Wednesday’s Headlines

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 23, 2019

No matter how you crunch the numbers (and we have!), car drivers are getting safer and the rest of us are getting slaughtered (WSJ). The rest of the mainstream media is getting it wrong (USA Today), but Streetsblog got it right.
It’s been well publicized that Uber and Lyft drivers generally make less than a living wage. Tips don’t do much to make up the difference, either: According to a new study, only 16 percent of rides result in a tip, and the average tip is $3, working out to about 50 cents a ride. Female drivers get more in tips than men, and black drivers are more likely to get stiffed than whites. (The Verge)
Transit ridership is falling nationwide. Can San Diego — which has two tax hikes to expand transit on the ballot — turn that trend around? (Los Angeles Times)
Greater Greater Washington used Vision Zero data to map out exactly where drivers are killing pedestrians in D.C.’s Maryland suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
Houston is getting rid of car lanes on busy Cullen Boulevard and replacing them with 12-foot shared bike/pedestrian lanes on either side (Chronicle).
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’s plan to raise $10 million for Memphis transit by charging households that own more than two cars $145 a year appears to be DOA. (Commercial Appeal)
Tucson is widening Broadway to six lanes, which is not a smart move. But at least the project includes bike lanes, and crosswalk and transit improvements. Officials hope that the improvements, plus retaining six old bungalows as retail or restaurants will help activate the street. With six lanes of car traffic, good luck. (Arizona Daily Star)
The Connecticut Post calls on Gov. Ned Lamont to finally release the latest version of his $20-billion, 10-year transportation plan.
Fare evaders are rampant on Fresno’s bus rapid transit because of problems with ticket vending machines (The Sun). If it’s such a hassle, why not just stop charging riders?
Atlanta’s first pop-up bike lane is now open on 10th Street. (WSB-TV)
An allegedly drunk driver in Miami Beach drove up on the sidewalk to pass stopped traffic and plowed through four people walking on the sidewalk. He’s been charged with two counts of DUI resulting in serious bodily harm, two counts of leaving the scene of a crime and one count of reckless driving. The Miami Herald seems to think the worst part is that the driver is a Tampa Bay Bucs fan.
Lime is set to lose $300 million this year. Who would've thought that leaving e-scooters just scattered around for people to, you know, throw into rivers or whatever would cost so much money? (Gizmodo)

Blake Aued

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