Monday’s Headlines
- Uber has released safety data for the first time, reporting 3,045 sexual assaults, nine murders and 58 people killed in crashes in 2018, out of 1.3 billion rides in the U.S (New York Times). But Tech Crunch wonders why the company didn’t mention non-fatal crashes, or statistics from the time drivers spend wandering around waiting for passengers.
- SUVs are even worse than the environment than previously thought. Sales have doubled in the past decade — thanks to tax breaks, high profits for carmakers and an illusion of safety — outweighing the gains made by electric vehicles. (Wired)
- Kansas City just became the first major American city to vote in favor of universal fare-free transit. (KSHB)
- Oregon's new DOT director thinks getting traffic moving so cars aren't idling so much will help fix climate change. His critics point out that widening roads leads to more driving and more emissions. (Willamette Week)
- Major construction is about to start on Seattle’s Lynnwood light rail line (My Northwest), and The Stranger predicts a major cluster-you-know-what for riders while it’s ongoing.
- After ditching his car for #NoCarNovember, a Richmond city councilman introduced a package of reforms to make streets safer, including ending the blocking of sidewalks for construction, banning right turns on red, fining drivers for parking in bike lanes and easing red-light and stop-sign regulations for cyclists. (Greater Greater Washington)
- As officials in Shelby County, Tenn., mull how to pay for expanding transit, one poverty expert says more funding is critical to lifting Memphis residents out of poverty. (Flyer)
- Toronto’s suburban bus service is way better than on the outskirts of most American cities, with buses scheduled every 10 minutes on major roads until late at night, proving yet again that if you run it, they will ride. (Globe and Mail)
- Some streetcars, like Atlanta’s, are money pits that seem more like vanity projects than useful transit. (WJLA)
- Norfolk (WTKR), Fort Worth (WBAP) and North Dakota (Dickinson Press) are committing to Vision Zero.
- What should Bay Area transit agencies call the new Transbay Transit Center? (San Francisco Chronicle)
- And, finally, the New York Times Metro Section continues its war on cycling ... for some inexplicable reason. (NY Times)
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