Wednesday’s Headlines
Black lives matter. Freight important for safer streets. Click here for those stories and more.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on September 16, 2020
- It’s time to start taking freight into account when designing safer streets. Freight accounts for 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and delivery trucks are much more likely to kill pedestrians than passenger cars. (The City Fix)
- The people who are most likely to use transit—women, people of color and people with low incomes—are not represented inside transit organizations, and dismantling white supremacy will take more than tweets, writes Tamika Butler in a heartfelt Kinder Institute essay.
- 2020 was supposed to be the year of the driverless car. So where are they? (Medium) While AI technology isn’t ready for prime time, a new algorithm could help autonomous vehicles avoid collisions (Inverse)
- One gadfly and his lawyer are abusing San Francisco’s broken environmental appeals process to block safer-streets projects all over the city. (SF Chronicle)
- The Federal Transit Administration finalized a $928 million grant for the Green Line’s light-rail extension into southwest Minneapolis. (Pioneer-Press)
- A new report says that Philadelphia and New Jersey transit agencies’ fiscal crisis could cost the region manufacturing and construction jobs as agencies stop ordering rail cars and cancel new projects. (Inquirer)
- After voting down a new light rail line last month, Sacramento’s transit board reversed course and is moving ahead with the $130 million project. (Bee)
- Lyft announced on Tuesday that it will give half-priced rides in cabs and Citi Bikes on Nov. 3 to encourage people to vote. Just use the code “2020vote” in the Lyft app. Uber’s effort goes a bit further (USA Today).
- Pop-up bike lanes around Boston Common will become permanent this fall. (Globe)
- Three city-approved e-scooter companies are bringing 1,500 of the micromobility vehicles to Seattle in coming weeks. (KOMO)
- Madison, Wisconsin, is testing pedal-assist cargo bikes to replace pickup trucks for city workers. (State Journal)
- Well, that’s one way to get around—or rather, through—a car blocking the crosswalk. (Rex Chapman via Twitter)
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:
More from Streetsblog USA
The Races Transportation Reformers Are Watching This Midterms
What will the midterms mean for US mobility? Here are a few key races advocates are watching.
November 3, 2026
Can NYC Bus Riders Form A Voting Bloc? We’re About To Find Out
Transit advocates have a new plan to turn bus riders into a political force.
November 3, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines Vote Early and Vote Often
From the federal level to local referendums, this will be a pivotal election for transit and safety.
November 3, 2026
Would Ending Seasonal Clock Changes Make Streets Safer for People Outside Cars?
Saturday night Halloween celebrations and a seasonal time change converged this year to create what some fear were uniquely dangerous conditions on US roads. But would ditching the clock change really have saved pedestrian and cyclist lives?
November 2, 2026
Opinion: Robotaxis Need Clear Rules — Even in ‘Exceptional’ Situations
Maybe a robotaxi is safer than a human driver on an "average" road under "normal" conditions — but what will it do when things get unruly?
November 2, 2026
