Wednesday’s Headlines
Fining poor people for walking won’t keep them from dying — only redesigning roads to be safe for everyone will do that. (Talk Poverty) Now that Uber and Lyft have shareholders who will pressure them to turn a profit, the era of cheap fares is over. (Fox Business) A Georgetown University study of Washington, D.C. … Continued
By
Blake Aued
12:43 AM EDT on April 24, 2019
- Fining poor people for walking won’t keep them from dying — only redesigning roads to be safe for everyone will do that. (Talk Poverty)
- Now that Uber and Lyft have shareholders who will pressure them to turn a profit, the era of cheap fares is over. (Fox Business)
- A Georgetown University study of Washington, D.C. Uber drivers found that half of them live below the federal poverty line. (Business Insider)
- Minneapolis has gotten rid of free parking downtown — which is good, since there’s no such thing as free parking (Star Tribune). But how will they enforce the law? A federal appeals court ruled that chalking tires to see if drivers overstay their welcome is unconstitutional. (NBC News)
- Los Angeles is using cellphone data from 5 million people to reimagine its bus system. What officials found is that buses are too slow, don’t come at the right times and don’t go where people want to go. (Wired)
- The D.C. Metro wants companies bidding on a huge contract for new subway cars to consider building a factory in the area. (Washington Post)
- Portland cyclists will gather for a “No More Deaths” memorial on Wednesday to honor a woman killed by a driver on a dangerous section of Broadway. (Bike Portland)
- New bike shares are coming to Staten Island, N.Y. (Streetsblog), Mobile, Ala. (NBC 15) and North Little Rock, Ark. (Arkansas Times)
- Officials in Phoenix — where traffic deaths have doubled since 2010 — are developing a Vision Zero plan (Arizona Republic). But one councilman warns that it’s “an insane scheme … to force people out of their cars.” (12 News) He’s not entirely wrong — about the second part, at least.
- Elon Musk claims that Tesla will put a million self-driving taxis on the streets next year. We’ll believe it when he puts a man on Mars. (Vanity Fair)
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
‘Flock Off’: Mass Surveillance Surge Jeopardizes Lifesaving Crash Reduction Strategy
A surveillance company's controversial business model has made traffic enforcement look bad by association. The effects could cost hundreds of lives.
July 30, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Third Spaces
What happened to the neighborhood pub or indie coffee shop? They became places you drive past rather than walk to.
July 30, 2026
Wednesday’s Headlines Cut to the Bone
Transit and rail only get a small share of the federal highway trust fund as is, and the Trump administration now wants to take away that.
July 29, 2026
Letter From Bogotá: How A Great World Capital Puts Housing, Transit and Public Space First
The city's Secretary of Habitat Vanessa Velasco oversees the whole habitat and urban development ecosystem.
July 29, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Drag Their Feet
The Trump administration has refused to award any grants for transit capital projects over the past year and a half.
July 28, 2026