Today's Headlines

Wednesday’s Headlines

E-scooters might be good for air quality and easing traffic congestion, but they’re apparently a public health problem, thanks to relatively high speeds, a high center of gravity, and inability to handle rough roads and a proclivity to block sidewalks (The Hill). The New York Times’ David Leonhardt concurs, calling on scooters to be banned … Continued

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on December 4, 2019

E-scooters might be good for air quality and easing traffic congestion, but they’re apparently a public health problem, thanks to relatively high speeds, a high center of gravity, and inability to handle rough roads and a proclivity to block sidewalks (The Hill). The New York Times’ David Leonhardt concurs, calling on scooters to be banned from sidewalks because they’re a threat to pedestrians. Reminder: Cars kill tens of thousands of innocent bystanders every year, which is itself a public health crisis. Scooters have killed a few scooter riders.
Miles driven per person in the U.S. is up since 2013, but still below the all-time high in 2004. (Green Car Congress)
Washington, D.C. area leaders are relying on transit-oriented development to house the 1.5 million people who are expected to move to the region in the next 25 years. (WTOP)
What will Sacramento voters get if they approve a half-cent sales tax for transportation in 2020? Two new bridges, light rail, Vision Zero safety improvements, an upgraded Amtrak station and “managed lanes” on freeways for carpools, buses and zero-emissions vehicles, among other things. (Bee)
RIP Alejandra Agredo, an influential advocate for Miami transit, despite being just 17 years old. The founder of the Miami Riders Alliance, who designed a new transit pass and developed software to track all modes of transit in Miami-Dade, Agredo struggled with depression and stepped in front of a train last week. (Herald)
Lyft e-bikes pulled from New York City over a brake problem have been stripped of their electric parts and reintroduced as pedal-only bikes in Chicago. (Smart Cities Dive)
Providence is moving ahead with more two-way bike lanes after initially creating one and then undoing it when residents complained. (WPRI)
The University of Miami may be an official bike-friendly campus, but students cite rough roads and lack of parking as impediments to pedaling. (Hurricane)
It looks like delivery cargo e-bikes are coming to New York City. (Streetsblog)
Conservative Seattle talk-radio host Todd Herman calls for “civil disobedience” if the $30 car tab fee recently approved by voters is struck down in court. (KIRO)
Beware of “vomit fraud”: Uber drivers in Cleveland and elsewhere are charging riders to clean up messes they didn’t actually cause. (WPTV)
Toronto’s supposed Vision Zero program is a deadly morass of gaslighting and victim-blaming. (Treehugger)
All right, so it’s not exactly transportation, per se, but Decider’s takedown of that viral Peloton ad is still worth a shout out.

Blake Aued

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.

Today's Headlines

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