Friday’s Headlines
Why are infrastructure projects so much more expensive in the U.S. than abroad? (New York Mag) Although some urban neighborhoods successfully revolted against freeways, most were built according to plan, hurting property values, dividing cities along racial lines and accelerating white flight. (City Lab) Uber is testing a monthly subscription service that combines car rides, … Continued
By
Blake Aued
12:13 AM EDT on July 26, 2019
- Why are infrastructure projects so much more expensive in the U.S. than abroad? (New York Mag)
- Although some urban neighborhoods successfully revolted against freeways, most were built according to plan, hurting property values, dividing cities along racial lines and accelerating white flight. (City Lab)
- Uber is testing a monthly subscription service that combines car rides, food delivery and bike and e-scooter rentals. (Tech Crunch)
- After expenses, Uber and Lyft drivers only make about $9 or $10 an hour — less than 90 percent of American workers. (CNN)
- When bike-share companies pull obsolete dockless bikes off the street, sometimes they give them charity, and a few even go to museums, but more often they wind up in the scrapyard. (Slate)
- Americans’ insistence on driving to work alone is causing traffic congestion and hurting the environment and our health, says a Harvard researcher, focusing on Atlanta’s strategies for car-free living. (Data-Smart City Solutions)
- San Francisco drivers killed two pedestrians this week in two separate collisions within blocks of each other, renewing calls for safer street designs. Already drivers have killed 19 people in San Francisco this year, compared to 23 in all of 2018. (Curbed)
- Los Angeles’ crumbling sidewalks are a problem, especially for the disabled. The city has between 1,500 and 2,000 pending repair requests. (KCRW)
- A California Senate bill would require bike lanes to be built or improved whenever state-owned roads are repaved. (ABC 10)
- An initiative seeking to cancel Phoenix light rail projects will stay on the August ballot after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled against an argument to keep it off. (ABC 15)
- A new feasibility study makes the case for high-speed rail connecting Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. (International Railway Journal)
- Milwaukee is not living up to its streetcar-related promises for bike lanes. (Urban Milwaukee)
- Rapper Desiigner might be single-handedly keeping Uber in business, claiming he spends $20,000 a month on rides. (XXL)
- Do not try this at home. (Fox 4 Dallas)
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’s Headlines Got Charlie Brown Again
Why won't Democrats punt and then try a field goal if and when they take more power next year?
August 14, 2026
Friday Video: How Red Curbs and Bike Racks Can Save Lives
What is daylighting, and how can cities use it to increase street safety?
August 14, 2026
Trump’s New ‘Roadway Safety Strategy’ Leaves Out The Good Parts
The Trump administration’s new blueprint for improving the nation’s poor road-safety record ignores well-established safety measures and leaves vulnerable road users completely out of the picture — a roadmap that advocates said would not change the ongoing road death crisis that is increasingly unique to the United States.
August 14, 2026
Talking Headways Podcast: The Bikeable Forest Of Texas (Yes, Texas!)
Who knew that there was a town in Texas that even the Dutch would love?
August 13, 2026
Waymo Speaks: We Have More In Common With Urbanists Than You Might Think
The robo-taxi company wants to push back on some recent coverage, so let's have it.
August 13, 2026