Wednesday’s Headlines

By Blake Aued

11:34 AM EST on November 20, 2019

A National Transportation Safety Board report issued Tuesday blames Uber's disregard for self-driving cars' safety risks and a distracted backup driver for a killing a woman who was crossing the street in Arizona last year, and calls for tightening oversight of autonomous vehicles on public roads (Bloomberg, CNET). That's sure to be a topic of conversation when the Senate Commerce Committee holds hearing on self-driving cars today (Car and Driver). See also: the Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, where Uber is also testing self-driving cars.
In Tempe, where that deadly crash happened, a new rental community under construction won't allow cars. It's the first of its kind in the country, according to the developer. (Wall Street Journal)
The Boston Globe's Spotlight team, of movie fame, turns its investigative eye on the region's traffic nightmare.
Charlotte is learning from its mistakes, and recently approved zoning along light rail encourages transit-oriented development, affordable housing and environmental sustainability. (Observer)
San Diego's proposed bike lane network is $79 million over budget and a year behind schedule, largely due to road work and community opposition to taking parking spaces. Only nine miles of 77 have been completed. (Union-Tribune)
An advocacy group is trying to convince Chicago transit agencies to cut fares in half for low-income riders. (Tribune)
Honolulu's bus ridership is in decline, and Civil Beat suggests lowering fares and improving service to better compete with cars.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is pushing back toll lanes on Highway 400 in north metro Atlanta, which will also push back plans for bus rapid transit. As a result, a 2020 vote on a sales tax for transit in Fulton County could be pushed back, as well. (AJC)
San Francisco is installing 100 new bike racks every month for the foreseeable future. The city expects 8,000 new rental bikes and e-scooters on streets by next spring. (ABC 7)
A new Oklahoma law requires drivers to give bikes a wide berth, and lets cyclists cruise through red lights if no one else is around. (Oklahoman)
Streetsblog alum Angie Schmitt is leading the charge on Twitter against a $1.2 million Hyperloop study in Cleveland, and Ryan Deto at the Pittsburgh City Paper concurs.
Uber is trying again to bring e-bikes to Rome, where ancient cobblestones, theft and vandalism defeated previous companies’ efforts — even though Rome should be a shoo-in for bike-sharing, given its congested streets, lack of parking and shoddy transit. (New York Times)
Entitled drivers in cars getting coffee: A single D.C. motorist sitting in his car sipping java during morning rush hour was able to delay hundreds of bus riders. (Greater Greater Washington)

Blake Aued

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