Bought and Paid For
The Union of Concerned Scientists explains how the highway lobby keeps so many of us in our cars.
May 13, 2026