Tuesday’s Headlines
The micro-mobility revolution might be drawing nearer, but it’s not here yet. Rides on shared bikes and scooters doubled between 2017 and 2018, showing a thirst for alternatives to cars. But three quarters of Americans still drive to work alone — a figure that’s barely budged since 2010. (City Lab) Working with the same National … Continued
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 23, 2019
- The micro-mobility revolution might be drawing nearer, but it’s not here yet. Rides on shared bikes and scooters doubled between 2017 and 2018, showing a thirst for alternatives to cars. But three quarters of Americans still drive to work alone — a figure that’s barely budged since 2010. (City Lab)
- Working with the same National Association of City Transportation Officials data, Seattle Bike Blog concludes that Seattle is bucking the trend of growth in docked bike-shares and e-scooters. While companies are pulling dockless bikes out of cities like Charlotte (Observer), because Mayor Jenny Durkin has been reluctant to allow scooters, dockless bikes are still thriving in Seattle.
- Sidewalk Labs has been developing lots of ways to help cities gather data to use for transportation planning but have a Big Brother vibe. Now the Alphabet subsidiary is working on technology that will let people know when they’re being watched. (Tech Crunch)
- A steep hill at a Portland university is posing a challenge for engineers on the Southwest Portland light rail line. An aerial tram or funicular might be needed to get riders up it. (Oregonian)
- Minneapolis broke its single-day light-rail ridership record on Apr. 8, when the city hosted the NCAA basketball national championship game. (Star Tribune)
- Boston is urging surrounding cities to get onboard with Vision Zero. (WWLP)
- In a bold move for conservative South Carolina, the Charleston Post and Courier editorial board endorses Complete Streets.
- Uber is working with the University of South Carolina — where a young woman was murdered after getting into what she mistakenly thought was an Uber — on new safety initiatives. (Geek)
- Toyota is among the companies investing $1 billion in Uber’s effort to invent a self-driving car. (Ars Technica)
- Maybe robot cars aren’t so bad, when you think about these drunk-driving Texas twins who, in two separate cars, hit a couple of deputies working a fatal crash. (Houston Chronicle)
- And maybe cars are already self-aware. A Connecticut woman’s SUV mysteriously ran over her after she got out to check on a parking-brake problem. (Stamford Advocate)
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
Friday Video: Take Transit to the World Cup … If You Can Afford It
Why are some cities forced to charge high fares to World Cup visitors who want to take the train, while others are giving away rides nearly for free?
May 1, 2026
Good Public Transit + Good Public Funding = Good Public Health
Transit agencies need to do more to remind policy makers of the connection between good public transportation and good public health, a report argues.
May 1, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Walk Warily
Don't be fooled by declining statistics. Walking in the U.S. is still too dangerous.
May 1, 2026
Boston’s New Climate Plan Is At Odds With Boston’s New Transportation Policies
Mayor Wu's climate plan calls on the city to cut traffic and "transform" its transportation system, but City Hall leadership is cancelling and delaying projects that would actually accomplish those goals.
April 30, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Logistics of Package Delivery
Benjamin Fong on out how e-commerce companies like Amazon have built their logistics systems and the difficulty of last-mile delivery.
April 30, 2026
