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Wednesday’s Headlines From Around the Nation

How students can get to school safely, more on Uber and Lyft's troubles and other top headlines are a click away.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on August 26, 2020

For schools that are reopening, how will students get there safely? Driving them, as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has suggested, is a congestion and environmental disaster. The data on coronavirus transmission on transit is encouraging, though, and school buses are running at half capacity. Biking is another alternative — if routes are safe. (City Lab)
Uber and Lyft are doomed, says The Guardian. Both companies have been relying on Silicon Valley cash infusions and squeezing drivers to survive. Meanwhile, they’re hemorrhaging money while fighting off labor challenges and waiting for AI that’s still years away to replace humans. Now the courtroom walls are closing in, as California’s lawsuit against the ride-hailing companies could inspire New York to follow suit (NY Daily News). And using a franchise model to shield themselves from liability won’t fix the gig economy’s problems, for either companies or workers (Slate).
Traffic is coming back, but slowly, which could mask a huge problem if commuters continue to avoid transit as they slowly return to work. (Politico)
Companies are already testing automated trucks, which could spell the end of thousands of jobs. (60 Minutes)
Drivers have killed three pedestrians in San Francisco in the past two months, leading advocates to renew pressure on officials to make streets safer. The city has less than four years to hit its Vision Zero goal (SFBay). Speed cameras could help (San Francisco Examiner).
Houston’s Silver opened last weekend — the first of 75 miles of planned bus rapid transit in the auto-centric city. (Chronicle)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is becoming an anti-racist organization. (Bike Portland)
St. Paul should stop permitting drive-through restaurants. (streets.mn)
Buffalo isn’t following its own bike master plan, so GObike Buffalo is taking matters into its own hands. (Buffalo Rising)
Like many transit agencies, Richmond’s is facing a dilemma on whether it should stay fare-free. (Virginia Mercury)
New Haven’s zoning code all but forced a property owner to turn housing into parking, when it should be the other way around. (Independent)
The Bangor Daily News doesn’t care what color crosswalks are. The editorial board doesn’t think they’re enough to protect pedestrians and wants a crackdown on drivers who fail to yield.
Carrboro, North Carolina, wants to commission an “End Racism Now” mural, but needs permission from the Federal Highway Administration. (Chapelboro)

Blake Aued

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.

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