Tuesday’s Headlines
- Outside of a few urban areas, it’s tough for Americans to live without a car. Lyft makes it possible, largely because venture capitalists are subsidizing rides, but can the now-public company continue to do so once it has to turn a profit? (MarketWatch) Its survival may depend on working with city transit systems to provide “last mile” service (Curbed). As Jalopnik points out, though, using Lyft instead of driving doesn’t take cars off the road, and it actually cuts into transit ridership.
- The tanker crash that shut down the Beltway for 12 hours shows the need for more transportation options and less auto-centric development in the D.C. area. (Washington Post)
- Gwinnett County leaders want to hold another referendum on expanding transit in the Atlanta suburb in November 2020 — when it's more likely to pass — after it failed at the ballot box earlier this month, but Republicans in the Georgia legislature are trying to delay the next vote until 2026. (AJC)
- St. Petersburg officials chose to nix on-street parking rather than a bike lane to make room for a bus-only lane downtown (WFTS). Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh did the opposite, replacing a protected cycle track with a painted bike lane in order to restore parking (Sun).
- A startup called Koloni is bringing bike-shares to small towns where other mobility companies don’t see the population to turn a profit. (Fast Company)
- NPR jumps on the dockless-scooters-cause-injuries-and-block-sidewalks bandwagon.
- After almost two years, the verdict on Portland’s Biketown bike-share program is in, and it’s … meh (BikePortland). Meanwhile, Richmond, Va., is trying to turn around its failing bike-share by replacing traditional bikes with e-bikes (Free Press).
- Los Angeles is revamping its Vision Zero program after drivers killed 242 people last year, more than half of them pedestrians. (LAist)
- Orange County, Fla. Mayor Jerry Demings says he’s close to announcing a funding plan for mass transit, potentially including Lynx buses and SunRail. (Orlando Sentinel)
- A beloved San Antonio cyclist was seriously injured by a drunk driver. (KENS)
- Amsterdam is removing 11,000 parking spaces from the inner city to make way for more trees, bike parking and wider sidewalks. (City Lab)
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