Streetsblog

Tuesday’s Headlines From Around the Nation

Bikes are selling like hotcakes (hotcakes that can get you crosstown, that is!). Plus, electric buses are still so rare that when a city buys one, it's still news. That and the other headlines from around the nation.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on May 19, 2020

Bikes are flying off the shelves in New York and other U.S. cities (New York Times). And in London, e-bike sales are soaring as people seek alternatives to cars and the tight confines of public transit (The Guardian).
The Guardian also reports that London will close large parts of the city to cars to give people space to walk and bike as the lockdown eases, and will raise congestion fees on drivers entering the city, though Mayor Sadiq Khan is still discouraging people from using public transit.
Every disaster brings bikes further into the mainstream. The challenge now is how to make sure they’re accessible to all. (Forbes)
The pandemic is highlighting inequality in public transportation. The same people who tend to rely on it — minorities and low-income workers — are also those who are most susceptible to COVID-19. Looming cuts will hurt them the most, too. (Washington Post)
Inequality is also evident in the highway funding included in Democrats’ latest coronavirus relief bill, which would benefit some states far more than others. (Eno Center for Transportation, Streetsblog)
Uber and Lyft are misclassifying drivers and ignoring U.S. labor law to get out of paying minimum wage, overtime, unemployment or workers’ comp. (Yahoo)
D.C. city council members are urging Mayor Muriel Bowser to close streets to cars or narrow them to widen sidewalks and add bike lanes. (WTOP)
The recession is threatening the sales tax revenue that supports Miami-Dade’s network of free trolleys. (Miami Herald)
Austin is considering lowering speed limits citywide. Drivers’ speed is the main factor in a quarter of pedestrian deaths. (CBS Austin)
Ridership on the Oklahoma City streetcar is down over 80 percent. (Non Doc)
Tucson introduced its first electric zero-emissions bus. (First? It’s 2020!) (Arizona Daily Star)
Atlanta needs to have a broad-based conversation about open streets and slow streets. (ThreadATL)