Friday’s Headlines
Uber is stingy about sharing data, but the company has agreed to allow a select few cities — New York, Seattle, Cincinnati, Nairobi and London — to track vehicle speeds. The data can help those cities make better decisions about infrastructure and traffic regulation. (The Verge) The National Association of City Transportation Officials will work … Continued
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on May 17, 2019
- Uber is stingy about sharing data, but the company has agreed to allow a select few cities — New York, Seattle, Cincinnati, Nairobi and London — to track vehicle speeds. The data can help those cities make better decisions about infrastructure and traffic regulation. (The Verge)
- The National Association of City Transportation Officials will work with five cities — Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, to build bike and bus lanes to help them meet carbon-reduction goals. (Patch)
- As expected, the National Labor Relations Board issued an advisory memo saying that Uber and Lyft drivers are contractors, not employees. (NPR)
- Infrastructure Talks II: Electric Boogaloo. (The Hill)
- Streetcar roundup: Businesses are anxiously awaiting the extension of the Kansas City streetcar line (KSHB). Tempe, Ariz., is temporarily closing a downtown street as work continues on its streetcar (KTAR). Charlotte’s streetcar will stop running for 18 months starting in June so workers can finish a 2.5-mile extension (Observer). But streetcars aren’t for everyone: Providence, R.I. is spending money earmarked for a streetcar on buses instead, and it’s better off for it (Mobility Lab). Finally, a Detroit News columnist argues that the widely derided QLine can succeed if businesses subsidize fares for a while, payment is easier and it has a dedicated lane.
- Volunteers fanned out across Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to gather data on bike-lane safety. They found drivers driving, parking and picking up and dropping off people in bike lanes with impunity. (WAMU)
- Los Angeles appears to be pulling back from plans to install
its firstnew bus-only lanes this year. (Curbed) - Did Denver’s vague new master plan just outlaw single-family development? (Denver Post)
- Uber Black’s “quiet mode” is the ride-hailing equivalent of rolling up the window divider in your limo. (CBS News)
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: Inside the Global Far-Right Push To Rip Out Bike Lanes
Toronto might be in the center of the fight to resist bike lane teardown today. But if some far-right politicians have their way, this fight won't be the last.
October 23, 2026
Friday’s Headlines Shoot Themselves in the Foot
Gas taxes pay for transit, too, so what happens when politicians pander to voters, and the highway trust fund runs dry?
October 23, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: A More Humanized Experience in Honolulu
If we look transit just as a distance issue, but as a time issue, performance should be discussed as one big whole.
October 22, 2026
Our Best Bet To Confront Climate Change in the Trump Era? Build More Apartments
Most climate strategies are hamstrung by Washington and culture wars across the country. But zoning reform may be the exception.
October 22, 2026
What ‘Flying Cars’ Could Mean For US Car Culture
Would fleets of flying cars be a dystopian nightmare, or a chance to create more walkable cities on the ground?
October 22, 2026
