Streetsblog

Thursday’s Headlines Amidst the Chaos

Pete Buttigieg will be Joe Biden's transportation salesman-in-chief, and will have the opportunity to implement stricter safety standards for ever-larger vehicles.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 7, 2021

Transportation secretary nominee Pete Buttigieg will face the tough task of selling a skeptical Congress on a green infrastructure bill. (E&E News)
Vehicles are getting bigger and more dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists, but the Biden administration could reverse that trend with new safety standards. (City Lab)
To survive, transit agencies can no longer rely on fares, and need to find new revenue streams instead. (Marketplace)
More people will probably keep working from home post-pandemic, which could reduce commutes but also encourage sprawl. (Reuters)
Car ownership has spiked in New York during the pandemic, and now drivers are whining even more about parking. Transit and biking advocates say the city needs to reallocate space away from cars and back to people. (NY Times)
Seattle’s abandonment of its bike master plan is pitting bikes and transit against each other while sparing drivers. (Planetizen)
Charlotte leaders haven’t gotten much feedback on a massive plan to expand transit, but most of the public input has been positive. (WSOC)
The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that Uber can’t force customers into arbitration for disputes like accusations of discrimination. (Boston Globe)
Richmond’s bus route overhaul resulted in a 17 percent increase in ridership, and now Norfolk and other Virginia cities could follow suit. (Virginia Mercury)
Only two of Missouri’s 34 transit agencies will receive a share of federal coronavirus relief funds, and the state should step in with funding. (Missouri Times)
The Post-Gazette profiles Aurora, the Pittsburgh company that bought Uber’s self-driving car division.
Want an e-bike but don’t want a whole new bike? Buy this wheel clip with an electric motor instead. (Fast Company)