Tuesday’s Headlines
Traffic fumes cause as many as 4 million cases of asthma a year among kids, according to a new study. Experts hope the study will spur cities to curb air pollution by improving transit, replacing bus fleets and incentivizing electric vehicles. (QZ) More Uber IPO hot takes: Uber spends a big chunk of its IPO … Continued
By
Blake Aued
1:28 AM EDT on April 16, 2019
- Traffic fumes cause as many as 4 million cases of asthma a year among kids, according to a new study. Experts hope the study will spur cities to curb air pollution by improving transit, replacing bus fleets and incentivizing electric vehicles. (QZ)
- More Uber IPO hot takes: Uber spends a big chunk of its IPO filing talking about how dangerous bikes and scooters are, yet throws good money after bad on jet packs (Forbes). It’s essentially a charity where tech billionaires subsidize taxi rides for young professionals, and cities could destroy it they want to — but it’s so unprofitable, that might not be necessary (NY Mag).
- But investors seem to like what they see, at least compared to Lyft, whose stock has taken a hit since Uber filed for its IPO. (CNBC, Market Watch)
- Phoenix’s South Central light rail line has secured a $500-million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (Fox 10). Meanwhile, a judge threw out a challenge to a petition putting Phoenix light rail back on the ballot (Arizona Republic).
- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is stepping up pedestrian safety efforts after a hit-and-run driver killed a man in a wheelchair and a woman who was helping him cross the street. (Chronicle)
- About 100 cyclists slowed rush-hour traffic to a crawl on Atlanta’s DeKalb Avenue in response to news that the city won’t add bike lanes to the busy street. (WSB-TV)
- The Memphis Flyer talks with the executive director of Explore Bike Share about the service’s new pricing plan.
- More on Lyft pulling e-bikes from three cities over safety concerns (StreetsblogNYC, WTOP). The same brake problem was reported in Atlanta in February (Curbed).
- Auckland, New Zealand has discovered the trick to boosting transit ridership: More bus routes, more frequent service and free transfers. Who knew? (Hint: Everyone.) (Fast Company)
- Anybody who drives — let alone rides a bike — ought to know that drivers are the absolute worst. (Outside)
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:
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: Five Bike Advocacy Mistakes You Don’t Even Know You’re Making
For one thing, make sure that political leaders who say "no" to livable streets experience consequences for their decisions.
March 27, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Take a Free Ride
Waymo has remote response teams, but when a robotaxi gets stuck, emergency responders have to get behind the wheel.
March 27, 2026
Despite Spin, Calif.’s Transportation Commission Funded a Lot of Highway Expansion Last Week
The gaslighting is almost as bad as the funding decisions.
March 26, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: Congestion Pricing Data Collection
New York's congestion pricing data whiz discusses the program's first year.
March 26, 2026
How DC’s Mayor and Council Chair Thwarted Every Effort to Better Its Streetcar
There are two reasons why D.C. doesn't have the streetcar system it was promised — and their names are Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson, one urbanist argues.
March 26, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.