Wednesday’s Headlines From Around the Nation
Slow down! The fewer people drivers injure, the more beds for COVID-19 victims. Click here for that story and more.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on April 1, 2020
- Medical experts want to lower speed limits to keep crash victims out of hospitals, freeing up beds for people with COVID-19 (Forbes). And Streetsblog’s Kea Wilson knows just how to do it.
- With people driving less and a surplus of winter gas, the EPA is delaying the switchover to cleaner summer gas by several weeks. So the one thing that was good about the COVID-19 crisis — fewer people driving — means we get stuck with dirtier gas into the summer. (Wall Street Journal)
- Transit workers are at risk of catching the coronavirus, and they need protective gear, too (Transit Center). At Boston’s transit agency alone, 18 employees are infected (WCVB).
- Transit agencies continue to cut back service in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, forcing essential workers to choose between their jobs and their health (Wired). Hillsborough County (Tampa Bay Times), Dallas (CBS DFW) recently scaled back. and Cincinnati’s streetcar has been shut down (City Beat).
- Coronavirus is also having a severe effect on mobility services, with e-scooter and bike-share companies pulling out of cities, and ridership on Uber, Lyft and taxis down 70 percent (Intelligent Transport). Orange County, Florida recently banned e-bikes and e-scooters (Orlando Sentinel), while Cincinnati’s Red Bike is shutting down indefinitely. (Enquirer). But Detroit’s MoGo went the opposite direction, offering free monthly passes (Metro Times).
- Portland’s transportation commissioner says now is not the time to make temporary street changes to give people more room to spread out (Bike Portland). Nor will the Bay Area shift streets away from cars (Streetsblog SF). Other cities worldwide, though — including New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Bangkok and Jakarta — think now is precisely the time to make such changes (Reuters).
- Coronavirus has killed off conversations about closing a $10 million funding gap for Memphis transit. (Daily Memphian)
- One thing coronavirus can’t stop: Las Vegas road projects. (Review-Journal)
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.
Read More:
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog USA
Talking Headways Podcast: Evolution, God and Transportation
Let's consider the totality of the human experience on this planet. Yes, it connects to livable streets, we promise. It's a very special episode of Talking Headways!
June 4, 2026
A Rolling Protest Helped Win Some of the Best Provisions in Congress’ New Infrastructure Bill
...and the advocates behind the ride are doing it again soon.
June 4, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are Tired of Tires
Yale has found more evidence that tires cause air pollution as they wear.
June 4, 2026
Want to Win a Statewide Race? Embrace Transit Early and Often
Steyer got a nice media hit when he "rode the D." Too bad it happened after most voters cast their ballots.
June 3, 2026
Most World Cup Host Cities Are Pedestrianizing Streets This Summer – But Not Boston
In a few days, host cities across North America will welcome huge World Cup crowds by pedestrianizing major streets – and in some cases, entire neighborhoods – to keep traffic jams out of the fan parades and festivals associated with the international event.
June 3, 2026
