Wednesday’s Headlines to Get You Over the Hump

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 7, 2020

Fresh out of the hospital, President Trump pulled the plug on transit. (NY Daily News, NY Post, NY Times)
It looks like driving in the U.S. peaked even before the pandemic, and miles driven might tick back up a bit more but never rise to the level of the early aughts. (Bloomberg)
Why are Uber and Lyft spending nearly $100 million to overturn California's gig-worker labor law? Because that's a pittance compared to what they would spend on payroll taxes and worker's comp if drivers were employees. (NBC News)
Backup drivers for self-driving car companies Waymo and Cruise face health threats from coronavirus and now the California wildfires. (The Verge)
NPR catches on to the street-dining trend.
Maryland's Purple Line is on the ropes, and if it goes down, there goes an example of a transit project that serves riders instead of economic development. (The American Conservative)
So far this year, 29 people in Washington D.C. have died in crashes, up over 50 percent from this time last year (GW Hatchet). Deaths have also ticked up in New York City, from 169 to 175 (NY Post, Streetsblog). Such numbers are not unusual during the pandemic, and officials attribute the spike to drivers speeding on empty streets.
Faced with pandemic-related budget constraints, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan chose to cut bike and pedestrian projects over police. (The Urbanist)
The Los Angeles Metro and Caltrans are planning on tearing down more than 200 homes to make way for wider freeways. (Streetsblog LA)
A reconstruction of Hennepin Avenue, one of Minneapolis’ most important corridors, would turn two travel lanes and on-street parking into bus-only and bike lanes. (Southwest Journal)
A Northern Kentucky foundation is donating 1,000 bike racks and five repair stations to Cincinnati. (River City News)
Bergen, Norway, is turning a shipping and warehouse district into a car-free, zero-emissions neighborhood, partially built with repurposed concrete from a highway project. (Fast Company)
In more U.S.-shaming news from Fast Company, a São Paulo program is putting delivery drivers on e-bikes instead of dirtier gas-powered motorbikes.
Here to remind you that police everywhere hate cyclists is this story from The Scotsman about a bike rider who was given a warning after being punched by a motorist.
And, finally, you think dodging typical obstacles on American streets is bad? Check out the video of this bike race in Colombia. (@buitengebieden via Twitter)

Blake Aued

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