Streetsblog

Friday’s Headlines From Around the World

Uber and Lyft won a legal reprieve but are still under pressure to change their business practices. Click here for that story and more.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on August 21, 2020

The California Court of Appeals gave Uber and Lyft a reprieve on a Friday deadline to reclassify drivers as employees, so neither will follow through on threats to pull out of the state (CNN). In a podcast interview, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi argued that the company can’t hire 50,000 people overnight (The Verge). New York Magazine noted that “Pivot Schooled” co-host Scott Galloway pushed back, accusing Uber of exacerbating inequality. And the New York Times published letters from a union leader and a former Uber employee criticizing Khosrowshahi’s proposal for a gig economy benefits fund.
An Urban Institute report examines how transportation planners and transit agencies can provide equitable services to underserved communities.
The Congress for the New Urbanism proposes a federal program to convert freeways that destroyed neighborhoods into safer and healthier boulevards that knit them together. (Public Square)
Logistics hubs, cargo bikes, flexible loading zones and setting parking rates that reflect demand are some ways cities can curb circling for parking, which accounts for up to three-quarters of downtown traffic. (City Metric)
Resilience interviews former Streetsblog editor Angie Schmitt, author of the newly released book “Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America.”
Sitting in a car for two hours a day wreaks havoc on health, making people more likely to be obese, sleep poorly and report psychological distress. (Shape)
Transit agencies in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh told Pennsylvania officials that they’ll be forced to drastically cut back on service unless the state steps up funding. (Inquirer, Post-Gazette)
Atlanta transit agency MARTA released plans for the first 2.4 of what could become nearly 100 miles of bus rapid transit in the region. The Summerhill BRT project is scheduled for completion in 2024. (Journal-Constitution)
San Diego — which has a backlog of 81,000 sidewalk repairs — announced in January that it would waive fees for homeowners to get those projects done more quickly. But it never did. (10 News)
The failure of railway negotiations for Minneapolis’ Bottineau Blue Line is a good opportunity to take another look at BRT instead of light rail. (Star Tribune)
Sydney bus drivers are threatening to strike next week unless the government enforces masks and social distancing on transit. (The Guardian)
Hundreds of thousands of Europeans are riding e-bikes, thanks to government and employer subsidies. (Reasons to Be Cheerful)