- Density may have helped coronavirus spread in cities, but don’t forget its strengths: culture, better transit and affordable housing, not to mention modern sanitation that’s prevented other pandemics, hospitals and walkability that encourages better health. (New York Times)
- Biking is the best way to get around while social distancing, and the cities that realize it are continuing to build bike lanes and protecting bike shops from closure. (City Lab)
- Uber and Lyft got a bailout from the coronavirus stimulus bill in the form of having taxpayers pick up unemployment benefits for their exploited workers (Streetsblog USA). But the good news is that New York's top court granted those "independent contractors" rights as real employees (Newsday).
- More from Streetsblog: U.S. car traffic dropped 30 percent in the past month, and that’s helped trucks deliver essential goods more quickly than ever. Biking can help flatten the curve – If space previously set aside for cars is given over to bikes.
- Cities need to remake their regulations for the micromobility revolution. (Governing)
- E-scooters make it easier for people to use public transportation. That’s because most people will only walk 10 minutes to a bus or train stop, but they can cover a lot more ground on a scooter in that amount of time (CoMotion). How do e-scooter companies know how many devices to put on the ground? The senior vice president of data at Bird explains (Smart Cities Dive). So why are e-scooter companies pulling out of cities when people need them now more than ever? (Bloomberg)
- Brightline has suspended passenger rail service in South Florida and laid off 250 people due to coronavirus. But publicly owned Tri-Rail and Metrorail are still running. (Miami Herald)
- Meanwhile, Xpress West — owned by Virgin Trains USA, the same company that owns the Brightline — is moving forward with plans for high-speed rail from California to Las Vegas. (L.A. Times)
- Houston, though, is slowing down on $7 billion plans to expand transit as officials keep an eye on the fiscal fallout from COVID-19. (Chronicle)
- The D.C. Metro is indefinitely closing 19 stations to save dwindling cleaning supplies and protect employees from coronavirus exposure. (Washington Post)
- Toronto and Vancouver are doing what other cities should do and thinking about closing down streets to increasingly nonexistent cars to allow for more social distancing. (Globe and Mail)
Today's Headlines
Friday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
By Blake Aued
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Streetsblog Year in Review: The Biggest Sustainable Transport News of 2024
It was a busy year in the movement to end car dependency — and there's a lot more to come.
December 23, 2024
Monday’s Headlines Are Knocked Out by Greenways
Greenways are helping to revitalize cities, but how well are they integrated into the overall transportation system?
December 23, 2024
Friday Video: Traveling Without the Car
City Nerd focuses on the cities where it's easiest to get into town without a car.
December 20, 2024
Friday’s Headlines Share and Share Alike
It's pretty clear that bike- and scooter-shares reduce car trips, but it may be time to consider a subsidized or nonprofit model for car-shares as well.
December 20, 2024
Inside California’s Messy E-Bike Voucher Launch
Over 100,000 Californians tried to grab 1,500 e-bike vouchers in less than an hour. But does that mean the launch was bungled?
