Streetsblog

Friday’s Headlines to End the Week in Style

The news is clear: We need to save transit — for our planet, for our cities and for basic equity. That and all the other news is just one click away.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on October 30, 2020

Bike booms in the 1890s and 1970s didn’t last, but the current bike craze doesn’t have to end that way — if the federal government finally stops privileging automobiles and starts embracing bikes. (City Lab)
AI isn’t just for self-driving cars. It could help create a more efficient and sustainable transportation system. (Cities Today) (It’s also helpful for the pushers of conspiracy theories, as NBC News reported.)
The pandemic is forcing cities to find new and creative ways to gather public input. (The Grist)
A Congressional Black Caucus study on equity in transportation found that one-fifth of Black households don’t have a car; a quarter can’t use ride-hailing apps because they don’t have a smartphone; and 12 percent of the population is Black, but they make up 24 percent of transit users. (WTOP)
An Iranian immigrant’s experiences with racism and harassment on the bus led her into the field of planning. (GreenBiz)
A City Fix podcast examines how street safety is a sustainability issue.
A California judge says freedom of speech allows Uber to use in-app messages to pressure drivers into supporting Prop 22. (The Verge)
Service cuts at New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority could cost an estimated 450,000 jobs and $50 billion in lost earnings. (NY Times)
Maryland’s Democratic congressmen are pressing Gov. Larry Hogan to finish the Purple Line after contractors quit the project due to a dispute over cost overruns. (Washington Post)
Traffic deaths are up 60 percent in Philadelphia, where drivers have killed 120 people so far this year, compared to 75 at this point last year. (Philly Voice)
Arkansas’s new 10-year transit plan will shorten trip times and add more frequency in Little Rock and Fayetteville, if voters approved a $42-million tax. (Democrat-Gazette)
With help from $100 million in federal coronavirus funding, Utah transit will restore almost all pre-COVID service next year. (Salt Lake Tribune)
A Nashville man is suing the city over an ordinance requiring homeowners to build sidewalks in front of their houses or pay into a sidewalk fund. (WSMV)
Like many transit agencies, San Francisco’s Muni has a limit on bus passengers during the pandemic. When one driver recently tried to avoid overcrowding the bus, hilarity ensued. (SFist)
And, finally, some good news about the upcoming civil war: At least Walmart has stopped displaying guns. (NYDN)