Wednesday’s Headlines

By Blake Aued

1:16 AM EDT on July 24, 2019

Climate change, the red and blue divide, segregation, sexism, invasion of privacy, wars and 3.6 million deaths — just a few of the problems the automobile has contributed to. How did we get here, and why do we still love cars so much? (New Yorker)
Using U.S. DOT, EPA and Census data, CNBC ranks Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Rhode Island as the states with the worst infrastructure. By "infrastructure," thought, they mainly mean roads and bridges, with little mention of rail and none of sidewalks or bike lanes.
Uber is raising prices for JUMP e-bikes in several cities, including Los Angeles, Denver and Providence, R.I. (Business Insider)
The Washington Post explains the e-scooter boom, the resistance it’s generated and the safety risks involved.
Those cars that take photos for Google Street View also collected private data like WiFi passwords, and Google has agreed to pay $13 million in a class-action lawsuit. (CNN)
The San Francisco Chronicle supports a 1-percent sales tax that would raise $100 billion for transportation over 40 years, but also points out that the region’s 20 transit agencies should be consolidated, and more housing is needed close to jobs and transit.
A seven-lane “raceway” in Portland is getting a bike- and pedestrian-friendly makeover (Bike Portland)
Pittsburgh Port Authority officials hope to complete a design for a new bus rapid transit line by the end of the year. (City Paper)
Albuquerque has formed a High Fatal Injury Network team to fix the city’s most dangerous stretches of road and intersections. (KRQE)
The Seattle suburb of Bellevue is orienting development around a future Main Street light rail line. (Reporter)
Maui has unveiled a design for a new $2-million transit hub. (Maui News)
People might hate paying gas taxes, but only 80,000 drivers in South Carolina bothered to file claims for gas-tax refunds under a provision in a new law, collecting an average of $24 each. (Charleston Post and Courier)
More emphasis in "active travel" — especially walking, since so many trips in London are short — would bring huge returns in reducing traffic congestion, air pollution and the effects of climate change, according to a new UK study. (Treehugger)
Milwaukee's streetcar recently broke its record for most riders in a day — but that hasn't stopped residents from complaining about it. (Record)

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